Darlyne Milord (standing, right) helps a program participant get started on the new computer at On The Rise. Milord is OTR's Operations Coordinator. (Photo by Ashley Forgione)

 
There’s a brand-new computer in the alcove at On The Rise, Inc. (OTR), located at 341 Broadway in Cambridge.

Most of the women who use the computer came here originally for more basic needs—a meal, a warm coat, a safe haven from abuse. Or they were looking for assistance with issues like addiction, homelessness, illness or unemployment (http://www.ontherise.org).

But computer access is fast becoming a basic need, too.

The new computer—along with six others in the offices of the community advocacy staff—is part of an array of improvements funded through a $20,000 grant awarded to OTR earlier this year by two agencies working together: the National Center for Family Homelessness, headquartered in Newton, and the Cambridge-based Community Collaborative for Change, which focuses on cities near Boston. Together the two organizations offer funds, training and technical assistance for non-profit programs that assist people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.

Gillian Grossman, OTR’s Director of Development and Communications, describes the award as a capacity-building or infrastructure grant.

“The purpose of it is to reinforce our ability to provide effective community programs and services,” Grossman explains. She pauses a moment, then adds a personal note: “Applying was a very competitive process. We were very happy and proud to be chosen.”   Photo: Gillian Grossman (l) with OTR Director Martha Sandler.

Getting onto the Internet is a new experience for many of the women who seek assistance at On The Rise, according to Darlyne Milord, the program's Operations Coordinator. She oversees the system.

“Often I’m helping them sign up for their first Gmail account,” she said.

Right now Milord is working with the rest of the staff on a larger aspect of her job: choosing a new database. The software is also funded by the grant.

“There’s a real culture shift when you get a new database—it changes the way you do things,” Milord notes.

“That choice is a big decision for a program like ours,“ OTR’s Executive Director Martha Sandler said in an interview this week. “A lot depends on your database. It can create new opportunities for analysis and for evaluating your impact; it can show how to tweak a program to improve the outcome, or help you develop your message to the world.”

Sandler pointed out that an important part of On The Rise’s mission is to develop and maintain the sense of community among the staff and the people who come in for help. The process can include anything from sharing lunch in the kitchen of the cozy Victorian house to filling out a housing application or taking an art class together. It can even include keeping in touch by email.

“Establishing relationships is what makes our program work,” she said. “Improving the technology gives us more time and opportunity to do that.”