The federal Affordable Connectivity Program provided a $30 monthly subsidy for about 150,000 residents to pay for home internet.

But the program lost Congressional funding and was cut earlier this year.

That's when Connected Dallas stepped in.

"We've recognized how critical the internet is," said Jennifer Sanders, executive director of the Dallas Innovation Alliance, which runs the Connected Dallas program. "People talk about it like a basic utility, and it has been for a long time."

The initiative works to close the digital divide through training, support and free internet and computer access.

Sanders said as soon as the Affordable Connectivity Program ended, she knew the priority was to sure that families that benefitted from that program weren't going to get automatically billed for their home internet service. She and her team looked for similar subsidy programs, such as another federal program called Lifeline.

"It's still something that we can absolutely provide and help facilitate while working with private service providers on what programs are available."

Connected Dallas has several drop-in sites around the city where people can connect to the internet, get tech help and take computer classes. Sanders said things such as tele-health, applying for jobs and services and paying bills make the internet essential.

"One of the first things we ask is, do you need internet in the home?" she said. "Can we help you find a plan that's right for you and that's affordable?" She said many of their clients may be eligible for other government benefits.

Helping at the anchor sites "digital ambassadors." Sanders described them as the heart of the program.

"They speak 15 languages amongst them," she said. "Sometimes we are the first representative that can serve members of the immigrant community in their home language."

Sanders said that at least 70% of the digital ambassadors are bilingual.

Digital ambassador Sadiya Patel, one of three teachers at the Vickery Meadow Youth Foundation, said they recently added a service to help clients apply for state benefits such as SNAP and Medicare.

"We help people with a lot of that because it can be an intimidating process and ... people don't know if they're eligible," she said.

Other walk-in centers include South Dallas, Bachman Lake and CitySquare.

Priscilla Rice is KERA's communities reporter. Got a tip? Email her at [email protected].