YOUNGSTOWN — Youngstown is the second least digitally connected city in Ohio, and one local nonprofit organization and a lead provider of internet service are working to fix it.

Pat Kerrigan, director of the Oak HIll Collaborative, said on Friday that the city ranks only behind East Cleveland in the state for poor connectivity and access to the internet. Multiple other media outlets in recent years have named Cleveland as the worst-connected large city in the country, along with Detroit.

Oak Hill Collaborative has been working to bridge the gap and received some help Friday from Spectrum.

“We received a very generous grant from Spectrum in the amount of $20,000, which is going to help us with our efforts to help people who really don’t have access to the internet for a variety of reasons,” Kerrigan said.

For many across the country, he said, the problem is that they don’t have the infrastructure. Not so here in Youngstown.

“The problem we’re dealing with is people don’t know how to use their computers, they can’t afford it and they don’t have affordable devices, and those things are just as important to have access to the internet as having the infrastructure,” Kerrigan said.

With the Spectrum Digital Education grant, Oak Hill Collaborative can continue its free computer education and training and ensure affordable technology for Youngstown residents. Oak Hill Collaborative provides free classes in its Digital Learning Center and offers one-on-one assistance for those who need extra support.

Kerrigan said the organization over the past year has given away more than 500 computers and taught nearly 950 classes.

“We’ve been doing this since 2017 and then the (COVID-19) pandemic came and really showed us the need,” Kerrigan said. “I think it’s really important for people to understand what a problem this is. The folks we’re dealing with don’t have any idea … they come in and they are really lost. There’s so many things they don’t understand, so we just get them one step at a time.

Kerrigan said that while the greatest portion of the people it serves with the program are financially underprivileged or elderly or both, there is a broad range of people who benefit from the service.

He said one of the most significant aspects of what Oak Hill Collaborative can provide is job readiness and workforce development.

“We’re not workforce development in the sense that we’re going to teach you how to do the job in front of you, but we’re going to teach you to use a computer so you can learn how to do that,” he said. “If you can’t use a computer, you’re shut out of the market. Job benefits, applications, resumes, it all has to be online … a lot of people just don’t have that and they’re just barred and they end up being a permanent underclass because they just don’t have those opportunities.”

State Sen. Al Cutrona, R-Canfield, was among multiple elected officials invited to the event.

“We’re in the 21st century, and we’re in a time where technology and the digital footprint is essential, and what this does is it bridges the gaps and allows for our citizens here in the Mahoning Valley to be able to connect digitally,” he said. “Everything from your ability to pay your bills to your ability to contact your legislators, the ability for you to engage with the outside world is done digitally…that’s why these initiatives are important and to be able to have a collaborative opportunity like public and private entities working together, shows that the community recognizes that connectivity is essential.”

Youngstown Mayor Derrick McDowell thanked Spectrum and praised Oak Hill Collaborative for the work it has been doing to meet a very important need.

“To have Oak Hill Collaborative and Pat’s leadership, for those who need it most, for those who have been divided and disconnected, this is the place, this is the hub,” he said. “This Spectrum Digital Education award means a lot for a community like Youngstown. This is what is needed to make a city like this more competitive. This is what is needed to make the City of Youngstown more connected, not only digitally but connected to corridors beyond our community and beyond our borders.”

Following the check presentation, Spectrum also hosted a digital education class to provide helpful tips for maximizing the WiFi experience in the home and staying safe online.

Jake Miller, manager of field service for Spectrum, said it is important for users to understand the differences between wifi and non-wireless internet and what the potential risks are.

He also touted some of the new technology the company has implemented recently.

“One of the features of our new router is that it has a malware detector and we use that often just to make sure everything’s clean coming in or out,” he said.