Background:
Although Federal, State and Local government agencies strive to improve access to government services by offering online service delivery, adaptation to the new technology is hindered due to the public's lack of electronic connectedness, basic computer skills and awareness of online government service offerings. For example, North Dakota is one such rural state that lags behind in access to technology. 47% of the state's households do not own a computer and 54% do not have Internet access1. Rural citizens are the people who need alternative forms (Internet) of access to government services the most; because of the long distances they must travel to visit the nearest government office in person. However, poverty presents an additional barrier that hinders access to electronic government services. 71% of households in North Dakota earning less than $15,000 per year do not own a computer and 75% do not use the Internet at home2.
Improved technology access and education can also meet a need to link rural communities in light of homeland security efforts and information systems security concerns, an issue that has been identified as a priority by the Western Governor's Association. However, a critical missing link that has been identified by the WGA is the "lack of human resources on the ground, in the community" to develop local systems and infrastructure to support the technology and security efforts.
The Government Rural Outreach (GRO) Initiative is addressing the needs of citizens located in rural America to perform secure and legally protected Internet interactions, removing geographic barriers to transacting business with government agencies. Through a partnership with AmeriCorps*VISTA, the Western Governor's Association and the Social Security Administration, the Government Rural Outreach (GRO) Initiative will have the human resources needed to fulfill its mission while simultaneously implementing a community action program to serve the states of North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado and Utah.
The program can simultaneously assist with the implementation of strategies for small business development consistent with and supported by the Western Governors Association, secure information systems, rural access to medical resources, increased access to federal/state/local benefits, and increased access to and use of educational resources. The project can also identify and address other poverty-related issues using locally-defined needs to build community, organizational and individual capacity in areas such as asset development, building educational infrastructure, recruiting and engaging community volunteers, conducting needs analyses, developing marketing and community education plans, etc.
Due to the scope of this project and the large geographic area of service, VISTA Members will be assigned to different organizations in each community. The individual communities and organizations in the six-state project area have not yet been identified. The VISTA Supervisor will work to identify and facilitate the involvement of each of these organizations. Letters of support will be provided by the participating communities as they are identified.
1 U.S. Department of Commerce, National Telecommunications & Information Administration, A Nation Online: How Americans Are Expanding Their Use of the Internet, Tables H1 & H2, February 2002.
http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/dn/hhs/TableH2.htm&http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/dn/hhs/TableH1.htm
2 The Children's Partnership, special tabulation of U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics and U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, Computer and Internet Use Supplement, September 2001.