Cambridge Digital Navigator Pilot Launches With Multi-Agency, ARPA-Backed Coalition

CAMBRIDGE -- April 24, 2024, Cambridge committee hears full briefing on ARPA-funded Digital Navigator Pilot targeting low-income residents. The city's Information Technology Department, Cambridge Public Library, Cambridge Public Schools, Just a Start, and Cambridge Community Television are collaborating on the pilot, which pairs in-home technical assistance with light case management. City CIO Patrick McCormick and Library Director Maria McCauley told the three-member committee that regional ARPA grant funds are covering three positions, a coordinator at Cambridge Community Television and navigators at CCTV and Just a Start, while city ARPA dollars are funding two more full-time positions at roughly $200,000, with a potential additional $200,000 for Cambridge Housing Authority and HRI placements pending negotiations. The program formally kicks off May 9 as part of a six-community JEDI collaborative coordinated through the Mass Broadband Institute, with the regional grant running through September 2025. Public commenter Saul Tannenbaum, citing a failed earlier city pilot at Newtown Court, warned: "It's not too early to start planning what you're going to do next."