Culver City provides hope for chronically unhoused

“Having services like the wall of video feeds provided by Managed Network Edge is very helpful to us. The support from Spectrum Business has made a meaningful difference throughout the process.”

Christina Stoffers-Himmelman, Management Analyst, City of Culver City 

In Culver City, California, people who lived on the streets not long ago now know a degree of stability and normalcy because of a dedicated housing program. 

Two shuttered motels were converted into over 70 independent housing units which offer key services like food, nursing care and counseling. Also included are internet connectivity, television, security cameras, WiFi and voice services, acquired by the city in partnership with the non-profit agency Exodus Recovery. 

“Some of these people have been on the streets 10-15 years,” says Vanessa Schneider, vice president of housing and enhanced services for Exodus Recovery. “Just taking hot showers or being able to come home and cook for yourself is a way of living they never had before.” 

To give the new units fast internet connectivity, with a service level agreement guaranteeing 100% uptime, Spectrum Business was brought in during the construction phase. Spectrum Business technicians and engineers installed a Dedicated Fiber Internet circuit at each site. 

That fiber connectivity feeds ample WiFi coverage across both locations.

Seamless WiFi coverage is accomplished with switches and access points installed in strategic areas by Spectrum Business engineers. WiFi is controlled at each location using Managed Network Edge platforms. 

The platforms also connect to dozens of security cameras onsite, installed inside and out. Schneider notes this is valued by the residents for enhancing safety; her staff can cycle through dozens of camera feeds over the cloud via mobile devices.

Spectrum Business also provides other key technologies to the Culver City locations; Fiber Connect Plus TV for home entertainment and Unified Communications with RingCentral for residential voice services.