At Provident Place, 200+ Figgers Free Connected tablets carried a message bigger than technology: you are seen, you are valued, and you belong in the digital world

Pompano Beach, Florida. The lobby of Provident Place looked different on distribution day. Device stations lined the room. Black Figgers Foundation bags waited in neat rows. And one by one, residents of one of Broward County's newest affordable senior housing communities, some walking in with canes and rollators, walked out carrying something many had never owned: a tablet of their own, set up, activated, and ready to use.

Through its Florida Connect program, the Figgers Foundation distributed approximately 200 tablets to Provident Place residents, continuing its statewide mission to close the digital divide one community at a time. But the number only tells part of the story. Foundation team members sat with residents throughout the event, unboxing devices together, answering questions, and making sure every participant left comfortable with the technology in their hands. No one walked away with a gadget they did not know how to use.

A Brand New Community, Connected From Day One

Provident Place is itself a story of new beginnings. Opened in June 2026 by the Housing Authority of Pompano Beach, the 100 unit midrise community serves residents age 62 and older and stands as the first phase of a sweeping, multi phase revitalization of the surrounding neighborhood. Its ribbon cutting carried the theme of opening doors to opportunity.

Just months later, the Figgers Foundation arrived to hold those doors open. A new apartment provides safety and dignity. A connected apartment provides something more: access. By reaching residents so early in the life of the community, Florida Connect ensured that Provident Place would not just be affordable, but included in the digital world from day one.

The event also deepens a growing partnership between the Foundation and the Housing Authority of Pompano Beach. In January, the two organizations celebrated the graduation of students from the Foundation's Youth Tech Program. With the Provident Place distribution, that partnership now reaches across generations, from the community's youngest learners to its senior residents.

Why Seniors, and Why Here

Pompano Beach is home to more than 117,000 people, and roughly one in five is age 65 or older. It is also one of South Florida's most diverse cities, with nearly 30 percent of residents identifying as Black or African American, 25 percent as Hispanic or Latino, and about a third born outside the United States.

Broadband lines run through nearly every street in the city. Yet access on paper is not access in practice. For older adults on fixed incomes, the cost of a device, the cost of service, and the confidence to use both remain very real barriers. Seniors are consistently among the least connected Americans, at exactly the stage of life when connection matters most: for telehealth appointments, for benefits and essential services that have moved online, and for the simple, powerful ability to see a grandchild's face on a screen.

Florida Connect answers those barriers the most direct way possible. It does not wait for people to find technology. It brings technology to the places where people live, and pairs it with the human support that turns a device into a habit.

More Than a Device

For the seniors of Provident Place, each tablet is a practical tool with immediate uses: video calls with children and grandchildren, virtual doctor visits without arranging a ride, online banking, news, faith services, music, and lifelong learning. It is also a quiet safeguard against one of the most serious health risks facing older adults, social isolation.

The smiles in the lobby said what statistics cannot. Residents held their new tablets up like trophies. Neighbors compared devices and traded tips. A building that opened its doors only months ago spent the afternoon feeling like a community that had been growing for years.

The approximately 200 tablets distributed at Provident Place represent more than hardware. They represent independence, engagement, and the belief that no one ages out of opportunity.

Through Florida Connect, the Figgers Foundation continues to bring digital opportunity to underserved communities across the state, from rural counties in North Florida to senior communities in Broward, working toward a Florida where every generation is connected.

To learn more about Florida Connect and the Foundation's work to bridge the digital divide, visit figgersfoundation.org.