OneCommunity has received $18.7 million in stimulus money that it plans to use to help poor residents in Ohio and four other states get high-speed Internet access and learn to use it. The Cleveland-based nonprofit, which provides fiber-optic Internet service to government agencies and nonprofits in Northeast Ohio, will use $11.7 million of that money to increase broadband adoption in Cleveland, Akron and southeastern Ohio. The rest of the money for the “Connect Your Community” program will go to Detroit; Lexington, Ky.; Bradenton, Fla.; and Gulfport and Biloxi, Miss. The money, which came from the U.S. Department of Commerce's Broadband Technology Opportunities Program, will pay for Internet literacy training for participants, subsidies to help them afford Internet access and additional equipment for existing computer labs. Nonprofit groups organizing each of the regional efforts will hire a total of more than 100 staff members to train participants. Those hired will put special focus on teaching resident to use the web in productive ways, such as by applying for jobs, finding health and wellness resources, and enrolling in continuing education programs. They also will help residents figure out how they will attain affordable Internet access over the long term. The nonprofits also will provide nearly $5 million of free services as part of the program, said Andrea Castrovillari, director of development for OneCommunity. The Cleveland Housing Network, which is organizing the Cleveland effort, will receive $3.1 million and hire a staff of about 20, as will Accel, a Zanesville nonprofit that will cover southeastern Ohio. The Akron Urban League, leading the Akron effort, will receive $2 million and hire about 13 people. The program aims to serve 57,200 residents in all of the regions over two years.