Gwsf Thenue Why Digital Inclusion?

GWSF Digital Inclusion Eventon 25th October 2016

Why is Digital Inclusion Important for Housing

Associations?Brian Gannon, Head of Housing at Thenue Housing

http://digitalinclusionandhousing.scot/


Why is Digital Inclusion Important

for HAs ?

Who is not online and what are

their barriers to accessing the internet?

National & Local

Government Strategies

Digital Exclusion &

Poverty

Thenue’s Digital

Housing Services

Role of GWSF & The

Digital Inclusion

Toolkit

Thenue’s Digital

Inclusion Project

What do we mean by digital inclusion?

• Digital Inclusion is about equipping people with the skills, motivation and trust to go online, be digitally capable and to make the most of the internet.

What does it mean to be digitally excluded?

• Being digitally excluded means that our:

• Unemployed tenants and residents find it harder to enter the job market.

• Our elderly tenants will become more socially isolated.

• Our most vulnerable tenants will find it harder in future, to claim the benefits they are entitled to.

• Our school children have more limited access to educational materials, affecting performance at school.

• All our digitally excluded tenants have to pay a premium to buy goods and services that are cheaper online.

Who is online and how does access vary by area, income, age, tenure and deprivation?

• Scottish Government’s Annual Household Survey 2014

Scottish Households with home internet access by year

Scottish Household Survey (2014)

• The vast majority of Scottish households with internet access at home reported having a broadband connection (98 per cent).

• Across all households, 78 per cent had broadband at home.

• Home internet access increased with net annual household income, from around six in ten households with incomes of £15,000 or less, up to 99 per cent of those with income greater than £40,000.

Households with home internet access by net annual household income

Use of internet by age

Internet Access & Deprivation

• Report shows that households in the 20 per cent most deprived areas were still significantly less likely than those in the rest of Scotland to have access to the internet at home (69 per cent compared to 83 per cent).

• Access among households in the 20 per cent most deprived areas is rising however and increased by 3 percentage points between 2013 and 2014

Households with home internet access by Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation

(SIMD) 20 per cent most deprived areas

Households with internet access at home by tenure

How do people access the internet?• Survey notes that more

people are using mobile devices across age groups and income bands.

• Fewer people are using laptops and computers to connect while tablets have increased, particularly amongst the relatively young and the very old.

What devices do people use?

What are the barriers to getting online? Carnegie Trust Reports

Carnegie Trust: Why are people not online?

• Areas in Glasgow where more than 43% of households estimated to have no internet access

• The most significant barriers to people going online are a high level of comfort with being offline and specific concerns about unknown aspects of the digital world.

• Those who are not online simply prefer doing things in person

or by phone.

ONS: What are the barriers to internet access?

Is cost the reason why people do not use the internet?

What role does poverty play in digital exclusion?

• JRF Report on Poverty 2016

• Report notes that estimated 12.6 million lack basic digital skills.

• Poor digital connectivity is one of the key factors driving up poverty.

JRF on Poverty and Role of Social Landlords

• JRF Recommendation:

• Make tackling poverty an explicit aim in social landlords’ business plans and strategies

• Help tenants to become digitally included, for example by working with private providers on installing ultrafast broadband and providing digital skills’ workshops.

So is digital inclusion important for Social Housing?

• Both Digital Scotland and Digital Glasgow recognise that social housing tenants are one of the key “unconnected groups” they need to engage with if they are to achieve their objectives of getting as many people as possible to go online.

• Digital Scotland says 42% of households in social housing are not online.

• Glasgow remains below that of other UK cities, with at least 64,000 households not online, particularly those most disadvantaged.

National & Local Government Digital Strategies

Digital Glasgow

• Digital Glasgow is a city strategy, developed to promote collaboration between the public, third and private sectors.

• Glasgow aims to become a world leading digital city by 2017.

Aims of Digital Glasgow

• The Strategy has 2 key components:

• “A world class digital infrastructure - essential to supporting the wider transformation of the city, attracting new businesses and jobs and supporting major regeneration projects; and

• Ensuring Glasgow businesses and residents have the skills required to create and access the opportunities that this digital infrastructure has to offer.”

• Digital Glasgow Board has a number of work streams to help deliver on their vision for Glasgow to be a world leading digital city:

• Broadband Infrastructure

• Urban Wireless

• Digital Participation

• Digital Business

• Digital Public Services

Digital Participation Workstream

• To increase participation we have identified those who are less digitally connected, the elderly, unemployed and those living in rented and social accommodation.

• GWSF is represented on this workstream by a number of reps from RSLs.

• There is no doubt that not being able to access the internet is a significant form of social and economic exclusion;

• Community Controlled HAs have a successful track record of tackling social and economic exclusion in our communities through not only housing regeneration, but also through a range of non housing (wider role) activities.

• Many have the local facilities which can help deliver digital inclusion workshops and training

• By helping our tenants get online, in addition to accessing our own services, we can for example: help them apply for and get a job, apply for benefits and access other public services, help with education, maintain contact with family and friends and save money through online transactions.

Importance of Digital Inclusion for Housing Associations

GWSF Involvement

• GWSF has a key role to play in promoting digital inclusion activity by local RSLs

• GWSF is represented on 2 groups that have focussed on digital inclusion:

1. Digital Glasgow’s Digital Participation Workstream

2. Glasgow City Council’s Welfare Reform Housing & Investment Working Group where Digital Inclusion has been an area of focus for the group in light of the intention for most Universal Credit claims to be made online.

GCC Welfare Reform Group

• A Digital Inclusion Survey was undertaken on behalf of the group in 2013 to see what Digital Inclusion projects were being delivered by Glasgow RSLs at that time.

• In 2013, only one-third of RSLs in Glasgow were providing internet training for their tenants, and no RSL in the survey employed Digital Inclusion workers (Thenue HA now have 3).

• From the survey it was also clear that Digital Inclusion didn't appear to be on the radar of some RSLs.

• Clearly, some RSLs now have very good digital inclusion projects, and

• We also know RSLs that want to develop DI projects but are not sure where to start.

Summary of GWSF & SFHA Survey on DIGITAL INCLUSION projects

GWSF Digital Inclusion Toolkit

• Digital Glasgow’s Digital Participation workgroup met with a few RSLs in 2014 to discuss how RSLs in the city might help meet Digital Glasgow’s aims to support that key unconnected group – social housing tenants.

• From this came the idea of a toolkit that would showcase good practice in DI but also help other RSLs learn from the lessons and challenges of developing DI projects

• http://digitalinclusionandhousing.scot/


• The GWSF Digital Inclusion Toolkit aims to:

• Help RSLs share knowledge on the challenges and successes of digital inclusion projects among GWSF members.

• We felt that it was essential that we shared best practice to avoid unnecessary waste of resources, avoiding replicating what didn’t work.

• Funding for the project has come from Digital Scotland

• Glasgow Kelvin College (Craig Green) was appointed to produce the online Digital Inclusion Toolkit for GWSF.

• An Advisory Group of GWSF Members provided feedback on the draft toolkit before it went live.

What is the aim of theDigital Inclusion Toolkit?

GWSF Digital Inclusion Toolkit


A Digital Strategy for an RSL

One section of the GWSF Digital Inclusion Toolkit has, as an example, an outline of Thenue’s Digital Strategy.

Our Strategy sets out how Thenue will:

• maximise our residents access to the internet through supporting and encouraging them to go online, and

• at the same time drive forward our Business Objectives of efficiently delivering more of our services and processes in a digital and online way.

Digital Strategy:Our Strategic Objectives

Strategic Objective

1 To encourage and support as many of our tenants as possible to

access the internet and experience the benefits that being online

can bring.


Strategic Objective



can bring.

2 To promote and meet customer demand for more of our services to

be online 24/7.


Strategic Objective



can bring.


be online 24/7.

3 To achieve significant service and processing efficiencies by

investing in new digital and electronic hardware and software.


Strategic Objective



can bring.


be online 24/7.



4 To support Tenants who require to make online claims for Universal

Credit, and access other public services.


Strategic Objective



can bring.


be online 24/7.





5 To encourage greater and more effective tenant engagement

through forms of digital communication.

Thenue’s Digital Strategy:Our Strategic Objectives

Strategic Objective



can bring.


be online 24/7.





5 To encourage greater and more effective tenant engagement

through forms of digital communication.

6 To develop a culture across the organisation that continually strives

for efficiencies and improved services through digital technology.

Digital Inclusion @ Thenue

• How is Thenue helping our tenants get online?

Change in Internet Access Among Thenue Tenants

14%19%

37%

53%

70%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

2006 2009 2012 2015 2018?

% of Tenants Who Access the Internet

Digital Inclusion @ Thenue –helping our residents get online

• Thenue Digital Inclusion Project funded to March 17 but looking to apply for longer term funding

• Key aim is to improve residents digital skills through flexible digital training and support

• 3 staff employed

• Recently nominated for a TPAS award for Best Practice in Digital Involvement.

• In recognition that digital participation is of benefit to everyone, the project reaches out to all ages, the youngest being 4, and the oldest so far being 95 years old.

Thenue’s Digital Inclusion Project

• Digital Inclusion activity is central to all our Community Regeneration Projects; employment support, volunteering, youth work etc.

• Project participants have taken part in a variety of activities, from Digital Drop-ins and Job Clubs, to Tablet workshops (e.g. where service users can be shown how to use their devices to the best effect) and Coder Dojo coding clubs for children

• Some people have brought along their own device to get advice and support to use it, and others have used our laptops to get online.

Digital Learning @ Thenue

• The project provides supports digital learning in local venues, training volunteers with some IT knowledge as ‘Digital Champions’ and providing a friendly, comfortable space for people to come along and get support to improve their digital skills.

• In addition, Thenue offers a digital lending library, which was funded by the SCVO Digital Challenge Fund, whereby Thenue tenants may borrow a refurbished iPad with internet access

• Lending is restricted to tenants only as a means of safeguarding the equipment, with all equipment being insured under Thenue’s company insurance policy.

Future of our DI Project• Given the success and

popularity of the ‘Smart Communities’ programme to date, Thenue is currently reviewing options for future funding of the programme;

• Collaboration with other housing associations is one option being considered.

Digital Services @ Thenue

• Online Housing Services is a key part of Thenue’s Digital Strategy

• The UK Government’s Digital Efficiency Report suggested that transactions online can already be 20 times cheaper than by phone, 30 times cheaper than postal and as much as 50 times cheaper than face-to-face

Was there a demand for Online Services from Thenue Customers?

• Thenue’s 2015 Customer Survey suggested that less than 2% of our tenants accessed our existing website or had downloaded our (fairly basic) mobile app, yet 53% of tenants regularly accessed the internet. Why?

• We think there were 3 possible reasons for this:

• Tenants didn’t see Thenue as an online service provider (they expected services to be delivered in traditional ways)

• We didn't effectively promote and encourage tenants to use our current digital services,

• We didn't have online services that were good enough for tenants to want to use.

Integration: The Key to Successful Use of Digital Technologies

• The annual Goss Public Sector & HA Channel Shift Strategies Report for 2015 noted that integration (with main customer databases) was cited by 68% of survey respondents as the key barrier to “channel shift” (move to online services).

• Only if we invest significantly in integrated digital technology will this strategy be successful.

• Aareon and 1st Touch, our software providers, offer integrated mobile and tenant app solutions that we hope will deliver successful online services for our customers.

Digital Services at ThenueWhy are we developing digital services and technology?

We want to:

• Offer better customer services (24/7 availability)

• Achieve system efficiencies

• Engage with a wider group of customers

• Free up staff resources to spend more time with vulnerable customers and UC applicants.

What are we doing?

• Mobile working software and devices for staff

• Self Service app for customers

• New Customer Engagement Strategy using customer insight to review service delivery and communicate according to customer preferences

• Move from a One Size Fits All service

Benefits of Mobile WorkingFor Thenue Staff

• Avoid having to print off forms etc before going out on visits and manual form filling when on site.

• Generate workflows, emails and job orders whilst out on site.

• Avoids subsequent manual entry in housing system on return to the office

Thenue Digital Systems & ServicesMobile Working

• 5 modules purchased

• Pre Inspections

• Post Inspections

• Tenancy Services

• Estate Management, and

• Stock Condition Survey

How will our customers transact online with us in future?

• A key online focus for Thenue in the coming years will be on smartphone and tablet technology rather than the previous focus on PCs.

• 50% of Thenue tenants who access the internet now use a mobile phone, with only 18% using a desktop computer.

• The rise of affordable smartphone technology has seen the internet become more accessible than ever, especially for people on lower-incomes

1st Touch Self Service Customer App

• 1st Touch have completed our first version for testing

• Once we have fed back comments/issues we will issue to group of customers for further testing.

• Hope to go live in December 16.

• Front line staff to receive training to help customers download the app on to their devices.

Self Service Fully integrated with our housing system QL

How can we all make a greater contribution to Digital Inclusion?

• Using the GWSF Digital Inclusion Toolkit

• Sharing good practice on the Toolkit with more case studies

• Developing integrated online housing services that our customers will want to use

• Supporting tenants to get online by working in partnership with other RSLs and other agencies

• Investing in digital infrastructure to go into our homes

Any Questions?

Gwsf Thenue Why Digital Inclusion?

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