Gwsf Thenue Why Digital Inclusion?

1. GWSF Digital Inclusion Event
on 25th October 2016
Why is Digital Inclusion
Important for Housing
Associations?
Brian Gannon, Head of Housing at Thenue Housing

2. 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

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. Who is online and how does access vary by
area, income, age, tenure and deprivation?
• Scottish Government’s Annual Household
Survey 2014

6. Scottish Households with home internet
access by year

7. 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.

8. Households with home internet access by net
annual household income

9. Use of internet by age

10. 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

11. Households with home internet access by Scottish
Index of Multiple Deprivation
(SIMD) 20 per cent most deprived areas

12. Households with internet access at
home by tenure

13. 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.

14. What devices do people use?

15. What are the barriers to getting
online? Carnegie Trust Reports

16. 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.

17. ONS: What are the barriers
to internet access?

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

19. 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.

20. 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.

21. So is digital inclusion important for
Social Housing?

22. • 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

23. 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.

24. 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

25. 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.

26. • 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

27. 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.

28. 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.

29. • 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

30. 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/

31. • 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 the
Digital Inclusion Toolkit?

32. GWSF Digital Inclusion Toolkit

33. 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.

34. 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.

35. 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.
2 To promote and meet customer demand for more of our services to
be online 24/7.

36. 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.
2 To promote and meet customer demand for more of our services to
be online 24/7.
3 To achieve significant service and processing efficiencies by
investing in new digital and electronic hardware and software.

37. 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.
2 To promote and meet customer demand for more of our services to
be online 24/7.
3 To achieve significant service and processing efficiencies by
investing in new digital and electronic hardware and software.
4 To support Tenants who require to make online claims for Universal
Credit, and access other public services.

38. 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.
2 To promote and meet customer demand for more of our services to
be online 24/7.
3 To achieve significant service and processing efficiencies by
investing in new digital and electronic hardware and software.
4 To support Tenants who require to make online claims for Universal
Credit, and access other public services.
5 To encourage greater and more effective tenant engagement
through forms of digital communication.

39. Thenue’s 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.
2 To promote and meet customer demand for more of our services to
be online 24/7.
3 To achieve significant service and processing efficiencies by
investing in new digital and electronic hardware and software.
4 To support Tenants who require to make online claims for Universal
Credit, and access other public services.
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.

40. Digital Inclusion @ Thenue
• How is
Thenue
helping our
tenants get
online?

41. 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

42. 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.

43. 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.

44. 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.

45. 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.

46. 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

47. 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.

48. 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.

49. Digital Services at Thenue
Why 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

50. Benefits of Mobile Working
For 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

51. Thenue Digital Systems & Services
Mobile Working
• 5 modules purchased
• Pre Inspections
• Post Inspections
• Tenancy Services
• Estate Management,
and
• Stock Condition Survey

52. 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

53. 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.

54. Self Service Fully integrated with
our housing system QL

55. 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

56. Any Questions?