Section Divider: Heading intro here.
Digital Inclusion & Social Housing
Helen Milner
Chief Executive, Online Centres Foundation
4 April 2013

Social Housing: You care about
• Social Justice
– equality, improving lives
• Financial Security
– keeping your businesses afloat
Therefore you need to think about digital
inclusion

You will be a digital
business in 3 - 5 years
The question is how
and how fast?

The internet is important for Growth
• The internet economy accounts for over 8% of
UK GDP, a higher share than any other
country in the G20
• This figure is forecast to rise to over 12% by
2016
• The internet now accounts for c. a quarter of
UK’s economic growth
Sources:
1. Boston Consulting Group “The Internet Economy in the G20” 2012
2. McKinsey Global Institute “Internet Matters: The Net’s Sweeping Impact on
Growth, Jobs and Prosperity” May 2011

For most citizens the internet is
part of everyday life:
UK consumers buy the most online
per capita globally
Boston Consulting Group “The internet
economy in the G20”, 2012

82% of internet users say they have saved
money in the last six months by using the
internet
with 46% saying they’ve made significant
savings
Source: Ofcom UK Adults’ Media Literacy Report, 2011

Comparison before users lives – before and after
UK online centres
Feel less concerned
I do not feel concerned about my levels
and after using the
of qualifications, training or skills
about skills, work
n=75
100%
internet and health
80%
60% I do not feel concerned
I communicated as much
about my work position
as I would like to with friends
n=51
40%
Communicate 20%
more 0%
I communicated as much I do not feel concerned about
as I would have liked my health
with my family n=75
Feel more connected to
local community
I felt part of my local community
"Yes" Before "Yes" After
“Does the internet improve lives?”
Freshminds April, 2009

But, 16m adults are not frequent
and competent internet uesrs

Who is excluded
• 18% of adults have never been online
(ONS)
• 21% are not regular internet users (BBC),
meaning that 1 in 5 do not use the internet.
Of those:
• 71% are in social group C2DE
• 51% over 65
• 50% have no qualifications
2012 data

“Offline” – different definitions
• Never Used the Internet (ONS)
• Hasn’t used the internet in past three months
(ONS)
• First Generation Users (OxIS)
• Household hasn’t bought broadband (Ofcom)
• Household doesn’t have access to Broadband
at > 2mbps (BDUK)
• People who aren’t “Regular Internet Users”
(BBC) – my opinion the best to use

Three main barriers why PEOPLE
aren’t online
Freshminds 2007 and 2009

5.2 million households in the UK without
internet access: Why?
• Of those households who haven’t bought
broadband:
– 54% said they did not have a connection because
they felt they didn’t need one
– 22% cited a lack of internet skills
– 15% reported equipment costs were too high
– 14% said that the cost of connection was too high
– < 1% reported a lack of broadband availability in
their area as a reason
Source: ONS “Internet Access Households & Individuals” 2012

Targeting is important
Everyone in Job Older Parents of
[a place] seekers residents school age
children
Clear geographical Mostly online, Mostly offline Mostly online,
focus need help with jobs try for 100% online

Some possible ingredients

Work with a local UK online centre
Centre search and free phone number search
www.ukonlinecentres.com/centresearch or 0800 77 1234

Free online courses for digital inclusion, financial
inclusion and employability - www.learnmyway.com

Supporting Volunteers and Digital
Champions
• Excellent way to involve staff and volunteers
• UK online centres
– 45 minute digital champion online course (free)
– http://ukonlinecentres.learningpool.com/
• Digital Unite
– online course to get started (£95 + VAT)
– qualification for Digital Champions (ITQ) (£625 +
VAT)
– http://digitalunite.com/online-courses

Involve local community groups, and
help them to use digital
www.communityhowto.com

Take part in national campaigns
Get Online Week – October 2013

Lots of technology options – refurbs
at www.getonlineathome.org

Go On UK
Umbrella movement for digital inclusion

Click to watch video

Digital by Default & Channel Shift

Government Digital Strategy
6 November 2012
Digital by Default
• “Central Government where possible
must become a Digital Organisation. These
days the best service organisations deliver
online everything that can be delivered
online. This cuts their costs dramatically
and allows access to information and
services at times and in ways convenient to
the users rather than the providers.”
Francis Maude

Channel Shift: 1000 people x 2 contacts
saved a month = £133,800 a year
Costs per Saving if
contact (SOCITM shifted online
research 2012)
Face to face £8.62 £8.47
Phone £2.83 £2.68
Online £0.15

Some inspiration from your peers
(not exclusive, just what I know about)

Wakefield District Housing
• 80 volunteers (employees & tenants) have helped 640+
tenants to get online so far this year
• All Board, Executive Management and SMT meetings
are now digital through the use of iPads
• Top 3 tiers of management use their iPads to support
mobile/flexible working, moving towards paperless
• New ‘responsive’ website for any internet-ready device,
including mobile phones and games consoles
• Wireless WAN (2013), all offices & independent living
schemes

@loveburntoak – Barnet Group
• Chose a place based approach
• Faciliated multi-partner action to inspire and
support local people to use the web
• Now working with Barnet Council
• And replicating across the borough
• Using tools freely available

Barnet Group & community e-learning
Click to watch video

Family Mosiac
• A digital strategy agreed: focuses on Care and Support
• 200 connections supporting wi-fi hubs in care & support
centres – touching 5,000 service users
• Great deal from BT
• Currently asking “how to assess and feedback benefits?”
• Next step: More broadband to support issues around
DWP and Universal Credit
• Real good news stories: a young service user in has
created www.livingaloneonline.co.uk
• “...there is a huge opportunity to improve lives...”
• “...starting small is better than doing nothing..”

Peabody Trust
• Have a cross organisation Digital Strategy led by CEO
• UK Online Community Capacity Builders in 2010
• All its sheltered schemes have pcs & internet access
• 45 trained volunteers (Digital Champions) support
learners on a 1-2-1 basis, learning at their own pace
and focus on areas of their interest
• Formal ICT training programme, branding this Net
Worx in 15 locations (20 by March 2013)
• Peabody has made a commitment to get 80% of their
residents online by March 2013

Peabody’s revenues team
will deliver roadshows
with its Digivan.
Roadshows will target
residents affected,
providing information and
support.
Digital Champions are
being trained to offer
support with opening
bank accounts online
and searching for jobs.

Birmingham City Council
• Launched new mobile apps, integrated into back end
systems so that citizens can access services on the
move and provides greater incentives to go online
• Universal credit pilot: all new housing tenancy
agreements within pilot area will be online using
digital logbooks as primary point of contact and will
provide the primary route to access benefits
• Plan focuses next on telecare and telehealth, and
delivering personalized and targeted services

Mobile/tablets part of the mix
• Breezie – trialed in
Barchester Homes,
linking older people
in care homes with
their family via a
new tablet
interface

Example digital strategies on the
ning #digihousing
• Cross Keys Homes
• L&Q
• Freebridge Community Housing
• Wakefield District Housing
• http://digitalhousinghub.ning.com/page/write
-your-strategy
• Skeleton Starter for your digital plan:
http://bit.ly/Z3vOky

Need action in all of these areas
What can be done for free?
- signposting, free online
resources, volunteers
What can be done with
partners?
- Local UK online centres,
JCP, local employers
What needs investment to
make happen?
- Staff to organise
volunteers, computers in
foyers and common areas,
set up a ‘UK online centre’

Seven Point Plan
1. You will be a digital business in 3 - 5 years - the question
is how and how fast
2. This is a digital strategy that drives digital inclusion:
achieving efficiency and quality for everyone
3. Think about your existing headline KPIs and how digital
is going to help you to achieve those
4. Understand your digitally excluded residents and target
them
5. This is a change programme not a technology project
6. You need action in all three of the main barriers to take-
up: Motivation; Skills & Confidence; and Access
7. Start quickly - make small changes as soon as you can,
and don’t delay. Small actions help big change happen.

“The Web as I envisage it, we
have not seen it yet. The future
is still so much bigger than the
past.”
Tim Berners-Lee

It’s not about technology, it’s all
about people

digitalhousinghub.ning.com
Please keep the conversation going and join the digital housing hub

Thank You
helen@ukonlinecentres.com
@helenmilner on twitter
www.ukonlinecentres.com
www.learnmyway.com
http://digitalhousinghub.ning.com/