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Housing associations rally internet providers to help more residents get online(M2 PressWIRE Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) A unique event took place at London's City Hall, last week (Friday 19 September 2014), which brought together 26 housing associations, 12 IT companies and 18 influencers to discuss how to work together to help more social housing residents get online. This was, in part, a response to the Government's Digital by Default Strategy which is already having a significant impact on ordinary households. There is an urgent need to ensure the most vulnerable people in the UK are not left behind, many of whom live in social housing. The Connected Housing Initiative is a collaboration of 12 housing associations (providing accommodation to over 400,000 households), the Greater London Authority and digital skills provider Digital Unite. Together they have created a business case to highlight the current untapped market of 1.85m social housing residents who are digitally excluded. These housing associations alone estimate that over 110,000 of their own residents are unable to access the internet due to a lack of skills or accessible kit and connectivity. Over the past decade, they have ploughed over a million pounds into providing digital skills training to their residents and there are still many more people in need. However, as was highlighted at the event, even if people have the skills to go online many are still priced out of the market and this is having a serious impact on other social issues, including Universal Credit applications, unemployment and benefits sanctions, social isolation, poor health and financial exclusion. The Deputy Mayor for Culture and Youth, Munira Mirza, said: "Our Smart London Plan is all about ensuring that new technologies can really help improve Londoners' lives. A large part of this has to be tackling the digital exclusion that some people experience. We want all Londoners to have the confidence and know-how to get online and benefit from all the incredible opportunities that the internet has to offer. Campaigns like the Connected Housing Initiative bring together internet providers with housing associations to get more people online and we're pleased to work with them." The Connected Housing Initiative has three goals: To ensure more affordable, sustainable and accessible IT kit and connectivity for all social housing residents. The group is offering 25 years of expertise and experience to help emerging and existing IT companies access this market and work with them so everyone living in social housing can access the internet wherever they live, whatever their income. At the event, Jeanette Cullom, a Hyde resident from Plaistow, West Sussex spoke passionately about the detrimental impact being offline and living in a rural community is having on her family's access to educational courses and health care services. Helen Rowe, the Chair of the Connected Housing Initiative at Viridian Housing said: "Many housing associations are investing heavily in supporting their residents to learn how to use the internet, but we are not in a position to provide internet access to 1.85m people. We want our residents to have genuine choice in the market. For IT companies wanting to offer affordable kit and connectivity to social housing residents, we can be their route into this market and we are offering our support and expertise to any companies who would like it. Whilst this is a nationwide issue, we have been delighted that the Mayor of London's office is taking this issue so seriously and working with us to find a solution". The event was attended by IT providers such as BT as well as Cabinet Office officials working on the Government's Digital Strategy. The event has ensured that the Community Housing Initiative moves closer to achieving its goals as Helen Rowe is already set to meet with the Cabinet Office and the project will be meeting some of the power players in the IT world. Notes to editors For further information please contact: Helen Rowe, Chair of the Connected Housing Initiative, Viridian Housing - [email protected] 0203 202 3613 Yeasmina Rahman, PR and Communications Officer at Viridian Housing - [email protected] 0203 202 3742 Members of the Connected Housing Initiative are: Housing Associations o Affinity Sutton o Viridian Housing o Orbit Group o The Hyde Group o Sovereign Housing Association o L&Q o Peabody o AmicusHorizon o Family Mosaic o Hanover Housing Association o Southern Housing Group o North Hertfordshire Homes Non-Housing Associations o Greater London Authority o Digital Unite Statistics: As a collective, the 12 housing associations of the Connected Housing Initiative: o Own 405,000 homes, with over 33,600 new homes in the pipeline o 20-40% of their residents are offline o This equates to around 115,000 homes without internet connection o They have trained over 5000 residents to learn how to use the internet (digital inclusion) o Financial investment in their digital skills programmes is over 1.5m o Together we have 25 years experience and expertise in running digital inclusion programmes. Connected Housing Initiative: Market Opportunity 2014 Overview The UK Government's move towards Digital by Default is generating a large new market opportunity for organisations offering affordable and flexible internet access and hardware to customers living in social housing. The Connected Housing Initiative (CHI) is a group of twelve national housing associations working collaboratively with the Mayor of London's office and digital skills provider, Digital Unite, to highlight this opportunity and work with emerging and existing organisations to take advantage of this new market. The Social Housing sector provides accommodation for 18% of British households equating to 5 million people. The Government's Digital Inclusion Strategy states that 37% social housing tenants are likely to be digitally excluded. This equates to around 1.85 million people. Evidence from current CHI members alone shows that on average 30% of people do not have access to the internet, equating to 110,000 people. For housing associations, supporting residents to get online is a priority and many are committing significant funds to projects which offer internet skills training. However, Housing Associations are unable to supply residents with devices, IT hardware or long-term internet access. They also cannot act as the permanent intermediary customer between providers and their clients, due to the financial outlay associated with this position. Helping Social Housing tenants get online would benefit many businesses as well as the Government and we would like to work in partnership with those who can offer solutions for affordable connectivity and kit. Our Three Goals for Social Housing o Connectivity - An internet connection wherever you live, both mobile and residential o Affordability - Internet access for everyone's budget and lifestyle o Sustainability - Flexible and affordable payment options. Our housing associations provide homes for people across England. We support communities in cities, towns and villages. We are keen to work with partners who can help provide solutions that give the same opportunities to people, regardless of whether they live in rural or urban areas. Our Commitment to Collaborative Working There is significant collaboration around digital inclusion within the social housing sector, both through joint funding bids and sharing knowledge and expertise. "E-Street" is currently a Big Lottery funding bid being led by Affinity Sutton where over 100 housing associations are working together to offer internet training to 75,000 social housing residents across the UK. Housing associations nationwide are committing significant money and effort to this agenda: o 40% of housing associations plan to negotiate affordable internet connectivity in the next financial year to support their residents o 84% plan to deliver communal premises with internet connection and computers in the next financial year o 28% plan to invest between 25,000 and 75,000 in internet activities over the next three years, 27% plan to invest 75,000+. The Opportunities The potential for cost-effective, flexible internet access and related products goes beyond those residents who are currently offline. Social housing providers are seeing more of their younger residents using mobile-only internet access and for some it is currently the only viable option. Affordable home and community internet access providers could tap into markets of existing internet users who may wish to switch providers to save money or because 'pay as you go' internet access suits their lifestyles better. Research from the Prince's Trust shows that a lack of employment related digital skills could affect one in ten young people. Social housing providers are directly engaged in helping all of our residents, young and old, to get online and make the most of the opportunities it brings. The Benefits Housing associations act as trusted intermediaries with residents; we support and understand the needs of our residents and we can help to design effective solutions that balance business sustainability with real impact on our residents' lives: o We can work with technology providers to develop pilot programmes to test new products and services o We can support new business models by providing insight into customer needs and workable revenue models o We can work with technology providers to develop better risk assessment procedures for prospective new customers and generate more reliable information on customers who currently do not use online services o We can provide opportunities to promote products and services to our residents by working in partnership with suppliers who are committed to meeting our residents' needs. The Social Housing sector provides accommodation to 5 million people. The Government's Digital Inclusion Strategy states that 37% social housing tenants are likely to be digitally excluded. This equates to around 1.85 million people. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-digital-inclusion-strategy Housing associations are independent not-for-profit social businesses set up to provide affordable homes for people in housing need. They vary in size from fewer than 10 homes to more than 50,000. There are 1700 Housing Associations in the UK. ONS Housing Report published in 2011 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-digital-inclusion-strategy This mirrors Ofcom's findings that 25% of young people see their smartphone as the most important way to access the internet Ofcom also reports that internet access via smartphone is most important for 19% of socio-economic group DE households, the highest level for all socio-economic groups. . (c) 2014 M2 COMMUNICATIONS |