Thenue Housing - Digital Inclusion &
Digital Services
Presentation to TIS Conference
24th March 2017
Brian Gannon,
Head of Housing & Community Regeneration
at Thenue Housing
Outline of Presentation
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What do we mean by digital inclusion?
Why is it important for housing associations?
How can we support tenants to get online?
What Digital Services should HAs provide to
deliver better services and better Value For
Money?
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 2015
Scottish Households with home internet
access by year
Use of internet by age
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.
Is cost the reason why people do
not use the internet?
National & Local Government Digital
Strategies
• 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.
• 32% of Social Housing Tenants are not online.
Why Digital Inclusion is important
for Housing Associations
• There is no doubt that not being able to access the internet is
a significant form of social and economic exclusion;
• Social Landlords 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.
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/
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 Inclusion @ Thenue
• How is
Thenue
helping our
tenants get
online?
Digital Inclusion @ Thenue –
helping our residents get online
• Thenue’s 3 Digital Inclusion
Workers are funded to
March 17 but we are
hopeful of obtaining longer
term funding
• Key aim is to improve
residents digital skills
through flexible digital
training and support
• Recently received a TPAS
award for Best Practice in
Digital Involvement.
Thenue’s Digital Inclusion Project
• Digital Inclusion activity is
central to all our
Community Regeneration
Projects; employment
support, volunteering,
youth work etc.
• We have a variety of DI
activities, from Digital Dropins and Job Clubs, to Tablet
workshops (e.g. where
service users can be shown
how to use their devices)
and coding clubs for Kids.
Digital Learning @ Thenue
• The project supports digital
learning in local venues, training
volunteers with some IT knowledge
as “Digital Champions”.
• We have a digital lending library,
funded by the SCVO Digital
Challenge Fund, where Thenue
tenants can borrow a refurbished
iPad with internet access
• Lending is restricted to tenants only
as a means of safeguarding the
equipment.
Change in Internet Access Among
Thenue Tenants
% of Tenants Who Access the Internet
80%
70%
70%
60%
53%
50%
37%
40%
30%
20%
19%
14%
10%
0%
2006
2009
2012
2015
2018?
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 faceto-face
Universal Credit –
A Key Driver for Digital Services
• Thenue currently collect 35% of our rental income
(rest comes via HB BACS payment)
• Under full roll out of UC it will be around 80%!
• How do we collect that additional rental income
without increasing staff numbers and costs?
• We want to use Digital to achieve efficiencies and
redeploy staff to Income Maximisation and Tenancy
Support.
• We also want to use Digital Services to free up
resources to better assist those tenants that need
one to one support from us.
Digital Transformation @Thenue
New
Customer
Engagement
Customer
Insight
Strategy
Self
Service
App
Interactive
Website
Mobile
Working
Installing
Wifi in
Homes
1st Touch Self Service Customer App
• 1st Touch integrate with a
number of housing software
suppliers
• We have invested around £30k
in a Self Service App that
integrates with our Housing
System (QL)
• We went Live on 14th February
17 and now have 140 tenants
using the App.
• We have a target of 25% of
Thenue tenants (700) to be
registered by March 18
• 95% of new users rate the App
as Excellent or Good.
Self Service fully integrated with our housing
system QL & Task Centre workflow
Investing in Mobile Working
For Thenue Staff
• Avoid having to print off
forms etc before going
out on visits and
manual form filling
when on site.
• Generates workflows,
emails and job orders
whilst out on site.
• Avoids subsequent
manual entry in housing
system on return to the
office
Customer Engagement through
Digital Services
• Our new Customer Engagement Strategy
recognises that we need to engage with more
customers than those who regularly attend
tenant meetings.
• Digital allows us to engage with a wider group
of customers quickly and efficiently
• Self Service App surveys
• Texting and Emailing Surveys - Survey Monkey
Low Cost Broadband / Wifi in
Tenant’s Homes?
• Should RSLs be looking to install digital infrastructure
into their homes?
• Some tenants find existing packages unaffordable or
don’t want to have to take a landline or won’t get
credit to sign up to a contract.
• Thenue looking to do this with both a new build and
an existing block of flats (doesn’t work for houses).
• Cost will be covered by adding a new Rent Factor –
Wifi Service to the rent.
Key Message
• If your organisation is not at least developing a
Digital Transformation Strategy, then why not?
Digital Transformation leads to:
• Better Services for Customers (24/7/365)
• Encourages Effective System Review
• Leads to Wider Customer Engagement
• Potential To Deliver Significant Efficiencies
Any Questions?