Social Housing & NeighbourhoodsDigital by Default

Helen Milner

12 May 2011

Social Housing Providers have a long history in making people’s lives better

1860s 2011

“To ameliorate the condition of the poor and needy of this great metropolis and to promote their comfort and happiness”

George Peabody, 1862

Founder of the Peabody Trust Housing Association

The Social Housing Sector Today

› 4.16m homes, housing 9.5m people– 1,430 Housing Associations own 2.38m homes

with 5.5m people (18% receive “care & support”)– Local Authorities own 1.78m homes with 4m

people

› Costs UK £17.5bn (help with housing costs)– £13bn (social) + £4.5bn (private renting)

› 3.3m tenants in receipt of housing support

Digital by Default

› Relevant to all of you, not just about social housing – many of the issues will be the same

› NOW: Paper + Phone + F2F + Digital› FUTURE: Digital First + other routes if

necessary› Possible? Desirable? Beneficial?

30m people use the web every day

Percentage population use of the internet

Source: ONS 2010

Print media search, Thursday 14 April 2011

Who can easily use online services? In the 90%s (UK wide)

› Almost every adult aged under 45 (16 – 44 yrs) (96%)

› Almost everybody earning > £20,800 (95%)› Almost everybody with a good GCSE/O Level or

higher qualification (93%)› Almost everybody buying a house (94%)› Almost everybody with dependent children (92%)

Who is offline? (has NEVER used the internet)

› 60% of the over 65s have never used the internet

› 55% of people with no qualifications

› 31% of people earning less than £10,399

70% of people who live in social housing aren’t online: a full 28% of everyone not online

Sources:

70% Oxford Internet Survey 2007

28% ICM 2008

Why I got interested in social housing? I showed this slide at the 2009 National Digital Conference

Imagine: digital by default and all rent statements are online only› ≈ 60% tenants can access and have the skills

to do this, when realise information is more up to date than paper versions

› ≈ 30% want to get online and just need help and local access, when someone shows them how to do it and where to access

› ≈ 10% can’t or won’t go online, need an alternative – possibly a neighbour or a face to face visit combined with another reason, as more contact with neighbours/field staff

Be an advocate for digital

› Not just about money (although it does save money)

› Don’t use the offline minority as an excuse› Articulate the benefits for your organisation, for

the citizens, and for the community› Do focus on helping the offline to use your

digital services› More people online using better services =

improvement in quality of services

Thank You

hmilner@ufi.com

Twitter - @helenmilner

www.ukonlinecentres.com

www.slideshare.net/helenmilner