Homelessness
Last updated
Last updated
Most homelessness projects had a community hub or café. Digital support sits alongside this with access to tablets or a referral for one-to-one support and a device/connectivity. Locating the digital support in these settings helps build relationships and trust, as well as better understanding wider needs. Grassmarket Community Project has an ‘Open Door Meal’ service on a Wednesday, which is a key route into their digital support.
Homelessness services also accept referrals from other partners e.g. the local authority, NHS and other voluntary sector organisations, often as part of local pathways.
Homelessness services, based in the community, operate in a non-judgmental way underpinned by a harm reduction approach. Support is provided to people regardless of whether they’re currently using drugs or not.
Wider risks are assessed, such as the risk to the person of having a higher value device or their likelihood of selling it. When digital support is embedded with the key workers the risk assessment process is more robust and can take account of wider concerns e.g. gambling or specific scams.
Simon Community Scotland provide unlimited data for 12 months. This is based on the principle that the person being supported doesn’t have to ration their data and allows them to benefit from all the internet has to offer. It is also beneficial for project staff who report that often people move from one sim deal to another, trying to get the best deal with different networks. This makes it hard for project staff to stay in touch with them. The 12-month contract means they are able to retain the same number and it makes consistent contact easier. Providing unlimited data is subject to adequate project funding.
Literacy has been identified as a significant barrier for projects providing support in a homeless context. Projects report that people are reluctant to use digital because they have poor literacy skills, which are an essential part of the digital experience.
For people experiencing homelessness, one of the key digital skills priorities is setting up an email address and cloud storage. This helps people better manage communication with services when their address is likely to change frequently and the cloud storage helps them securely store any important documents.
Projects support people with their physical and mental health, supported by apps. Many apps aren’t free or have in-app purchases. Curating a list of credible and free apps has helped people better manager their health online.
Understanding workforce digital skills and confidence is critical in supporting people accessing support.
Pathways: By accepting referrals from other organisations, projects are able to create pathways to support from other settings where someone may be at increased risk of drug related harm e.g. on discharge from hospital. Building links with local hospitals can help ensure more consistent support for people in the community on discharge.
Engagement: Projects have frequently reported that people receiving devices feel a great sense of trust being placed in them, which can significantly enhance the relationship with project staff and ultimately their support journey.
Integration of digital apps and tools: Apps such as By My Side could be integrated in digital inclusion support to help build confidence in accessing digital harm reduction support.
Workforce capacity: In some services the demand for support is increasing and this is putting pressure on project staff as digital support can be time-consuming, especially where digital support is embedded with key workers. Simon Community Scotland started a weekly drop-in to support their staff.
Demand: Simon Community Scotland highlighted that the communities they work in are small and everyone knows everyone. Word spreads quickly that a service can help someone get a device and connectivity. This can help increase engagement with the project, but it also puts pressure on the available resources and can make engagement more about access to a device rather than support. Assessment and criteria need to be kept under review to manage this.
