The social landlords stepping in to help computer-illiterate residents

Woman being shown how to use digital tablet. — It isn't going to be easy to make sure that the residents most in need of digital access will have it by the time universal credit is implemented in full. Photograph: Halton Housing Trust

When a survey by Cheshire-based Halton Housing ^[1] Trust found that 1,200 of its residents had no internet access, it decided to remedy the situation. Partnering with phone company O2, the trust launched a two-year project called Open Digital to provide 400 residents with tablet computers and broadband.

Digital exclusion is a pressing issue for housing associations. The government's phased introduction of universal credit, in which six benefits, including jobseeker's allowance and housing benefit, are rolled into one, requires claimants to make their claims online. They are also expected to spend 35 hours a week looking for a job, which in practice requires internet access.

Because rollout has been slow, the numbers affected by universal credit are currently small: of Halton's 15,000 residents, only 300 are claiming it. Cobalt Housing, based in Liverpool, has 150 residents claiming universal credit, but Andrew Wilson, welfare benefits team leader at Cobalt, says that number could increase to 3,000 within the next year.

The digital requirements for universal credit are proving particularly challenging, says Wilson: "The people who are not computer-literate tend to be people who have other difficulties, such as low-level mental health issues or chaotic lifestyles – the groups that most people would describe as vulnerable."

Many of the digitally excluded also have problems with literacy and numeracy, he adds. When Cobalt carried out a survey of internet access among 4,000 of its own residents, it found that many could only access the internet through their smartphones, which aren't up to the task of meeting the universal credit requirements.

"When you talk to someone who's been hit by universal credit, which is a small number, they're quite desperate," says Wilson. Most have found searching for jobs online more difficult than filling in the forms, he adds.

Like Wilson, Carmel Morris, senior financial inclusion officer at Golden Gates Housing Trust in Warrington, believes that the full rollout of universal credit will cause problems for many residents. She worries that there may be a "tsunami" of demand for digital access, and says that public IT provision is often inadequate to meet the job search requirements – at the local library, for example, computer access is free for an hour, but has to be paid for after that.

So how can housing associations prepare residents for the digital requirements of universal credit? As part of its Open Digital project, Halton provided relevant apps and technical support, enabling residents to make claims and carry out job searches from their own home. Halton has seen other benefits emerge from digital inclusion: previously isolated residents are using Skype and social media to stay in touch with family, while the ability to access information and services online has resulted in a drop in the number of phone call enquiries. "Not only has it driven better digital inclusion among our residents, it has also improved business efficiencies and productivity for the trust itself," says chief executive Nick Atkin.

For other housing associations, providing tablets to universal credit claimants isn't a practical long-term solution, so they've taken different approaches. Cobalt initially set up Café Connect: three community hubs where residents could access computers and have free training in how to use them. Take-up has been low, however, and repeated delays in rolling out universal credit mean that many residents lack a sense of urgency.

But Cobalt's main office also has a computer that residents can use, and staff are on hand to provide help where needed. They can also use the job centre computers and the council's one-stop shop, based in the local library.

Golden Gates residents are able to use an IT suite, equipped with eight PCs, three laptops and free Wi-Fi, as well as the three PCs in the head office's reception area. The trust runs three job clubs a week where staff sit with residents and show them how to use the internet and send emails. The trust also runs week-long employment training courses, says Morris: "The courses cover IT but also soft skills. So searching online, uploading CVs, filling in a job application online – our staff will sit with them and talk them through it."

Gateway housing association, based in East London, has also been preparing its residents for the digital demands of universal credit. Last year, it opened The Zone, an IT-enabled training suite. In October, it ran a series of training sessions for residents that included activities such as opening an email account and shopping online, as well as using the government's Universal Jobmatch service and understanding how to claim universal credit. More recently, Gateway has launched a free 11-week training programme, run by the Workers' Educational Association, to teach internet use.

To tackle the problem of non-attendance, Gateway has set up a scheme in association with BetterPoint, a reward programme. Residents who attend IT classes or workshops will receive points that they can redeem in the form of gift cards or through a donation to a community cause.

A portal called My Gateway enables residents to view their rent accounts or request repairs. Mo Ali, head of community investment at Gateway, says: "We're not just waiting for universal credit to happen, we're taking proactive steps. We see things like our portal as about promoting digital by choice rather than by default."

All agree that it isn't going to be easy to make sure that the residents most in need of digital access will have it by the time universal credit is implemented in full. But housing associations have found that their IT training programmes have brought benefits to residents beyond the ability to claim online, including, says Morris, a new sense of self worth: "From attending the job club, and using PCs for the first time, to qualifying at the other end and getting the job – they're walking out about a foot taller with that confidence."

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