`Housing going digital': a challenging opportunity
Social responsibility has been a defining principle for many housing associations but being commercially minded is becoming ever more important. Being both will be challenging, but harnessing digital technologies can help as well as throw up challenges of their own.
The age of austerity has been accompanied by a rapid increase in access to ‘smart’ digital technology. Ipsos’s data shows rising online and smartphone access among the British population and even among social tenants, but this and other evidence shows a ‘digital divide’ still persists. Not everyone is experiencing the digital revolution to the same degree and ensuring social tenants do not get left behind in this new digital age is increasingly important.
This matters as Universal Credit heralds the arrival of a ‘digital by default’ policy and a move to online claims. Ipsos’s research for the National Housing Federation shows that 90% of associations think it likely that the introduction of direct payments will lead to rising arrears and more than three quarters think a fall in rental income is likely following introduction. What impact this will have on the longer term financial stability of associations is unclear so far.
Promoting online capability will require investment in equipment and infrastructure, in training and digital services that allow residents to interact swiftly and securely. Cost is a key barrier for residents but so too is engagement; our research suggests that the best way to convince people to get online is to make the internet “personally relevant” to them, by better understanding what their individual needs and interests are. For some it’s about faster landlord interaction, others a gateway to employment opportunities and for others broadening their social networks.
‘Housing going digital’ presents all sorts of opportunities. Whether it is the capability to capture ‘in the moment’ insights into what residents think about a repair being done, collecting FixMyStreet type feedback, or driving engagement of harder to reach groups through social media, digital technologies offer considerable potential to better serve resident and landlord needs and future demands. Addressing the digital divide seems to make good business and social sense.
Stephen Finlay is a Research Director of Housing, Planning and Development Research at Ipsos. This article was first published in 24Housing magazine.
