Shaping support to what people need
Hello, I’m Jamie Trout, Head of Digital at Simon Community Scotland. We have been supporting people experiencing homelessness to get online and benefit from digital connection since 2017. Putting people firmly at the centre of this support – enabling each person to decide their own pathway into digital – has always been at the heart of our approach.
Ahead of the launch of our sector leading ‘I Feel Part Of Society’ report on Wednesday 24th April, I have been reflecting on our journey so far. I decided to write this blog to celebrate everything that has been acheived thanks to the tremendous contributions of our funders, supporters, partner organisations, digital champions, suppliers, the Simon Community Digital Team and most importantly the people we support.
2017 – Getting Started
In 2017 we began speaking with people experiencing homelessness who were accessing our Support Hub at Holyrood Road in Edinburgh about how they access the digital world. Many people reported they often struggled to get online.
This gave us the opportunity to work towards a better understanding of the challenges and barriers people faced and what was needed most. We were inspired to start a digital drop in session and set up a digital zone equipped with desktop computers and trained staff on hand to provide help and support.
2018-19 – Building Foundations and Launching Get Digital Scotland
Person centred support from a trusted person was a key factor and really made a difference. Throughout 2018-19 we focussed on equipping our frontline workers with the skills and tools to embed digital support into their existing work. Alongside our friends at the Mhor Collective we developed ‘Digital Champion’ training for our front-facing teams. With this approach we were able to deliver personalised support using a framework of relevant digital tools and resources.
We wanted to make this approach more widely available and set up Get Digital Scotland – our national digital inclusion programme. This enabled us to help resource other homelessness services with training and tools to make a difference in the lives of many digitally excluded people across Scotland.
2020 – Navigating Uncharted Waters – The Pandemic and Our Response
The global Covid pandemic in 2020 highlighted (even more!) the importance of digital connectivity to access critical information and communication, as well as other crucial support.
Without this connection people found themselves isolated, cut-off from their social connections and community environments, and unable to access essential information. We knew that this was not a new phenomenon created by the pandemic, but had been bubbling under the surface with little attention for years. The pandemic simply magnified these challenges and brought them into the spotlight.
In response, we moved swiftly. Through our Get Digital Scotland programme we launched three pilots to provide support, initially to 55 digitally excluded people.
The pilots provided an appropriate device (smartphone or tablet) with unlimited connectivity for one year. We also gave each participant person-centred support and a learning framework to guide skill development. We called this model ‘Get Connected’.
We quickly learnt just how significant this approach could be for people who had previously been digitally excluded, and although we are learning all the time, the fundamentals of the model were becoming established. Key to the success of this model was ensuring that the digital support was delivered by people who were already part of their trusted network of support.
2021 – Strengthening Impact – Get Connected 100
In 2021, with funding from the Scottish Government, we were able to expand the scheme to support 100 more people.
We reached out to other organisations across Scotland who worked with people experiencing homelessness to join us and were pleased to be able to partner with six other organisations across the country. Again we saw life changing impacts for each person who participated. 100 people was a great start and provided strong evidence that the model worked, however we really wanted more people to be able to experience the life changing impacts of digital inclusion through the Get Connected Model.
2022 – 2024 – Getting it Right for More People – Get Connected 500
In 2022 we were able to scale up the project thanks to funding provided by the Scottish Government, Good Things Foundation Power Up 2.0 Fund, and Simon Community Scotland. Working with a range of partners, this funding gave us the opportunity to support 500 more people who were digitally excluded and struggling to access life critical resources.
We further developed our learning framework adding more material related to Health and Wellbeing. With generous support from AND Digital, we were even able to convert this learning framework into the Get Connected App.
Learning from the People We Support
Right from the start, we have been learning so much from people we support – learning about the barriers and what really helps. By placing the voices of people facing homelessness and digital exclusion at the heart of what we do, we have been able to deliver a service that works for people. Our Get Connected model continues to deliver amazing life-changing impacts and thanks to the continued support and funding received, we have now connected over 1,000 people experiencing homelessness to the digital world.
We are grateful and proud of the positive impacts that people have experienced.
