Technology has advanced so quickly in our lifetime that some in our community are being left behind. From applying for housing, to paying bills and even doing school work, digital literacy is a must-have skill.
A recent report from the Cambridge Centre for Housing and Planning Research suggests that digital exclusion is rooted in poverty with people on lower incomes being more digitally excluded than those on higher incomes. The effects of this exclusion have a ripple effect on the lives of people within poorer households as they struggle to keep up in this ever changing world. The impact on the homeless is even greater, as they find it difficult to access services that are increasingly being offered online.
At House of Bread we are trying to reduce the impact of Digital Poverty which affects many of our friends, and have teamed up with MPFT (Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust) who have not only donated tablets and SIM cards to House of Bread, but are also very kindly providing our friends with digital skills training. It is hoped that these digital skills will improve the lives of those who are on the wrong side of the digital divide and will enable them to access more services and be more prepared to navigate the digital world as technology continues its tread.