Housing Solutions was Highly Commended in the Customer Services category of the Housing Technology 2025 Awards.
Housing Solutions’ digital transformation began in 2014. Asking ourselves what our sheltered schemes’ offerings would look like in 15 years’ time, we decided that wi-fi access was an important part of that vision and the whole project grew from there.
Working with Social Telecoms, our first sheltered scheme had 34 flats, with such immediate success that six additional schemes were rolled out. Social Telecoms and Housing Solutions now work together to provide wi-fi access to approximately 2,000 homes, covering almost 400 sheltered homes and 1,600 general-use properties. Wi-fi access is provided free to Housing Solutions’ residents, allowing everybody to experience the benefits of internet connectivity and removing the digital divide.
Free wi-fi access
At first, residents used their free wi-fi access to manage universal credit and tenancy services online. However, users’ requirements have increased massively since then. Applications such as video streaming have become a part of daily life, placing greater demands on our network capacity.
In June 2021, the total data usage for Housing Solutions’ residents was 6,600GB; by December 2024, this figure had increased by 12,000 per cent to 1,600,000GB (1.6PB). Also, individual data usage per resident was up by over 7,000 per cent to 820GB and data usage per site grew from 660GB to 80,000GB (80TB). The total number of devices connected (on average) has risen from 140 to 1,900 devices over the same period.
Daily digital reliance
These figures highlight the extent to which our residents rely on connectivity and how much demand has grown – a demand that Housing Solutions’ network infrastructure has grown to keep up with. Additionally, the increasing demand supports our initial hypothesis from over a decade ago, that online connectivity would be an important tool for everyday life and an offering that Housing Solutions had to make for its residents.
However, despite its importance, community wi-fi is not the only aspect of Housing Solutions’ digital transformation. Having built a powerful digital infrastructure for our residents, we’re finding new ways of leveraging that connectivity to support them and further improve their quality of life.
Residents’ access
A specialised Alexa skill was also developed for Housing Solutions, allowing residents to make a number of requests regarding their tenancies, such as confirming their current balance or last pay date, requesting a phone call or home visit, or informing us about any repairs that need doing. This gives our residents more options for contacting us, particularly around improving accessibility for those who struggle with computers or device screens.
One of our Blandford House residents commented on how they benefit from digital connectivity. They said, “It brings so much into my life. I can watch my smart TV, play music using Alexa and even connect with my family by asking Alexa to call my son. I appreciate having it so much.”
By offering free wi-fi access, we also reduce the costs for our communities. One resident, who connects to our network via their mobile phone, estimated that our wi-fi scheme saves them almost £400 a year.
In addition to our ongoing efforts of providing community wi-fi to residents and implementing smart devices, we also encourage and incentivise our communities to get online. We regularly host digital roadshows, talking residents through the benefits of digital connectivity and teaching them how to use the internet.
Laptops and extra perks
We also incentivise our residents to join our wi-fi network through our Housing Perks partnership. With Housing Perks, Housing Solutions’ wi-fi users gain discounts from a range of retailers.
Finally, we are taking a small but direct approach to bridge the digital divide. When we replace our office laptops with newer models, we donate the old laptops to our residents.
Over the course of the past decade, Housing Solutions has been consistent in its dedication to getting our residents online and using modern digital solutions to improve our residents’ experience.
Whether it’s providing free wi-fi and training sessions for residents or monitoring the condition of homes with smart sensors, all of our efforts can be traced back to our original mission – envisioning what communities will need in years to come to provide the best possible quality of life for our residents.
Richard Harvey is the assistant director of digital transformation and organisation design at Housing Solutions. The housing provider was Highly Commended in the Customer Services category of the Housing Technology 2025 Awards.
