Following its acquisition of the Community Book platform, Active Housing by Hallnet has rebranded and launched it as its latest digital solution to connect tenants, bring communities together and tackle the threat of social isolation, particularly in the face of further coronavirus lockdowns.
Developed with help from Wigan Council, Wigan Borough Community Partnership and Inform People, the Active Community platform enables tenants, businesses, groups and organisations to list their regular activities, events and volunteering opportunities and is a one-stop-shop for what’s on in local neighbourhoods.
Stephen Hall, director, Hallnet, said, “In these challenging times, we decided that it was important to invest in the Community Book platform, which is now part of our Active Housing suite. Community Book was a massive success in the Wigan area originally and we can see housing providers and local authorities across the UK benefiting from it.
“Through empowering tenants, housing providers, local groups and businesses to create, host and administer their own groups, promote events and establish opportunities, Active Community supports the growth of involved communities, highlights gaps in provision and provides a mechanism to reduce social isolation.”
After users set up an account, Active Community matches events, groups and volunteering activities to each user’s interests. Over the past year, there have been almost 200,000 group searches using the platform to search for events, such as coffee mornings or a weekly quiz, activities including walking groups and digital training sessions, as well as using search criteria for listings such as domiciliary care or telecare monitoring support options for older people.
Active Community’s volunteering section enables organisations and charities to post volunteering opportunities available to local residents, with more than 48,000 volunteering searches made over the past year. Users of the tool can search volunteering options or allow themselves to be matched to certain organisations based on their skills and interests. Digital forms also mean that organisations can review, approve or reject applications directly through the system.
