Supported housing residents get connected to the broadband revolution
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Some students recieving certificates from Simon Cooper, Essex County Council after completeing their initial training at hamilton Court, Chelmsford |
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to keep in touch with family and friends, thanks to a new innovative project.
Essex UnITe is paving the way for older people living in four of the county’s towns to get on-line
and take advantage of the Broadband revolution.
Essex UnITe has been funded by BT, the East of England Development Agency (EEDA), Essex County Council
and Genesis Community. They are working with other voluntary and social enterprise partners
Help the Aged, InterAct and MillRace IT, to provide each supported housing scheme with PCs, broadband
connections and the essential training and support that residents will need to use the equipment as
well as training for the staff who look after them.
The first scheme to be connected is Hamilton Court in Chelmsford which is already online, and the next
two will be in Colchester and Billericay. Five Fields Court in Colchester will be online by the end of
March. All the supported housing schemes are managed by Springboard Housing Association (part of the
Genesis Housing Group) and it is planned that another four will be brought into the project over the coming
months.
John Snyder, EEDA board member, said: “Getting everyone connected to broadband in the East of England is
a key priority for EEDA. An Ofcom Consumer Panel Study in 2006 found that only 28% of people over the
age of 65 have home Internet access compared to the general UK average of 57%. With so many older people
in our region on the wrong side of the digital divide, this project is working to address the problem,
by developing cost effective methods that help older people to become IT literate.”
Tom Hamilton, BT regional manager for the East of England, said: "This is a great example of organisations
from the public, private, charitable and social enterprise sectors working together to bring new
opportunities to people who have not yet benefited from the broadband revolution. Each partner is
bringing their own expertise and skills to make it happen and it is already showing signs of real success."
The Internet is providing many people across the country with new ways to find information and new ways of
communicating, but some sections of the population don’t have the opportunity to use a PC or access the
internet. The government is concerned about a ‘digital divide’, where some have access to new technology
and some do not. ‘Digital inclusion’ projects are being formed to make sure that everyone has the same
opportunities to get connected.
Councillor Norman Hume, Essex County Council cabinet member for central services said, "With more
information and services going onto the Internet, it is important that we do what we can to help people
who are at risk of missing out on the benefits. This project will deliver those benefits in partnership
with a wide range of organisations."
Genesis Community, part of the Genesis Housing Group, a charitable foundation that was set up to tackle
the challenges of deprivation and social exclusion in disadvantaged areas, will be responsible for
promoting the project to potential users.
George Baddeley, community development manager for Genesis Community, said: “It’s fantastic to be part
of this partnership which will in turn help our older residents in Essex to be involved in this
exciting project.”
Help The Aged will be managing the recruitment of support volunteers to provide long-term advice and
support for the people in the schemes, while the PCs, broadband connections and the crucial training
for both users and volunteers will be provided by MillRace IT Limited, a social enterprise organisation
which specialises in these types of projects.
