The London Office of Technology and Innovation (LOTI) has begun to look at how to improve digital inclusion for people living in temporary accommodation hostels.
It has published a market notice for support in a discovery project to run from late September to December, saying it wants to identify a set of recommended interventions to ensure the residents of hostels are not digitally excluded.
This is part of the Digital Inclusion Innovation Programme, on which LOTI is working with the Greater London Authority (GLA) and derives from the latter’s Digital Access for All Mission, which has set a goal for all Londoners to have access to good connectivity, basic digital skills and a device to be online by 2025.
One of the priorities identified by London boroughs is to tackle digital exclusion for people living in temporary accommodation, which often lacks Wi-Fi. There are also problems around unaffordable broadband contracts, families having to share devices and being disconnected from support networks.
LOTI says in the invitation to tender for the discovery that it wants to identify some quick wins and longer term opportunities, and aims to follow up with some practical measures.
Image from iStock, ipopba
