Project Details
Description
Homelessness in the United Kingdom has significantly risen in the last decade, with current estimates at approximately 307,000 people sleeping rough, living in temporary or unsatisfactory accommodation and in hostels (Paisi et al., 2019).
Nowadays, using the Internet is part of daily life. Digital skills are essential at work, to socialise, to access healthcare, buy groceries, to banking, and to make everyday, time-consuming tasks easier. As a consequence, people without the access, motivation, confidence and basic digital skills to use the internet face exclusion in our modern, digital world. Lack of digital skills and access can have a negative impact on a person’s life, leading to poorer health outcomes and a lower life expectancy, increased loneliness and social isolation and less access to jobs and education (Good Things Foundation, 2022).
Although recent research suggests that many people experiencing homelessness carry a mobile phone and place great value in having access to the internet (Williams et al, 2017), many of them may lack confidence with everyday essential activities requiring basic digital skills. People who are digitally excluded lack a voice and visibility in today's modern world, as public services are increasingly moving online, such as jobcentre appointments, local council services, GP appointments, repeat prescriptions and email communication with supporting services.
Peer support is an effective approach to reach hard-to-access populations such as people experiencing homelessness (McGillivray et al., 2017). Peer mentoring creates an open and informal learning environment where people share skills, helping individuals with low confidence to learn. Peer mentoring encourages people from similar circumstances to support each other to build independence and resilience. Therefore, this study aimed to implement and investigate the acceptability and effectiveness of digital health literacy training for volunteers working at homelessness services in Portsmouth.
Nowadays, using the Internet is part of daily life. Digital skills are essential at work, to socialise, to access healthcare, buy groceries, to banking, and to make everyday, time-consuming tasks easier. As a consequence, people without the access, motivation, confidence and basic digital skills to use the internet face exclusion in our modern, digital world. Lack of digital skills and access can have a negative impact on a person’s life, leading to poorer health outcomes and a lower life expectancy, increased loneliness and social isolation and less access to jobs and education (Good Things Foundation, 2022).
Although recent research suggests that many people experiencing homelessness carry a mobile phone and place great value in having access to the internet (Williams et al, 2017), many of them may lack confidence with everyday essential activities requiring basic digital skills. People who are digitally excluded lack a voice and visibility in today's modern world, as public services are increasingly moving online, such as jobcentre appointments, local council services, GP appointments, repeat prescriptions and email communication with supporting services.
Peer support is an effective approach to reach hard-to-access populations such as people experiencing homelessness (McGillivray et al., 2017). Peer mentoring creates an open and informal learning environment where people share skills, helping individuals with low confidence to learn. Peer mentoring encourages people from similar circumstances to support each other to build independence and resilience. Therefore, this study aimed to implement and investigate the acceptability and effectiveness of digital health literacy training for volunteers working at homelessness services in Portsmouth.
| Status | Finished |
|---|---|
| Effective start/end date | 1/09/22 → 28/02/23 |
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