Homeless people in Glasgow’s city centre are to be offered the chance to apply for benefits by a roving digital inclusion officer, the city council has announced.

Working alongside the Simon Community’s Street Team, the new digital specialist will be armed with a tablet computer to offer people advice and help them navigate the benefits system.

The initiative will aim to ensure that people are receiving the benefits they are entitled to. They will be assisted in applying for forms of identification that are necessary to open bank accounts and guided through the process of opening accounts.

Collaboration

The position is being created as part of the City Centre Begging Strategy and will be jointly funded by both the Glasgow City Council and the community outreach group.

This announcement comes ahead of the introduction of Universal Credit in Glasgow, the UK Government’s benefits system which requires recipients have access to the web and a bank account.

Figures revealed in June by the Scottish Government highlighted a concerning rise in homelessness in Scotland. The number of applications for homeless status rose 1% to 34,972 between April 2017 and March 2018.

This followed a consistent decline over a period of eight years. ScotGov said that it was committed to ending homelessness and rough sleeping.

Glasgow councillor Allan Casey suggested that this could prove to be a critical lifeline for people struggling to navigate a complex system.

He said: “The benefits system can be complicated and confusing – especially if you have a chaotic lifestyle and no access to technology or broadband.

“The application process can be daunting, but this new digital inclusion post will take financial and digital support directly to the most vulnerable to help ensure no-one is missing out on the benefits they are entitled to.”

Councillor Casey also noted that through collaboration with the Simon Community’s Street Team, the council has an opportunity to address some of the social problems that affect Glasgow.

“It will build on the established relationship the Simon Community’s Street Team already has with people begging in the city centre,” he said. “And is a great example of how partnership working can get to the heart of complex social problems.”

Tech Solutions for Social Problems

Robin Wallace, Assistant Director at Simon Community Scotland, said the new service will provide vital support.

He said: “This type of assistance is exceptionally important for people living on the margins of society. It will ensure people who need help the most, receive it. Our experience within the Street Team recognises that people can spend a large amount of time engaged in street begging, and less time engaging in support and connecting with staff and services, therefore it is imperative that we take this service to them.

“We will fund identification for those who need it to open bank accounts and help them apply for benefits. At the same time, we’ll encourage people to access other services on offer to help them improve their lives and their health.

“Working in partnership with our Street Team, the new digital inclusion officer will provide support which could be instrumental in getting their lives back on track and finding routes out of poverty.”

Tech initiatives to tackle homelessness have been rolled out elsewhere in the UK. A pilot scheme was launched in Cardiff earlier this year which allowed homeless people in the city centre to take donations via contactless payments.

Recruitment for the new post is already underway according to Glasgow Council. The newly appointed inclusion officer will also work out of the new multi-agency city centre hub for homeless people, which is due to open in early 2019.

This hub will offer a variety of services, offering people to access their online DWP accounts, providing assistance and also allowing homeless people to use the building as an address.