Digital exclusion continues to shape outcomes for residents across social housing. Access to healthcare, employment, education and public services increasingly depends on reliable connectivity. Yet affordability, skills and confidence remain barriers for many households.
At our recent roundtable, jointly hosted by Wifinity and Greater Manchester Combined Authority, the biggest challenge discussed was not just getting connectivity into buildings, but what happens next. Social housing providers spoke openly about the complexity of turning data into action, managing new compliance responsibilities around damp and mould, and deciding who owns and responds to the insight generated by sensors and connected devices, and who can help with these challenges.
Social value was also a clear focus of the discussion. While connectivity can support community wellbeing, early intervention and long term cost savings, funding models, procurement processes and internal capacity often make delivery difficult. Many social housing providers are still working through how to balance proactive, data led approaches with limited resource on the ground in the context of their own teams and their supplier partnerships.
Watch the video below to hear perspectives from across the sector on the practical challenges and opportunities facing social housing providers today.
To learn more about how Wifinity supports connectivity and digital inclusion in social housing, please visit our dedicated social housing page.