Fife Housing Group gives local families laptops

Following a successful application to Connecting Scotland, Fife Housing Group has been awarded 150 devices to reduce digital exclusion among its tenants. 

The Chromebooks and MiFis are being offered to support families that do not have a suitable device for their children to access home-schooling resources online. 

The group’s fully trained digital champions are also on hand to provide help and advice to anyone unsure about setting up or using their new equipment. 

Housing Manager, and Digital Motivator, Beverley Graham, said Fife Housing Group was keen to become part of the Connecting Scotland movement.  

She said: “Around 800,000 people in Scotland still face digital exclusion and providing these devices to support our tenants at this difficult time is part of our ongoing commitment to reducing this number. 

“Eligible families are being supplied with laptops, which are theirs to keep, and offered access to free Wi-Fi for two years – something which we hope will make a huge difference to some of the digitally excluded households in our local area.” 

Fife Housing Group said that initial feedback from recipients indicated that anticipated benefits are already being realised, and the initiative has delivered positive impacts for tenants and their families.  

Feedback from one tenant included: “I just wanted to say a heartfelt thank you for the kindness shown in giving a Chromebook for my son’s learning at home. We couldn’t be more grateful.  

“This will help massively with his home-schooling and relieve a great deal of pressure and stress for my son.”