Homeless people to be given smartphones and laptops to help them connect during coronavirus pandemic

Members of the public are urged to hand in their old smartphones 
Homeless people will be given smartphones and laptops to help them stay informed
PA

Several thousand homeless people will be given smartphones and laptops in a bid tackle loneliness and isolation during the coronavirus pandemic.

A two-year partnership, between Tesco Mobile and the homelessness charity Crisis, will see homeless people given £700,000 worth of phones, devices and internet data.

The venture aims to help rough sleepers stay informed, connected and access support during a "really difficult and dangerous time" following the Covid-19 crisis.

In the first year they aim to provide 2,500 homeless people with phones, laptops and tablets.

Members of the public are being urged to hand in their old smartphones or donate to help support the campaign.

It is hoped that the technology will make it easier for rough sleepers to look into housing options, keep in touch with friends and family and access information, services and support.

It will also help homeless people stay aware of public health guidance and updates as the country adapts to the ongoing threat of coronavirus.

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During lockdown, Crisis has provided one thousand mobile phones to people helped off the streets and into hotels.

Chief executive Jon Sparkes said the lack of digital connection during the Covid-19 outbreak has become a “huge challenge”, and that addressing this will support charities’ work during a “really difficult and dangerous time”.

He said: “It’s really clear to us that, as well as the obvious things of not having a house or being able to afford a place to live, which are really awful things that people face when they’re homeless, there’s this sense of isolation and loneliness and the lack of connectivity that people feel as well.

“And that’s always been there, that’s something which is really important. certainly to our services – as well as helping people find somewhere to live and a job, we’re also looking at helping to connect them and the resilience that brings.

“But I think what’s happened in the pandemic is for very, very good reasons people have been supported to separate, and that’s just really shone an even brighter light on that issue, and people who are self-isolating in hotel rooms for very good reasons, then the fact that they’re not able to connect has become just even more important.”

Jana, 36, was homeless when the lockdown was announced, having spent five months in a hostel in Doncaster after sofa surfing with friends and family.

She moved into a council flat in April, and said having a phone meant she could apply for housing without having to wait for use of the hostel’s communal computer.

She now uses it to keep on top of the news and receives wellbeing calls twice a week from Crisis which are helping with her depression.

“Without the phone now, I’d be anxious…it keeps me informed, keeps me in the world so to speak, keeps me informed with my friends, my family – I think without it I wouldn’t know half as much as what I do now," said Jana.

Tom Denyard, chief executive of Tesco Mobile, added: “We believe passionately that everyone has the right to be connected and that mobile connection brings us all closer to other people, to society, and provides access to essential services.

“For many people living without a permanent home, digital connection is a necessary lifeline.”

Additional reporting by PA Media.

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