Our Digital Support Helpline helped John to secure housing and start searching for a new job.
After serving in the military, John was facing a difficult period in his life, struggling to secure housing and a job due to his lack of digital skills and a device. He was put in contact with our Connecting Scotland Digital Support Helpline thanks to a recommendation from his local job centre.
The digital support helpline is part of our Reconnect service, which aims to help those in need get back in touch with the digital world, whether through digital groups in the community or our national helpline. Since its inception, the helpline has helped countless people across the country reconnect with the digital world, and also offers an opportunity to access a friendly listening ear, beyond just digital needs.
Back on track
John’s job search originally began via his local library, but he found the process to be quite restrictive. Without a device, email address, or phone number many employers couldn’t reach him or wouldn’t consider him for positions. This took quite the toll on his confidence and mental health with the job market starting to feel stacked against him.
After a chat with his local job centre, John was recommended to call in to our Digital Support Helpline, a service that he was over the moon to hear about. It felt like a chance for his struggles and concerns to be understood, tackled and resolved.
After a call with one of our Digital Support Volunteers, we assured John that we’d help him reconnect with the world. The priority was ensuring John had a device that would allow him to apply to jobs that had once been off limit to him due to his digital restrictions.
As Scottish ambassadors for Good Things Foundation, People Know How collaborates with them to champion digital inclusion. One of the ways we do this is through initiatives including the National Device Bank, a free service that provides devices to those in need. Thanks to the Device Bank, we were able to provide John with a mobile phone and SIM card, allowing him to reconnect with his family through text and phone calls.
A digital dream comes true
Life is difficult when not digitally connected with the world; you can lose access to many things that would seem second nature in life. Friends, family, jobs, and housing can all become a struggle due to digital and social isolation.
John recently updated us on his progress with his new device and how having access to our Digital Support Volunteers has helped him:
Our Digital Support Volunteers are the ones who make all this possible by taking the time to listen to the needs of those who reach out to us. Without them, we wouldn’t be able to provide our national Digital Support Helpline. It’s often the first point of contact of those who need digital help the most.
If you need support, you can call us on 0800 0 590 690, open from 10am to 4pm Monday to Friday.
If you’d like to become a Digital Support Volunteer, join our team by clicking below.