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Virtuel bostøtte — Virtual housing support

Denmark Distance monitoring Distance meetings
Virtual housing support is support given to the citizen over the web cam possibly supplemented with apps for smartphones. Virtual housing support is video conversations, non-image conversations, or "conversations" via chat. It allows you to adapt your support to the needs of the individual citizen. In this way, virtual housing support helps to improve the quality of housing support for citizens who benefits from webcam calls and applications. The citizen and the employee can use virtual housing support as a flexible and reassuring tool, which among others provide; security and greater continuity with several, shorter conversations, housing support on the go (vacation, education, etc.), talks on the citizen's premises - and under the citizen's control, safety in the transition to living at home and housing benefit for isolated citizens.
Virtual housing support is flexible because conversations are more and more controlled by when they are needed. It gives more peace to citizens and employees because they are not tied to time and place. Virtual housing support can be particularly suitable for citizens with anxiety and for citizens who need security and frequent follow-up. It is also possible for the citizen to get support if a need arises between appointments, because a webcam conversation can be arranged with shorter notice than a traditional visit. This means that the problems or concerns do not grow as large as they could otherwise can between visits every 14 days. The solution has also given citizens courage to go out more and, fore example, dare to go on vacation and participate in social activities.
The users are people with a need of housing support. These citizens often experience that they go from having support to having no support in their homes. This can be a tool to out phasing the support and help the citizen feel more secure in their own homes. With virtual housing support, it is possible to reach new groups of citizens - particularly isolated citizens who have difficulty in social contact and therefore find it difficult to let another person into their home. Virtual housing support can be the opening that is needed to give these citizens the support they need. Employees can also, through virtual housing support, have more continuous contact with the citizens who often cancel or do not open up their doors. In the five communes where the solution has been implemented around 2,700 citizens are in the need of housing assistance.
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Through video conversations, non-image conversations, or chat conversations, the citizen can receive support even when not being at home.

Quotes/testimonials

”A lot of citizens do not think it is fantastic that someone from the municipality have to enter their house to get the needed help. When we can offer virtual support, we can offer the help anyway.”

—Municipal employee.

Elaboration

Needs and challenges

Some people in need of housing support aren’t happy about letting people into their houses. This way they can get the needed support but have no one in their house.

When having had housing support it is often a tough cut off of support. This way the citizen can receive support for a little longer and use it as a phasing out tool.

Solution and function

With virtual housing support, conversations can be guided by when they are needed. Citizens can have a more continuous contact with their resident employee, because the housing support can be divided into slightly smaller chunks through several short conversations rather than a few longer visits.

This means that the problems or concerns do not grow as large as they could otherwise do between visits every 14 days. It gives more peace and security. 

Both users and resident employees have emphasized that virtual housing support cannot be a substitute for the traditional visits. Both citizens and employees find that virtual housing support and "ordinary" housing support can be somewhat different. Therefore, one cannot simply abandon the traditional housing support visits.  

Implementation

Working with virtual housing support is a big change for employees who are used to working in other ways. It requires ongoing support and attention from management in order for the change to succeed. As in any other change process, the work on virtual housing support requires managers to motivate, go ahead and create meaning with the "new". It also requires managers to create a good framework for the work, also for learning and education, etc.

The managers must arrange for training so that employees are familiar with the technique and its application. When the employees have practiced with each other, it is recommended that they practice with the citizens. 

  • New technology and new methods require everyone to mature to use it. It is therefore very important to go to work with patience. 
  • It is important that the workers have rooms in which they can do the video/phone calls to secure that they will not be interrupted.  
  • It is important that the technical equipment is well working, both the hardware and the internet connection.  

Economy

The solution seems to have the potential to make better use of resources in relation to citizens who, for example, were previously visited by the resident employee twice a week, but now receive one physical visit and one virtual conversation a week.

This model is especially suitable for citizens, where the conversations with the resident employee are intended to create security or to follow up more frequently on e.g. agreements. Some visits can also be cut shorter due to ongoing follow-up. 

It seems that money can be saved, especially for citizens how have a hard time letting the resident employers in and who therefore often cancels their meetings.  

Process

The employees will need to get used to doing some of their otherwise physical visits by video or call.

The citizens receiving house support visits will have to be screened and informed to fully know if the solution is suited for them. The employees are responsible for visits as they would normally be.  

Communication

Virtual housing support can work on multiple platforms. It is important that the chosen solution is approved by the Danish Data Protection Agency (for the sake of personal information). During the trial period, Clearsea, Cisco Jabber and Lync have been used.

The conversation in virtual housing support takes place by the employee making a web call to the citizen. The conversation can take place in several ways: as a video call, where the citizen and employee can see and hear each other, like normal phone calls, where the webcam is switched off, so that citizens and employees only hear each other - and finally as chat, where both sound and picture are turned off and where the citizen and employee are ready to chat with each other. 

More about effects

The citizen can with help from the solution receive support even when not being at home – it makes it more flexible than the normal physical visits. It will no longer be a hinder to travel when support is needed.

If the goal for the citizen is to create structure in his/her everyday life, it is also helpful that the virtual housing support allows for more frequent follow-up. 

Both webcam calls and apps can help give citizens an increased sense of security. The security is linked to a feeling that the help is never far away - either through calls to the resident employee or via the app on the smartphone in the pocket.

For more citizens, virtual housing support has given them the courage to come out more and, for example, dare to go on vacation. With the laptop, phone or tablet, both home support and apps are at your fingertips. This means that more citizens dare to participate in social activities and pleasures - whether they are in France or in college. In this way, virtual housing support can help citizens to unfold and participate in society equally with others.
The virtual housing support can help destigmatizing because it will no longer be visible for everyone that you have a helper in their home.

Virtual housing support also provides equality because the citizen himself chooses what the resident employee can see and not see. In this way, the citizen should not feel "exhibited in his own home". 

Learnings

Although virtual housing support offers many opportunities, the evaluation also shows that some citizens experience the virtual contact as distant and unsafe. It is, among other things, citizens who suffer from paranoid schizophrenia, who fear being monitored via webcam and that others listen to the conversation with the resident.

It also suggests that it is difficult to apply for vulnerable conversations. It feels, according to the employees, not always responsible to have such an intimate and vulnerable conversation over the webcam - it gets too distant. Likewise, there are shared experiences in relation to how suitable housing support via webcam is when providing support for practical things.

The solution requires basic IT-skills from both employee and citizen. It also takes that the citizen feels comfortable using video etc. as a replacement for some of the physical visits.  

More Testimonials:

”It is more spontaneous, like a phone call. We have to remember that this is an offer and a supplement to what we already do all the time.”
Anne Dorthe Møller – housing support employee Viborg Municipality. 

”This way she is holding my hand and I am in the safe world I would like to be in.” Reciever of virtual housing support, Viborg Municipality. 

https://virtuelbostoette.dk/  

  • It can be used for citizens who already receive home support visits, and for whom a virtual visit can replace a physical meeting.  
  • It can be used as a tool when citizens are phasing out their support visits instead of just being cut off from one day to the other.  

Virtuel Bostøtte (Virtual housing support) 

https://virtuelbostoette.dk/  

ClearSea Client