CivTech 12.6 - How can technology improve living conditions and quality of life for social housing residents in Scotland?

Cold homes, damp, mould and fuel poverty are driving poor health outcomes, increasing pressure on healthcare services and deepening inequalities. While Registered Social Landlords are investing in warmer, more energy-efficient housing and responding to new regulatory requirements, fuel poverty means many vulnerable residents remain at risk, even in high-quality homes. Current approaches are often reactive and lack mechanisms to target support for those that might be the very most vulnerable, addressing issues only after harm has occurred. This Challenge seeks innovative solutions that can help registered social landlords identify where housing conditions, fuel poverty and individual vulnerability combine to create the greatest risk of harm, then translate that insight into practical, targeted action that combats these impacts, improves tenants’ health and wellbeing outcomes, protects homes and makes better use of limited housing and support resources. Solutions must be affordable at RSL scale, protect tenant privacy, and connect insight to action so that Cloch can complete investigation and repair work within statutory timescales. About CivTech CivTech’s mission is to drive daring and innovation in the public sector by collaboratively solving Challenges that make people’s lives better – and in doing so create generations of sustainable, high growth businesses. CivTech brings together public sector expertise and private sector innovation to solve real problems, develop new products, and deliver better, faster and easier services for everyone. Central to the approach is co-production with the citizen. Part of the Scottish Government’s Directorate for Digital, CivTech’s approach is helping transform public sector engagement with tech and innovation, delivering significant benefits to public services, producing genuine uplifts for the Scottish economy - and along the way, making lives better. Across the country there are problems public sector organisations would like to solve and in the current environment the need for smart, efficient and effective products has never been greater. The Scottish Government is aware innovation is a good way to create them and is committed to ensuring a large part of its tech spend goes to innovative businesses - whatever stage they’re at, or size they are. This is where CivTech comes in. The CivTech Innovation Flow is designed to create products as quickly and effectively as possible, and uses a true Accelerator model at the heart of its Innovation Flow model. For you – whether you’re an individual, team or company – it’s an opportunity to take on a Challenge, solve it, and win contracts with a blue-chip public sector organisation. You’ll build a product, and a business to take it as far as possible. Because here’s the kicker: the Challenges we issue aren’t ‘single organisation’ problems – most of the problems we are solving exist worldwide. In short: Open Challenges are set. Any organisation, team or individual can respond. Applications are assessed, and shortlisted proposals go into an Exploration Stage where they’re developed further together with the Challenge Sponsor and the CivTech [for which participating applicants are paid]. The best go through to the Accelerator – a period of intensive work to create the solution, and through CivTech’s unique business growth workshop system, a business capable of taking the product to the world. Please visit our website for information on CivTech and how to get involved: https://www.civtech.scot/how-to-apply-civtech-12 https://www.civtech.scot/civtech-12-challenge-6-improving-social-housing-living-conditions-and-quality-of-life-for-residents-in-scotland