Charity’s ‘Advice Online’ Wins Excellence Award

Shelter’s free service Advice Online has won the housing and homelessness charity an e-government National Award. Shelter beat finalists including the Commission for Social Care Inspection, The British Library, The Police National Legal Database, The Equal Opportunities Commission and the Disability Rights Commission to take the award.

The e-government National Awards 2006, organised by online information service Publictechnology.net, recognise excellence among government and non-government organisations that meet the needs of their clients using information technology.

Shelter’s Advice Online gives practical advice for those in housing need. It includes a dedicated section, ‘Know Your Rights’, designed to reach young people before they find themselves in bad housing or without a home. ‘Know Your Rights’ provides people aged 16-25 with in-depth practical and legal advice online, as well as e-mail advice. The project is supported by The Vodafone UK Foundation, which is donating £3.7 million over four years to support Shelter’s work developing the technology for online and email advice services.

Archie Stoddart, Director of Shelter Scotland, said: “To win this award recognises how Shelter and The Vodafone UK Foundation are working together to tackle homelessness and exclusion, with a particular emphasis on young people.”   

Communities Minister Rhona Brankin, said: “I welcome this recognition for Shelter’s on-line advice service. Effective provision of advice and information can help people tackle their housing need and prevent homelessness. It is good to see that innovative use of new technologies can be used to reach people who may not access support in other ways, such as younger people who we know are at higher risk of becoming homeless.”

To check out Advice Online go to www.shelter.org.uk/adviceonline