Fortem highly commended at the UK Housing Awards
Published 5th April 2018
Fortem was highly commended for its ‘Outstanding approach to digital inclusion’ at the UK Housing Awards 2018, which took place at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge Hotel in central London on 2 May.
The award judges were impressed by Fortem’s SMART4Life initiative, which provides free Wi-Fi and IT training to hard-to-reach groups, including the elderly, homeless and those with special educational needs.
Launched in 2017, the innovative scheme involves two SMART4Life vans – portable digital classrooms – travelling around the country and setting up everywhere from school playgrounds to summer fairs.
Also at the UKHAs, Fortem was honoured to sponsor the ‘Outstanding approach to tenant involvement’ category. The award was won by Nottingham City Homes, which went on to scoop the prized ‘Landlord of the year’ award.
Fortem’s partner Hull City Council also walked away from the UKHAs as a winner, having been named ‘Strategic local authority of the year’.
Mick Williamson, managing director of Fortem, said: “Congratulations to all of the UKHA winners, especially Hull City Council – we know from first-hand experience that it does truly outstanding work.
“We’re extremely pleased to have been recognised for our SMART4Life scheme, which has already been involved in 93 projects up and down the country, helping people to work on their CVs and to search for employment and training opportunities online.
“We’ll be back at the UKHAs next year, with more examples of the innovative ways in which we support our communities, and provide opportunities to people from all backgrounds.”