Digital Lifelines Scotland — Devices & Connectivity for People Affected by Drug Use and Homelessness

Digital Lifelines Scotland (DLS) launched in April 2021 as a Scottish Government-funded national programme, managed by the Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre (DHI) with partners including SCVO and Simon Community Scotland. It distributes smartphones, tablets, data connectivity and peer digital-skills support to people who use or have used drugs, many of whom are also affected by homelessness and social isolation, to help them stay connected to harm-reduction, health and social-care services.

Across its first phases, DLS distributed £1.5m in grants to 35 frontline organisations, reaching 5,502 people with digital access and skills support, providing 3,044 devices and 3,845 connectivity packages, and upskilling 518 staff and volunteers through 24 peer-learning sessions. A peer-reviewed 2024 study in Harm Reduction Journal, based on a survey of 19 and interviews with 21 service users, found the devices helped participants stay in touch with support services and reduce isolation, while also documenting barriers such as inconsistent charging access and device theft.

An independent 2025 evaluation likewise found a measurable positive impact, and the programme won the 2025 Holyrood Digital Health and Care Award for Digital Inclusion. Given the small evaluation sample (19 surveyed, 21 interviewed) relative to the number of people reached, findings should be read as promising service-user perceptions rather than population-level proof of harm reduction.