about 11 years ago

Are you expecting homeless people to use a smartphone app?

Jon Bon Jovi tells the story of a night at JBJ Soul Kitchen when one guest stayed very late and the staff realized that this man had nowhere to go. They were able to use a laptop they had to find some local resources, but the information on the Internet didn't tell them things like how many beds were available or even what the hours were.

Project REACH primarily focuses on helping the people who help the homeless, and there are a lot more of us out there who could be helping if we had the right kind of information. For now, we focus on the outreach coordinator, a host at a soup kitchen, or a good Samaritan who sees someone in need and wants to know who to reach out to for help. All of these people would benefit from having real time or near real time information about shelters, housing, and other available services in their area.

That's not to say that a homeless person – particularly the recently homeless or people at risk of homelessness – may not have access to a smartphone, but we see a greater opportunity to support the people trying to help others in need.