Using Technology To Address Homelessness | Aidan Levan | TEDxMeritAcademy

TL;DR

An app aims to reduce homelessness by reuniting homeless individuals with their families through crowdsourcing, enhancing community connections.

Transcript

Transcriber: Ozay Ozaydin Reviewer: Selin Tüfekçi In Santa Clara County, there are almost 10,000 homeless people. Around 7400 of them live on the street and not in a shelter. 764 are youth and 1200 are members of unhoused families. A 37% increase from last year. In California, there are almost 172,000 homeless people. A shocking 23% of the nation's... Read More

Key Insights

• 🥺 Homelessness stems from various factors like job loss, abuse, and expensive housing, leading to disconnection from families.
• 😀 The Loved Ones Are Found app utilizes crowdsourcing to facilitate the reunion of homeless individuals with their loved ones.
• 😀 Two-way authentication in the app ensures safe communication between reunited individuals and their families.
• 😚 Future implementations include online support services and expansion to locate runaways and lost individuals.
• 😀 Community engagement through the app aims to reduce homelessness and enhance social connections.
• 😀 Collaboration with government agencies and social organizations is crucial for the app's success in reuniting families.
• 🎁 Technology, like the Loved Ones Are Found app, presents opportunities to address social problems and improve community connections.

Questions & Answers

Q: What inspired the creation of the Loved Ones Are Found app?

The realization of the complex reasons behind homelessness and the disconnection from loved ones due to unfortunate circumstances led to the development of the app.

Q: How does the app function to help reunite homeless individuals with their families?

Users can post about missing loved ones, share sightings, and engage in two-way authentication to ensure safe communication, ultimately facilitating reunions.

Q: What are the key features of the Loved Ones Are Found app?

The app offers search options by name, geographical location, and unique identifiers, along with a safety feature to protect against abusive access.

Q: What are the future plans for the app?

Future implementations include online counselors and mediators to assist in reestablishing healthy communication, expanding the app to find runaways and lost individuals.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Nearly 10,000 homeless people in Santa Clara County, and 172,000 in California, struggle due to job loss, abuse, and costly housing.

• The Loved Ones Are Found app seeks to reconnect homeless individuals with their families, providing solutions to reduce homelessness and support healthy transitions.

• Crowdsourcing efforts allow users to post about missing loved ones or share sightings, fostering community engagement in reuniting families.