In 2018, Cisco and Vacation spot: Dwelling launched into a partnership to sort out homelessness in Santa Clara County. Whereas our main focus was on the event of supportive housing and homelessness prevention, we additionally noticed a possibility to leverage know-how to enhance lives. Whereas not a panacea, know-how can play a important function in serving to people experiencing homelessness entry very important sources, and might improve the effectivity and repair supply of the organizations serving them.
Assessing know-how wants in Santa Clara County’s supportive housing system
We started with a know-how wants evaluation of Santa Clara County’s supportive housing system, which aimed to establish alternatives to leverage information and know-how to strengthen the system of care. The findings had been insightful: each homeless service suppliers and other people receiving companies expressed a necessity for higher communication between employees and purchasers, in addition to the necessity for techniques that enable people to entry companies and handle their very own info.
Primarily based on these insights, the evaluation really helpful the event of a client-facing portal. The envisioned instrument would offer safe entry for e-signatures, appointment scheduling, doc administration, and direct communication between purchasers and suppliers. This laid the inspiration for what would ultimately turn out to be MyConnectSV.
Constructing MyConnectSV: A collaborative effort
Constructing MyConnectSV was not fast. Vacation spot: Dwelling adopted a considerate and inclusive course of to make sure it was achieved proper. Techniques-level modifications, akin to updating insurance policies round digital releases of data on the County degree, had been vital earlier than implementation might start.
All through the design, growth and testing course of, the Vacation spot: Dwelling staff persistently engaged service suppliers and other people with lived expertise of homelessness to assist create an answer that would really meet their wants.
The end result? A safe, user-friendly platform designed to empower people and streamline service supply.
Key options of MyConnectSV embody the power to:
- Replace contact info in actual time
- Monitor upcoming appointments
- Add and entry private paperwork
- Entry important sources, akin to meals and medical care info
- Signal and add key paperwork electronically
- Talk straight with case managers
- Monitor their place within the housing queue
- Share their location with case managers through a “drop pin” characteristic
These functionalities save weeks of time, stop missed alternatives, and expedite the journey to secure housing. For people experiencing homelessness, this implies staying linked to important sources and assist techniques. For service organizations, it means improved outreach and effectivity in delivering care.
The staff continues to enhance the instrument by actively listening to customers and incorporating their suggestions into ongoing growth—making certain that MyConnectSV evolves to satisfy the wants of these most impacted.
The broader impression of know-how in homeless companies
The advantages of know-how like MyConnectSV lengthen past time financial savings. It democratizes entry to info, making important sources accessible to all, and is each replicable and scalable. In partnering with Readability by Bitfocusa platform at present utilized by over 75 communities throughout the nation, we ensured that this client-facing module may very well be simply adopted by Bitfocus customers throughout the US.
What started as an area initiative in Santa Clara County is now a replicable, impactful resolution with the potential to make a distinction nationwide. And whereas there’s nonetheless a lot work to be achieved, it is a reminder of how know-how, when designed with empathy and function, can really enhance lives.
To be taught extra, try Vacation spot: Dwelling’s newest e-newsletter, Breaking Down Limitations to Housing.
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