Uber x ShelterTech: Improving Resources on Housing and Human Services
People experiencing homelessness often feel alone. While most of us have family and friends to tide us through obstacles in life, people without support networks find themselves enduring personal struggles on their own, such as eviction or a job loss. This sentiment is echoed by Aaron, a Milwaukee native who experienced 15 years of homelessness, “Life suddenly turned upside down when my first wife died and it got even worse when my second wife divorced me.”. How can ShelterTech step in to support individuals experiencing homelessness by connecting them to resources that provide holistic support?
On 8 and 9 April 2019, ShelterTech partnered with Uber employees in a Datathon to improve San Francisco’s largest housing and human services directory, AskDarcel.org. AskDarcel.org features an extensive library of resources, across 6 different categories which are ‘Basic Needs and Shelter’, ‘Eviction Prevention’, ‘Health and Medical’, ‘Housing’, ‘Legal’ and ‘Employment’. Designed to help homeless individuals meet their every need, it can be challenging to gather and collate resources from all over the internet. As such, AskDarcel.org relies on the help of its volunteers to improve and update information about resources on the website. Through partnering with our Community Representatives (CRs) — people who have experienced homelessness — Uber employees vetted a total of 70 resource pages on 8 and 9 April.
The Datathons began with long lists of resource pages that had to be worked on, alongside suggestions on what could be improved about them. Examples of these suggestions included shortening the resources’ descriptions, distributing information in appropriate fields, and removing jargon to make content reader-friendly. This is when working with a CR is particularly useful, as a formerly homeless individual could suggest language that’s more familiar to the community, or shorthand references that certain resources are more commonly known by.
We learned from chatting with Uber employees that their experience volunteering with us was meaningful and special. Hunter Gray, who worked with CR Marilyn Chan, expresses that the Datathon was “an incredible experience”. He says,“I was able to learn far more about the amount of thought and work that goes into building into a resource like AskDarcel and I am incredibly impressed by the group of community volunteers to come together and want to help the community in this way.”. Hunter and Marilyn collaborated to shorten the description of the Bayview Hunter’s Point Multipurpose Senior Services, which provides housing advocacy services and nutritious meals to seniors and people with disabilities.
Of the 70 resources vetted by the volunteers, 20 provide healthcare services, 12 resources help homeless individuals legally advocate for themselves, and 7 support case management efforts. Some resource pages required the determination of Uber employees and ShelterTech CRs to work through, such as the Violence Intervention Program which had multiple issues with formatting and content before their help. Sam, an Uber employee, partnered with CR Aaron to edit this resource, which provides important social services like mental health programs and job training in the Tenderloin district. Sam’s greatest takeaway was that there are “a lot of resources out there”, and that he had “never volunteered for an organization like {ShelterTech}”. Another Uber employee agreed that working with ShelterTech had been eye-opening: “It’s amazing to know there are resources out there to help solve the homelessness issue, and it’s good to know there is an organization to put them together!”.
Beyond contributing to AskDarcel.org, some Uber employees have also developed a more nuanced idea of homelessness as something that can often be transitional, rather than always chronic. Through working closely with individuals who have formerly experienced homelessness, they feel empowered to help tackle this immense issue. Hunter mentions that there is “misinformation” and “a mischaracterization of the population of people who are experiencing homelessness” as chronically homeless in San Francisco, stressing that transitionally homeless individuals should be supported through their hardships without shelter.
As well as partnering with ShelterTech, Uber has worked closely with other human services organizations to provide support to individuals experiencing homelessness. A spirited team of 14 Uber employees spent an afternoon at the Larkin Street Youth Services Center and assembled 100 Hygiene Kits for homeless youth, along with personalized cards and messages. Larkin Street Youth Services provides comprehensive services that meet young people’s needs, while encouraging them to access our services when and how they feel comfortable. This helps young people take charge of their own lives, developing long-lasting self-sufficiency while building trust in themselves and our staff. Uber has also expressed an interest to partner with ShelterTech to action suggestions to improve our Datathon events’ efficiency. Through working closely with corporations like Uber, ShelterTech is thrilled to harness the power of technology within its San Francisco network to connect the homeless to helpful resources!
In our mission to meet the needs of individuals experiencing homelessness, ShelterTech and AskDarcel thrive on the kindness and support of our volunteers. If you’re interested in volunteering or have your organization partner with us in an upcoming Datathon, send us an email at [email protected].
Finally, it takes a village to keep the lights on at ShelterTech. Did you know that Community Representatives are compensated for their time working with volunteers at a Datathon? If you might be able to help us raise $500 to cover the costs of our next Datathon, please Donate here. Any amount helps.
*The views expressed in this article are solely of the volunteers’, and not representative of Uber as a whole.
Edited by Michael Polce, Ivan Hartanto and Vix Jensen with special thanks to Justine Nguyen of Uber.