New app will help address homelessness in Oklahoma City
by Kayla Branch
This year, people in Oklahoma City will be able to interact with individuals experiencing homelessness in a new, high-tech way.
Starting in July, City Care will begin rolling out an information campaign around a pilot program with a Seattle-based app company called Samaritan to offer a platform for community members to financially support a small group of people experiencing homelessness.
“I think we will see success,” said City Care CEO Adam Luck. “I feel that in Oklahoma City, we’ve seen an increased awareness and interest in what is happening in our community in relation to our neighbors without homes.”
The goal is to have the program up and running by the end of this year.
The system works by people downloading the Samaritan app, and 50 individuals will be chosen by City Care to carry around small bluetooth devices called beacons.
If a person with the app passes by someone with a beacon, the app will send a notification and give some background on the beacon holder and their struggles with homelessness.
Then, the option to donate to a special account for that person to use for expenses like groceries, bus passes or rent would become available.
A person can only access funds through the beacon if they continue to check in with a case manager every month and complete personal objectives.
The money on the beacon can be used at “predetermined community partners,” Luck said. City Care is still finalizing where those locations will be.
Messages of encouragement are also an integral part of the program, he said, since building relationships within a community can help lift someone out of homelessness.
“As a community, for us to really help individuals who may have fallen through the cracks and experienced trauma and tragedy that we have not, what will help them transition (out of homelessness) is not just interacting with nonprofits but relationships in the community,” Luck said.
The stories of beacon holders and an option to donate will still be available on the app even if a person with the app is not physically near someone with a beacon.
Beacons will also be used as a form of electronic ID, as well as a place for storing documents like work permits or insurance cards, according to a press release.
On Samaritan’s website, the app is described as a way to avoid not knowing how to help someone experiencing homelessness (their online story will describe their needs) or not having any cash on hand (it's a similar payment style to other apps like Venmo or PayPal).
“We’re never more likely to do something than in the moment we see the need with our own two eyes,” the website reads. “This app exists to provide a simple, compassionate response.”
The app has been previously rolled out in Seattle and Orange County, California.
City Care is bringing the program to Oklahoma City through a $55,000 Wayfinder grant from United Way of Central Oklahoma, said United Way President Debby Hampton.
Hampton said the system is innovative and will provide an avenue for interactions and communication that may not have taken place before.
“There are such stereotypes,” Hampton said. “There are so many individuals who are nervous about approaching someone or even making eye contact. I like that this program puts a face on someone you might see.
“I also like the accountability attached to it. ... I think it will be an incredible success.”
Luck said he hopes eventually to expand the program.
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