SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — A new app is helping San Diego County outreach teams quickly connect people experiencing homelessness with available shelter beds that meet their specific needs.
The "Shelter Ready" app, which launched countywide in June, allows outreach workers to find and reserve shelter beds in minutes rather than the hours or days it previously took.
"This piece of technology reduces that time from again hours and days to literally minutes by you're clicking a few buttons, we got the bed, we got you there, get them a ride there, and then they can be on the path to end their homelessness," a representative from North County Lighthouse said.
The app provides real-time information about shelter availability across the county. Users can specify what type of space and services a person needs, and the app narrows down options to find the best match before allowing workers to immediately reserve a spot.
North County Lighthouse, which participated in the app's pilot program last year, has already helped more than 300 people find shelter using the technology.
For outreach workers, having immediate access to accurate shelter information is crucial when working with a population that often has limited windows of opportunity for accepting help.
"To be effective, to help people off the streets, you need to strike while the iron's hot. And so if they have a 15-minute window where they're ready, you've got to do it then because then you might not be able to find them," the North County Lighthouse representative said.
The San Diego County District Attorney is now advocating for all cities within the county to adopt the "Shelter Ready" app to maximize its effectiveness in addressing homelessness throughout the region.
"It's a proven technology, not guesswork, but the other part of it is that it's gonna feed transparently into a data lake, and we'll be able to advise all these mayors, where they need to spend their limited money resources," says District Attorney Summer Stephan.
The district attorney's office says it is funding the app, and for every city to adopt it, it'll cost $300,000 at no cost to the individual cities.
As more cities and organizations sign onto the app, the county is going to create a full dashboard that shows how many people are being connected to shelters.
The goal is to have the app implemented in every city in the county by the end of 2025.
To learn more about Shelter Ready, follow this link.
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