[marniewebb]

I’m currently involved in a project to develop a tech intervention to support outreach workers in providing emergency shelter to unhoused individuals[1].

Part of the goal is to get data on why people don’t accept available shelter and how to address those blockers by creating more shelter spaces that meet more people’s needs. We know we will see the ability to keep companion animals, safe storage for personal items, and the ability to stay with family members as reasons people don’t take shelter. It’s easy to empathize with that. If I were a woman on the street with my mid-sized dog (companionship and protection) with all the possessions I had left (after months at least of hard decisions about what I couldn’t take) and a 13-year-old son (we are likely to get separated in shelter placement) I would be resistant to most of the options available to me. And that doesn’t even begin to address what led me to the streets in the first place (job loss, family support system loss, domestic violence, health expenses).

This is my opinion, but based on some observational experience, the only people for whom living on the streets is “easier” are those who are young, healthy, and have a family support system to return to.

This recent article in the Guardian provides a good overview: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/aug/17/san-diego-ar...

[1] https://insider.govtech.com/california/news/san-diego-county...