Homelessness is a real problem in Melbourne and the rest of Australia. We see homeless people sleeping rough on our best city streets and we all want to help.
During the GovHack, we discovered that there are many excellent government and non-profit organisations that assist homeless people. But imagine what can be achieved if every one of us got involved.
Walking by a homeless person on the street, our initial instinct is to offer assistance. But we don’t know how. We fear for our safety or worry that we might be making things worse. So, what can be done?
Introducing, the “Help Out Melbourne” application, the simple way to enable greater community involvement in tackling the problem of homelessness.
Download the app and the next time you’re walking down Swanston Street and you see a homeless person, don’t just pass them by. Reach for your mobile phone, launch the application and possibly, save a life.
It’s not complicated. The first screen allows you to choose how you want to help. You can donate to a hallmark charity, let someone know about the person who needs help or just get more information.
Our aim is to connect people who want to help with those who are helping. We want to remove the disconnect, stigma and difficulty and make it easy for people to get involved through sharing data and knowledge.
The app will also feature a dashboard that allows you to monitor the problem and the pace of improvements.
Lets get excited about helping people, lets share the app with all Melbournians and hopefully throughout Australia.
