The Dublin Rough Sleeper Alerts app enables members of the public to connect people sleeping rough with outreach services.
Throughout 2020, Smart Dublin worked with our colleagues in the Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE) to identify technology solutions that could help support the work of our homeless services.
One of the projects initiated was the Dublin Rough Sleeper Alerts app, which is now available to download for free on either Apple or Android. The app enables members of the public to alert the DRHE to the location of anyone sleeping rough, allowing outreach teams to rapidly make contact and provide support and services.
The DRHE is provided by Dublin City Council as the lead local authority in the response to homelessness in Dublin, adopting a shared service approach across South Dublin County Council, Fingal County Council and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. Previously, rough sleeper alerts from the public to the DRHE were made via a phone number or an online form. Improving this process was identified by the DRHE as a key challenge. The new app now compliments those existing alert channels.
Using the Dublin Rough Sleeper Alerts app, members of the public can now provide the outreach teams with an exact location of the person who is sleeping rough. Dublin Simon Community, on behalf of the DRHE, currently operate outreach services, which provide on-street support for people sleeping rough. These teams are working on the streets, 365 days a year from early morning to late each night, engaging with people who are sleeping on the streets and helping them avail of emergency accommodation. The Dublin Rough Sleeper Alerts app provides greater accuracy on location, enabling the teams to get to the specific location quicker.
The app was initially designed by a team of Microsoft Ireland volunteers as part of the company’s annual Hackathon. Over the course of several months, the DRHE, Smart Dublin, Microsoft, Dublin City Council IS Dept. and Ultan Technologies further developed the app. The app is currently being trialled for six months in Dublin with a view to extended usage and potentially being made available in other Irish cities.
Please consider downloading the Dublin Rough Sleeper Alerts App today.