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Sheltr Austin. Helping the Needy Find Resources for Food, Shelter, Medical and Mental Health Care . Presented By: City of Austin, Code For America, Health 2.0 Austin. Homelessness. Access to Mental Health.
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SheltrAustin Helping the Needy Find Resources for Food, Shelter, Medical and Mental Health Care Presented By: City of Austin, Code For America, Health 2.0 Austin
Access to Mental Health • 1 in 4 Americans live with a diagnosable & treatable mental health condition (45.9 million Americans experienced mental illness in 2012) • Only 4 in 10 Americans received treatment • Homeless are more likely to have a mental health condition • Those with mental health illnesses are 3 times more likely to have a substance abuse issue • Minorities and those with low income are more likely to go without care
Importance • Though we have 2-1-1 it is not user friendly • Integrates several basic needs at once • Few if any apps direct individuals to mental health care resources
The PrototypeSheltrPhilidelphia & New Jersey • Developed at RHoK Philadelphia in December 2011 • Directs users to local • Shelters • Food Pantries • Medical Care
Our Idea – Sheltr for Austin • Recreate Sheltr with Austin food and shelter resources • Add mental health and substance abuse resources • Allow for text-based search and return results • Respond to search results by text • Incorporate transportation information to reach resources (by car, bus, or walking)
Users • Homeless persons or individuals looking for services • Caseworkers • Physicians • Concerned Citizen • Family Members • Friends/Fellowships
What We Started With • Spreadsheet of 45 shelter and food resources • Template from New Jersey and Philadelphia
What We Did • Created spreadsheet of 65 medical, mental health, and substance abuse resources • CODE?
Future Functionalities • Ability to add open beds in shelters (currently no open beds in Austin) for Caseworkers to refer clients • Add new resources as they become available • Easy to replicate in any city • Make available in other languages
Team Members • Rishi Bajekal • Theresa Fedor • EfeKarakus • Nikhil Tibrewal • Susan Wang • Dawn Perkins (City of Austin) • Joe Merante (Code for America) • Erin Gilmer (Health 2.0 Austin)