For years, outreach workers like Alex Maitre faced daunting challenges when attempting to secure shelter beds for the homeless.
Maitre, a case manager with Brother Benno’s, often found himself making multiple phone calls, leaving numerous voicemails, and sending emails without timely responses.
However, in May, a crucial breakthrough arrived in the form of a new application called Shelter Ready.
Maitre described this technology as a “quantum leap” in assisting those in need, stating, “I have now saved a couple hours of heartache.”
The Shelter Ready app, quietly rolled out in North County last year, allows outreach workers to reserve emergency beds with a user-friendly interface akin to booking a hotel room.
By answering a few simple questions about the individual’s needs, outreach workers can view available spots and book them with just a click.
Currently, eight facilities and over a dozen organizations are participating, with leaders preparing to invite additional shelters county-wide to join the initiative.
San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan, who funded the development of the app, highlighted its potential impact on creating a more transparent and equitable system for shelter access.
Despite these advancements, the app does not resolve the pressing and longstanding issue of shelter shortages in the region.
A recent point-in-time count revealed that over 5,700 individuals were living in vehicles, tents, or sleeping bags throughout the county, with a mere 1 in 10 requests for shelter often being fulfilled in the city of San Diego.
However, advocates believe that the technology will help leaders enhance shelter capacity through improved data collection, enabling decision-makers to understand better who is getting access to beds and who is left in the cold.
Maitre pointed out that even when the app indicates no available beds, it is preferable to the uncertainty and waiting faced previously.
The initiative to create the app has been in development for several years, having received approval from the county Board of Supervisors in early 2023.
With an allocation of $300,000 from the District Attorney’s Office, derived from asset forfeiture funds, the effort remains well-funded, although approximately $162,000 has already been expended.
Stephan emphasized the public safety aspect of the program, noting that reducing the number of people sleeping outside can lead to fewer individuals vulnerable to crime and exploitation.
Designed by Caravan Studios, a division of the nonprofit TechSoup, an initial version of Shelter Ready launched in September.
According to a demonstration by The San Diego Union-Tribune, the app’s layout is intuitive and straightforward, focusing on essential details such as the type of preferred shelter and the individual’s history concerning offenses like arson or sexual offenses.
As users fill in this information, the app provides a real-time count of available beds at the bottom of the screen.
Personal identifiers, including names, are kept out of the reservation process, and although linked to the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), personal identification numbers might be included only in intake forms.
Steve Lee, Caravan Studios’ director of product development, assured users that all collected data is stored securely in the cloud.
While some demographic information like age and gender may be kept for ongoing analysis, other data will be deleted once the reservation is finalized.
Crucially, the data remains the property of the outreach workers and shelters, maintaining confidentiality and autonomy in the process.
Based on user feedback, Caravan Studios has made several modifications, such as allowing shelters to specify preferred times for move-ins to optimize the experience.
Brian Wilson, director of the Rescue Mission’s North County Lighthouse, reported using the app to make hundreds of reservations.
Greg Anglea, head of Interfaith Community Services, praised the feature allowing for waitlist creation, giving extra flexibility.
Shelters and outreach teams can access the program at no cost, making it an appealing solution for the pressing issue of homelessness.
On June 9, the District Attorney’s Office plans to introduce Shelter Ready to various service and law enforcement organizations across the county, including Father Joe’s Villages and the San Diego Police Department.
Capt. Steve Shebloski, head of the Neighborhood Policing Division, expressed enthusiasm about these developments, remarking, “It sounds awesome.”
Looking ahead, officials anticipate expanding Shelter Ready to incorporate detox bed availability, further addressing the needs of vulnerable populations.
image source from：https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/06/09/need-a-homeless-shelter-bed-theres-now-an-app-for-that/
