Pathways: Real-Time Shelter and Services Network

Challenge Overview

For people experiencing homelessness, something as basic as finding a safe place to sleep can become a daily gamble. Most shelters do not provide real-time information on bed availability, forcing individuals and families to travel long distances only to arrive at a shelter that is already full. Those new to an area face additional barriers: many shelters have restrictions based on gender, family composition, or whether someone has a pet, but that information is rarely accessible in advance. The consequences are serious: time and energy lost navigating between shelters, money spent on transportation, and in many cases, missing the chance at a bed altogether. This lack of accessible, up-to-date information deepens the instability faced by the unhoused and makes an already precarious situation even harder to navigate.

A Civic Technology and Digital Infrastructure Approach

We are building a mobile and web-based application that integrates directly with homeless shelters and social service agencies to provide real-time updates on bed availability, shelter restrictions (such as gender, family, or pet policies), and the services being offered. For individuals without access to smartphones or computers, the system will also integrate into the city’s digital infrastructure, displaying the same information on public kiosks in bus shelters, libraries, and other community spaces.

This approach has multiple benefits:

• Efficiency: Reduces wasted travel time and transportation costs for unhoused individuals by allowing them to see availability before they go.

• Accessibility: Ensures that information reaches everyone, regardless of whether they own a device, by leveraging existing public infrastructure.

• Dignity: Allows people to make informed choices about where they seek shelter, reducing the trauma of repeated rejection at full or restricted shelters.

• Coordination: Provides cities and service providers with real-time data to better allocate resources, identify gaps, and plan for peak demand.

• Equity: Levels the playing field by making critical information equally available to long-term residents and those newly experiencing homelessness.

By turning fragmented, outdated systems into a connected, real-time network, this solution not only improves daily life for unhoused populations but also strengthens a city’s overall capacity to respond with compassion and efficiency.