Homeless Shelter Locator App Launched
By Edward Cardenas
SOUTHFIELD (CBS Detroit) - Amanda Holdsworth received an email nearly two years ago from a homeless woman that moved her emotionally, and led her to develop a special app.
Holdsworth was taking an online, mobile marketing course through New York University and was working at Lutheran Social Services of Michigan when she received the email on a snowy Friday afternoon.
The woman said she was homeless and in desperate need of help. Holdsworth said the woman "had nowhere to go, no family to turn to" and she was sending the email from the Dearborn Library and was inquiring if there was room available at the Wayne County Family Center.
"(The email) immediately struck a chord with me," said Holdsworth, who was about to leave and head to her home in suburbs.
She was able to find a few addresses, and attempted to reply to the email. Holdsworth never heard back from the woman.
"That stuck out in my mind and I felt horrible all weekend," she said. "I thought there has to be an easier way to help somebody in need of help."
She decided to tweak an app she was developing and focus on shelters and homeless centers.
Open Path Products of Maryland developed the app at no charge and brought it to life with features including:
- GPS function to find the closest shelter,
- Color coded guide to find shelters for children and families, women-only, seniors, those that accept pets, those for women who are victims of abuse cases and abused men.
- Directions to the nearest shelter, phone numbers and street views.
While the app is only available for southeast Michigan, Holdsworth hopes to expand the service across the state and eventually the country.
"Not everybody has a cell phone, but the people who do have cell phones have the capability of helping someone else," she said.
"You just never know when you have the opportunity to help somebody."
The app is available for free on iTunes and Google Play.
