Image: CFJC Today file photo / A file photo of an unhoused street person. Just days after announcing it would allocate $1.7 million of federal funding to implement homelessness prevention programs, the City of Abbotsford says it has created a new app that will assist community outreach workers in providing timely and effective services to those experiencing homelessness.
City of Abbotsford

City of Abbotsford unveils app to better equip outreach workers who work with homeless people

Mar 20, 2024 | 2:19 PM

ABBOTSFORD — Just days after announcing it would allocate $1.7 million of federal funding to implement homelessness prevention programs, the City of Abbotsford says it has created a new app that will assist community outreach workers in providing timely and effective services to those experiencing homelessness.

According to a news release dated Wednesday, March 20 from the municipality, the city of Abbotsford says the Community Homelessness Information Application, or CHIA, (CHIA), empowers frontline workers to track service delivery in encampments, access real-time bed inventory updates at shelters and develop historical data to advocate for more resources. This new mobile, web and desktop application supports the municipality’s push for a robust, coordinated access system of care for Abbotsford, and allows better coordination between service agencies and organizations, ultimately leading to improved support and access to housing.

CHIA was developed by the municipality as a component of the Reaching Home, Designated Community federal grant program in response to the need for service providers to better understand and serve people experiencing homelessness in Abbotsford, specifically those staying in encampments or shelters, or sleeping outside. Service entities and outreach workers can use CHIA to view, input and update data related to encampments, day sites, sleeping sites, and shelters to improve coordination of services and help create long term data which will aid advocacy efforts for additional supports and resources.

“CHIA is a truly innovative and invaluable tool that will support the work of our City team to develop a robust Coordinated Access System, and improve the way our local service providers respond to and support the most vulnerable in our community,” said Abbotsford Mayor Ross Siemens. “By accessing real time data, front line workers can collaborate and work together to assure those who need help aren’t missed and that resources are being distributed in the most efficient way. The development of this app will undoubtedly have a positive impact for service providers and those they are helping, and will provide us with valuable data to more effectively advocate for more supports in our community.”

Through the mobile app, different icons can be placed by users on identified encampments, day sites and sleeping sites to display services, like waste removal as well as water and harm-reduction supplies, as they are delivered to these locations so other users can easily identify where the current needs are across the city. Outreach workers will also be able to indicate the number of people staying at each site, and shelter workers will be able to update the occupancy status of their shelter and show how many beds remain available.

The app dashboard also provides real-time information, statistics and historical data summaries that can be used to identify trends related to encampments, day sites and sleeping sites, shows the inflow and outflow of people experiencing homelessness and will provide an approximate count for the total number of people living unhoused in Abbotsford at any given time. These aggregate functions provided through the digital app will amplify how those experiencing homelessness are supported and will contribute to the goal of creating a better and more livable city.

Since it was launched in mid-February, the app has been used to record nearly 300 site visits by outreach workers, including 141 check-ins and service deliveries at encampments, and 228 individual visits to day sites around the city.

CHIA supports Abbotsford council’s strategic objective of addressing social issues that impact the broader community, as part of the city’s Homelessness Action Plan. CHIA also aligns with the city’s digital strategy of delivering better services for Abbotsford residents by better positioning people, data and technology through use of the city’s GIS, data and analytics tools to enhance public and internal services.

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