Supervisor Nathan Fletcher touts new app designed to prevent homelessness

SAN DIEGO (CNS) – San Diego County officials Monday unveiled a proposed analytics policy to help prevent homelessness, along with an app-based tool that helps county employees connect unsheltered people to services.

Supervisor Nathan Fletcher has proposed developing a comprehensive integrated data system that allows county employees to evaluate if a person is at risk of becoming homeless and offer support to keep them housed.

“We have to use every opportunity and technology available to prevent homelessness and get people who are currently on the street into housing,” Fletcher said during a Monday news conference.

Fletcher’s proposal is on Tuesday’s regular board meeting agenda, and also calls for creating a homeless prevention unit within the Office of Homelessness Solutions to conduct direct outreach to individuals.

If supervisors vote yes, the county’s chief administrative officer will have 180 days to develop an analytics plan, which will also need board approval.

According to Fletcher’s office, Los Angeles County government in 2020 also approved using predictive analysis to prevent homelessness. But, LA’s homeless situation is worse than it is in San Diego. Fletcher went to Twitter to say the MLB uses “predictive analysis” to win games, so the county can use it to prevent homelessness.

Under Nathan Fletcher’s leadership, San Diego’s homeless crisis is worse than ever before, with record numbers of homeless people living in many parts of San Diego County.

Tamera Kohler, CEO of the San Diego Regional Task Force on Homelessness, said it’s difficult to determine who will become homeless, “but by using predictive analytics to pinpoint who may become homeless and intervene before someone’s on the street, we all benefit — especially the person who will never end up without a roof over their head.

Barbara Jimenez, community operations officer with the San Diego Department of Homeless Solutions, said the county has just started using a new app-based technology developed by RevTech and called the HSEC Outreach App.

The app will let 60 additional county employees — including park rangers and librarians — more effectively connect homeless people with services.

The app allows them to send a referral to the Department of Homeless Solutions and Equitable Communities, requesting that HSEC staff contact the homeless person and provide services. Basic information includes the homeless person’s name, a description and additional information.

HSEC staff “triage” the referral and then assign it to an appropriate team member, who could respond the same day depending on the time of referral and submitted information, Fletcher’s office said.