In 2018, Cisco and Destination: Home embarked on a partnership to tackle homelessness in Santa Clara County. While our primary focus was on the development of supportive housing and homelessness prevention, we also saw an opportunity to leverage technology to improve lives. While not a panacea, technology can play a critical role in helping individuals experiencing homelessness access vital resources, and can enhance the efficiency and service delivery of the organizations serving them.

Assessing technology needs in Santa Clara County's supportive housing system

We began with a technology needs assessment of Santa Clara County's supportive housing system, which aimed to identify opportunities to leverage data and technology to strengthen the system of care. The findings were insightful: both homeless service providers and people receiving services expressed a need for better communication between staff and clients, as well as the need for systems that allow individuals to access services and manage their own information.

Based on these insights, the assessment recommended the development of a client-facing portal. The envisioned tool would provide secure access for e-signatures, appointment scheduling, document management, and direct communication between clients and providers. This laid the foundation for what would eventually become MyConnectSV.

Building MyConnectSV: A collaborative effort

Building MyConnectSV was not quick. Destination: Home followed a thoughtful and inclusive process to ensure it was done right. Systems-level changes, such as updating policies around electronic releases of information at the County level, were necessary before implementation could begin.

Throughout the design, development and testing process, the Destination: Home team consistently engaged service providers and people with lived experience of homelessness to help create a solution that would truly meet their needs.

The result? A secure, user-friendly platform designed to empower individuals and streamline service delivery.

Key features of MyConnectSV include the ability to:

• Update contact information in real time
• Track upcoming appointments
• Upload and access personal documents
• Access critical resources, such as food and medical care information
• Sign and upload key documents electronically
• Communicate directly with case managers
• Track their position in the housing queue
• Share their location with case managers via a "drop pin" feature

These functionalities save weeks of time, prevent missed opportunities, and expedite the journey to stable housing. For individuals experiencing homelessness, this means staying connected to essential resources and support systems. For service organizations, it means improved outreach and efficiency in delivering care.

The team continues to improve the tool by actively listening to users and incorporating their feedback into ongoing development-ensuring that MyConnectSV evolves to meet the needs of those most impacted.

The broader impact of technology in homeless services

The benefits of technology like MyConnectSV extend beyond time savings. It democratizes access to information, making critical resources available to all, and is both replicable and scalable. In partnering with Clarity by Bitfocus, a platform currently used by over 75 communities across the country, we ensured that this client-facing module could be easily adopted by Bitfocus users across the United States.

What began as a local initiative in Santa Clara County is now a replicable, impactful solution with the potential to make a difference nationwide. And while there's still much work to be done, this is a reminder of how technology, when designed with empathy and purpose, can truly improve lives.

To learn more, check out Destination: Home's latest newsletter, Breaking Down Barriers to Housing.