{"id":13944,"date":"2024-08-25T02:27:52","date_gmt":"2024-08-25T02:27:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/better-future.org\/?p=13944"},"modified":"2025-04-02T19:12:06","modified_gmt":"2025-04-02T19:12:06","slug":"the-power-of-community-inspiration-behind-the-giving-app-to-combat-homelessness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/better-future.org\/index.php\/the-power-of-community-inspiration-behind-the-giving-app-to-combat-homelessness\/","title":{"rendered":"The Power of Community: Inspiration Behind “The Giving App” to Combat Homelessness"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Many years ago, around 2016, when I was working in the Financial District in downtown Toronto, I found myself deeply disturbed by the daily sight of homeless people sleeping on the street. It was a stark contrast\u2014people living in extreme poverty amidst towering symbols of wealth and success. <\/br>\n<\/br>\nI still remember one super-skinny and barely clothed lady sitting by the Eaton Center on Queen Street with an absent look in her eyes, looking like she had no life left in her. I felt horrible walking by her and not offering any help, grappling with a sense of helplessness and guilt. When did we normalize homelessness? Why do we just walk by people like that lady, as if she is not a human being?\n<\/br>\n<\/br>\nAs Canadians, we pride ourselves on being kind and polite, but there\u2019s nothing kind about ignoring those in need.\n<\/br>\n<\/br>\nI am sure many of us want to help\u2013it\u2019s only natural to feel compassion for other people\u2013but then we come up with many excuses that allow us to go by without stopping: \u201cI can\u2019t afford to help everyone\u201d, \u201cHomelessness is too complex\u201d, or \u201cIsn\u2019t this the government\u2019s responsibility?\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Driven by my background in user research, I began to explore the issue of homelessness in greater depth. I spent weeks talking to people living on the street, trying to understand their stories.\n<\/br><\/br>\nOne day, I encountered a new East Indian woman sitting at the corner of two major streets near my work. What struck me was how normal she looked, yet she was clearly homeless. I saw her at the same corner every day with all her belongings\u2014dressed in nice clothes, wearing jewellery, and with suitcases full of her possessions.\n<\/br><\/br>\nI tried to talk to her a few times, but she was guarded and not very talkative. From our few conversations, I learned that she had lost her apartment due to a fraudulent deal and was clinging to the hope that a lawyer would soon resolve her situation.\n<\/br><\/br>\nAs winter approached, I grew concerned, but she assured me she would be off the street by then. However, as the weeks passed and winter set in, she remained at that same corner. Her jewellery was gone, her clothes were dirty, and now she had that same empty look in her eyes that I\u2019d seen in other people on the street.\nWhen I asked why she wouldn\u2019t go to a shelter, she explained that it wasn\u2019t safe. I had heard similar concerns from other homeless individuals\u2014things being stolen while they slept, drug use, women being assaulted, people yelling all night, and lice infestations. I could understand why someone would avoid shelters altogether, though in a Canadian winter, staying outside isn\u2019t much of an option.\n<\/br>\n<\/br>\nOne time, I wanted to bring her a blanket, but before doing so, I asked if she needed one. \u201cI don\u2019t need another blanket!\u201d she told me angrily, showing me a few blankets under her bags. \u201cEverybody wants to give me blankets; where am I going to put them?\u201d Surprised, I asked, \u201cWhat do you need?\u201d She replied, \u201cLook at my feet!\u201d I noticed she was wearing flip-flops on a very cold day. I realized I had shoes in her size at home.<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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This interaction was a turning point for me. It highlighted the importance of asking people what they actually need, rather than assuming. It also showed that helping someone could be as simple and straightforward as providing a pair of shoes.\n<\/br><\/br>\nWhen I got to work that day, I asked my co-workers if they had noticed the woman at the corner and that she wasn\u2019t looking so good anymore. Everyone had noticed and found it sad, but they felt powerless. Many were fatigued by constant requests for money and already regularly donated to charities.\n<\/br><\/br>\nSo I asked, \u201cOK, what if I asked for non-monetary donations, like women\u2019s shoes in size 7-8? Would you be able to help?\u201d Everyone said yes. They mentioned having lots to give\u2014kids\u2019 toys, old clothes\u2014and some offered their skills, like research, translation, driving someone to an interview, or even offering a room in their basement to someone in need, like a struggling student, if they knew it was safe to do so.\n<\/br><\/br>\nThat conversation gave me hope and sparked the idea that would eventually become \u201cThe Giving App.\u201d\n<\/br><\/br>\nThrough my research and interactions with homeless people, I learned a few things:<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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