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Ask HN: Pro bono work needed to offer free showers for the homeless

2 points by 3eto 11y ago

There are a few threads here asking about pro bono work, and I’m developing a project in London, UK to offer a free hot shower and clean towel for the homeless. We are a team of 11 volunteers, with a sponsor for the first 100 showers to test our system, so I’m looking for help. If you’d like to help, it’d be great if you could join our next meeting 9th July in Soho to discuss the project as a whole and be a part of it. We already have UX and design covered. What we need? If you are homeless, a website so you can find us, and see where the showers are. If you are a donor, a payment gateway and real time visualisation of our finances, see where every penny is going. Ideally, you’d have an interest in homelessness and keen to go meet some folks to understand how they use tech and what we can do to make our system work best for them. Can we reply to a text message with the nearest shower? Please reach me at beto@sillyideas.co.uk

byoung2 11y ago
If you are homeless, a website so you can find us, and see where the showers are Do most homeless people have access to the internet?
- fragmede 11y ago
  To a large degree, yes. A post-paid cellphone 4G unlimited data plan with a monthly fee may be out of reach, but many, if not most coffee shops, cafes, libraries, malls all have free wifi - and the homeless in your area probably have a better than you as to where theres free wifi. Your local public library likely has a few computers with internet access, but many homeless people have smartphones or tablets or laptops. Maybe not the very newest, but a smartphone from 3 generations ago can be had for very cheap, and will still do enough to send emails and apply for jobs, housing, and welfare, as well as reconnect with family and friends.
  - 3eto 11y ago
    Correct. And it's easy to verify, just go to a food bank, shelter or centre and ask around how they found the place, pretty much everyone I've asked has said they searched online, so the website is actually pretty important.
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2 points by 3eto 11y ago

byoung2 11y ago

If you are homeless, a website so you can find us, and see where the showers are Do most homeless people have access to the internet?

fragmede 11y ago
To a large degree, yes. A post-paid cellphone 4G unlimited data plan with a monthly fee may be out of reach, but many, if not most coffee shops, cafes, libraries, malls all have free wifi - and the homeless in your area probably have a better than you as to where theres free wifi. Your local public library likely has a few computers with internet access, but many homeless people have smartphones or tablets or laptops. Maybe not the very newest, but a smartphone from 3 generations ago can be had for very cheap, and will still do enough to send emails and apply for jobs, housing, and welfare, as well as reconnect with family and friends.
- 3eto 11y ago
  Correct. And it's easy to verify, just go to a food bank, shelter or centre and ask around how they found the place, pretty much everyone I've asked has said they searched online, so the website is actually pretty important.

deleted 11y ago

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