ConnectLA

Inspiration

From 2010 to 2017, the homelessness counts in Los Angeles County increased by a staggering 42%, ranking it 2nd in the list of cities with the highest homeless population. It also has the highest percentage of unsheltered homeless citizens then any other city in the United States at 75%. Although New York City has the highest population, its unsheltered percentage is only 5%. A common issue among homeless communities is the lack of awareness of the resources throughout major cities that are provided to ensure their safety and well-being.

What it does

This connects people with unstable living conditions to resources such as free clinics, food banks, or community shelters in their city. Once they find the appropriate resource ConnectLA will specify any requirements and provide the directions to the facility.

How we built it

We worked on creating an interactive map with markers at a few facilities available throughout Los Angeles, and created a nice website to display this is information.

Challenges we ran into

There were difficulties with figuring out the Google Maps API.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We are proud of the website's look as well as the map which is able to hold a lot of information about the specific facilities.

What we learned

We learned how to use HTML and Javascript to make a website to interpret data.

What's next for ASHackTJ

We wish to continue working on this problem and add more information and various features to help the users find the most necessary resources as quickly and efficiently as possible.