IT Helps the Homeless in Oklahoma City

In response to the previous entry about IT helping Indian farmers, Alex mentioned a recent article he found which highlights how a Management Information System is being used in Oklahoma City to help the homeless (see Group uses technology to identify OK homeless). The article talks about how an ID system was put in place by the Homeless Alliance, a nonprofit agency which works off of funding by the government. The system helps agencies know who is registered as a homeless, allowing a better allocation of limited resources by avoiding duplication of services.

Another interesting tidbit was that the system was originally conceived to protect against a feared tuberculosis outbreak by requiring card-holders to get a TB test. City centers then required a 'shelter clearance' confirming that the test was taken before admitting a person for the night. I guess in some ways the use of this system seems a bit harsh and cruel (since it would prevent the 'double-dipping' of someone who probably needs services and would also prevent entry in the case of the TB scenario if one had not gotten the test). But I also think that this analytical approach makes sense because it seems to benefit and protect the homeless in Oklahoma City as a whole in the long-run. As the Executive Director of the Homeless Alliance Dan Straughan says in the article, this is an approach that focuses on combating the "systemic" issues.

Adam's article is also important because it illustrates an issue that doesn't get talked about that much, which is poverty in America. Obviously this issue is marginalized since in relation to countless other countries, the United States has relatively low rates of poverty; nevertheless, poverty is still very much present here today. The measurement of the homeless in the United States is of course a very inexact science, but the closest estimate we have comes from the NSHAPC (National Survey of Homeless Assistance and Providers and Clients), which found in 1996 that annual homeless prevalence was between 1.58 to 3.49 million.

Another source of relevant information is the U.S. Census Bureau, which has pretty recent numbers on poverty. On the right is a chart that summarizes the poverty rate since 1969. Click the diagram to see a bigger version. The site also breaks it down by different demographic groups, poverty rate, number in poverty, and poverty line. Of course, of great importance and controversy is the method of measurement, which, depending on whether one agrees with it or not, makes or breaks the numbers.

What's Next for the Oklahoma IT ID system: The Homeless Alliance is expanding its ID program to assist 19 counties in northwest Oklahoma. There are approximately 6,000 homeless people in the state.

**Thank you Alex for the comment and article!**