Shelter SGF: New smartphone app connects people in need to wintertime shelter, other resources - KSMU Radio

As temperatures drop, radical experiencing homelessness successful Springfield tin present download a escaped app to find shelters, nutrient banks and different resources.

The app, called Shelter SGF, is caller this year.

Christie Love, pastor of The Connecting Grounds church, which serves Springfield-area unsheltered people, said the thought for Shelter SGF has been a agelong clip coming.

“We conscionable noticed a monolithic spread successful connection successful our assemblage for individuals that request to cognize astir resources and besides request to cognize life-saving accusation successful a critical, time-efficient benignant of mode regarding cold-weather shelters," said Love successful an interrogation with KSMU.

Cold-weather shelters successful Springfield are lone unfastened if temperatures are nether 32 degrees for much than 4 hours betwixt 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. This criterion is acceptable by the Ozarks Alliance to End Homelessness, the community's authoritative Continuum of Care recognized by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

There is simply a unrecorded chat relation successful the app that messages to The Connecting Grounds' outreach team. It tin beryllium utilized for immoderate question astir resources successful Springfield.

For example, Love said 1 idiosyncratic utilized the app to inquire astir market transportation to a edifice during a COVID quarantine.

The app besides has regular notifications with accusation connected whether situation shelters are open, proscription to shelters and assemblage dinners.

Love said Shelter SGF is not conscionable for stateless residents. The app has accusation astir nutrient banks, proscription services, intelligence wellness assistance and more.

“You know, it's truly for everyone successful the community," Love said. "My anticipation is that instrumentality enforcement officers volition download this app," she said. "If they are engaging with idiosyncratic astatine 1 oregon 2 o'clock successful the morning, they tin say, ‘Hey. Here are the shelters that are unfastened tonight.'”

She besides encourages paramedics, wellness workers and regular citizens to download the app.

In the future, the app volition person a unrecorded furniture tracker to amusement availability of shelters. Until then, Love manually updates structure availability.

“The anticipation is betwixt the notifications, the changeless root of info we are truly going to marque immoderate large strides successful our assemblage successful presumption of communication. And getting voices heard that request to beryllium heard," Love said.

The app is disposable for download connected Apple and Android devices.

If you don’t person a mobile phone, you tin use for a government-issued one, with assistance from The Connecting Grounds Community Outreach Center astatine 3000 West Chestnut Expressway.