Addressing Homelessness With Smartphones
A new report from the American Enterprise Institute proposes providing homeless individuals with free smartphones and service plans in exchange for tracking daily information such as their sleeping locations and use of local services. A Tech Revolution For the Homeless argues that such an initiative could provide researchers with a wealth of data on the location, health, and employment of homeless individuals, as well as an easy platform for randomized controlled trials to test interventions. The data collected from smartphones could also be used to hold service providers more accountable for outcomes, according to the authors.