Gimme Shelter

Gimme Shelter is a combined mobile phone and web app that work together to allow homeless people to send messages, photos, and optionally their location, to twenty others closest to them at the time.

The objective is for them to be able to contact other homeless people nearby if they are in need of assistance or support, or just need someone to talk to or have useful information to share with others.

“Nearby” means the twenty people with the app closest to you when you send out a message, no matter where you happen to be at the time.

Photos and messages sent via Gimme Shelter immediately become available on the web and accessible to all at www.gimmeshelter.chat.

Furthermore, as their photos and messages are also broadcast to others with the app, those others can also add photos and information to the original message and turn it into a fairly significant commentary/conversation.

The app actually refers to each of these messages and photos as a “howl”. This is a bit like a “tweet” but, with any luck, these get the whole neighbourhood howling!

There are two levels of communication – amber for information and red for emergencies.

Volunteers in each state can also keep an eye on the howls and offer advice and assistance when an emergency howl has not been answered by anyone else.

Volunteers might also take part in the conversation if any difficult questions are raised or comments made that require a response from people with the necessary expertise.

Phones sending malicious messages can be immediately reported and blocked. Any phone that has been stolen and has Gimme Shelter installed can be tracked and retrieved. If the app was turned off and therefore not retrievable then the app would be permanently blocked.

Users of the app can remain anonymous but the ID of the phone is noted in case the owner is sending out malicious messages and it is therefore necessary to block it.

In short, Gimme Shelter will enable homeless people to help each other out, support each other in times of crisis, and help create relationships to get them through the bad times.