Phones For The Homeless
$0
Raised
0
Donations
$250,000
Goal
BEAST MOBILE IS WORKING ON A PILOT PROJECT IN ASSOCIATION WITH MARSHAWN LYNCH’S FAM1ST FAMILY FOUNDATION CALLED “PHONES FOR THE HOMELESS.”
WHAT IT IS
Phones for the Homeless is an initiative to put an initial 3,000 free smartphones with 3 months of service in the hands of homeless individuals in the greater Seattle and Oakland areas.
HOW IT WORKS
Smartphones will be loaded with the Beast Mobile App that allows users to earn credits by engaging in surveys, watching videos, playing games, redeeming coupons and shopping. Our team will teach them how to engage with the app to earn these credits so they can keep their cell service for free after the 3-month trial period.
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT
- Having a contact number for resumes or emergency services
- Communication with schools for children
- Accessing social services
- Follow-up with government services or with case workers
- Human & family connection
- Connection to the internet
- GPS and push notifications with available nearby services
WHY HOMELESS PEOPLE DON'T RECEIVE GOVERNMENT ASSISTED PHONES
There is a myth out there that homeless people already get phones from the Government. To qualify for a phone you must already receive some type of assistance like food stamps or Medicare/Medicaid. Also you need to have a home address which homeless people do not have. And if you live in shelter you are only allowed one phone per household. So the people that need them most do not have access to the Government assisted phone program.
TRACKABLE DATA AND TAILORED SERVICES
With Seattle having the 3rd largest homeless population in the U.S. and Oakland (and the Bay Area) having the 4th largest, Beast Mobile and Fam1st Family Foundation are committed to providing a solution to help city officials communicate with this previously untrackable demographic. This is important for a variety of reasons:
- Geography – Where are people spending time and where do they congregate?
- Habits – How are they using the service? (i.e. to apply for jobs, access public services, etc.)
- Location Based Push Notifications – Alerts regarding nearby transportation partnerships, health & wellness services, available shelters and foodbanks, crisis hotlines and other resources
- Data – tracking click-through rates, time spent interacting with content, etc.