JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A local nonprofit is turning to a new app to help tackle the issue of homelessness in Jacksonville.
For decades, Sulzbacher has been working to assist the unhoused in Jacksonville and provide health, housing and financial help.
Now, the nonprofit is using a new app to accomplish those goals. It’s called “Samaritan.” Here’s how it works.
Sulzbacher case managers help Samaritan members, like Jacksonville mom Timeka Morris, create public profiles to share their stories and the barriers they’re facing.
“After my divorce I became homeless. I ended up on the streets and relapsed. I want to try and stay clean so I can see my kids,” Morris wrote.
“I just want to be better,” member Isiah Smith wrote.
And as members try to reach their goals, they can get paid up to $20 every time they complete an important step, like applying for a job or going to counseling.
Members can also get direct donations and encouragement from the community.
Jacksonville is one of a handful of cities, including Los Angeles and Seattle that are using the app to try and help their unhoused and at-risk populations.
The new initiative comes at a crucial time when housing has become more and more difficult to afford in Jacksonville and across the state.
Samaritan says more than 50% of members have improved access to housing and other critical needs in a year.
For more information on the app and how to help Jacksonville residents in need, check your app store or visit Samaritan’s website.