Transcript CS410.1barth.ppt

Centralized
HomelEss Service
System - CHESS
By:
Keith Barth
CS410 - Brunelle
The Homeless Population
The average age of a
homeless person in the
U.S. is nine years old.
1 in 5 homeless people in
the U.S. have a mental
disorder.
40% of America’s
homeless population
consists of Veterans of
the Armed Forces.
25% of the 3.5 million
Homeless Americans are
employed.
What is the Problem?
Inefficiency of charitable service
– Hours are not always conducive
to work schedules
– Organizations do not create
sufficient opportunities for self
betterment
– Dissociated services can result
in a poverty cycle
Current Solutions
• Serving hot food to the homeless
• Donating old clothing
• Passing out bagged lunch
• Temporary housing programs
• Mayor Fraim’s Plan
Solving the Problem
CHESS
– Database with homeless registry
– Scheduled/Regular services
provided through organizations
– Electronic self-betterment clinics
– Convenient “homeless vending
machines”
– Point rewards system
Necessary Hardware
• Fingerprint recognition devices
• Server to host the database
• Vending machines
• Low Budget Computers
Software Requirements
• Interactive software for educational program.
• Program that access and manipulates information from the
database
– Track point system
– Monitor course completion and public service
– Document demographic information
Who and How Much?
Target Audience: Local & State Government
Cost:
Fingerprint Readers
Low-Budget Computers
Vending Machine/Kiosks
$35 +
$200 +
$2000 +
Pros
• Doing good deeds for people in need
• Gives the city a cleaner and more desirable
appearance
• Vending kiosks provide convenient access to
food and information
• Database tracks demographic information and
records productive activity
• Centralized services work together to meet all
needs
• Point system increases societal contribution but
caters to mentally or physically incapable
Cons
• Database must be up and running at all
times for vending kiosks, food lines, and
point systems to work
• High risk of computer illiteracy or even
reading illiteracy
• Not all homeless people will register
• Government/Politicians might not want to
endure the cost
Conclusions
• A feasible plan to aid in the elimination of
homelessness
• People Requirements:
– Volunteers’ Time
– Government’s Financial Commitment
– Politicians’ Agreement of Merit
Works Cited
• Las Angeles Homeless Services Consortium.
http://lahsc.org/wordpress/educate/statistics/unitedstates-homeless-statistics/
• Boland, Tom. “Ex-homeless person on Norfolk, VA Task
Force on Homelessness.” The Virginian Pilot. 1998.
• Messina, Debbie. “Norfolk officials say count shows
fewer homeless.” The Virginian Pilot. 2007.
• “Theory and reality on ending homelessness.” The
Virginian Pilot. 2005.
• Norfolk Homeless Consortium
http://www.theplanningcouncil.org/norfolkhomeless.htm
Questions?