The Plan

AidJoy is creating highly sophisticated software that is accessed through a website for use by two audiences as described below. The site will become the hub of an outreach campaign designed to connect students and at-risk youth with existing providers of services to homeless youth. It will also provide a mechanism to allow providers to function as a comprehensive network, something the community currently lacks.

For Homeless Students & At-Risk Youth

  • The site empowers youth with information while allowing them to maintain their anonymity

  • Addresses the most common fears and emotional barriers that prevent youth from seeking services

  • Provides them with a comprehensive list of resources for which they are eligible in Greenville County (shelter, food, clothing, transportation, school support, mentorship programs, health care, dentists, etc.)

  • Explains their legal rights and the potential consequences of coming forward

  • The website serves as an information hub for a street outreach campaign. Billboards, social media, street ambassadors, printed materials, posters in neighborhoods will point youth in both urban and rural areas to the website.

  • AidJoy will consult with a psychologist experienced in working with homeless youth to incorporate evidence-based practices and trauma-informed approaches into our messaging and outreach. Focus groups of local teens will be consulted when creating both the website, and outreach materials to ensure that messages resonate with this demographic.

  • We will compile legal information related to the circumstances most common to homeless youth, and explain the potential legal consequences of coming forward.

For Providers of Services to Homeless Youth

  • The website will be a tool for providers of services to homeless youth for the purposes of referrals and advocacy, creating a comprehensive list of resources available to youth, sortable by eligibility requirements.

  • Upon launch of the website, training will be offered to School District Counselors, and to Homeless Service Providers on how they can use the site to identify a complete list of services available.

  • During the planning phase of the project, we will form an Oversight Committee comprised of leaders from local organizations, including DSS, members of the Upstate Continuum of Care, the Greenville School District, and 211 SC to determine how best to organize the database upon which our website is built. We will define the process of coordination and advocacy for youth needing to access emergency services through the site.

  • A public relations campaign during the first year will highlight participating service providers, generate awareness within the community, attract cause-driven corporations, and invite outlying providers of services to participate in the initiative. In year two and three, PR efforts will focus upon homeless youth outreach, as well as publicizing findings and expanding the geographic reach of the site.

  • The technological platform created for Greenville County will serve as a model to be later implemented in surrounding counties, across the State, and then potentially across the Nation.