Austin Resident Jamie Hammonds has reportedly helped document their city's homeless crisis, effectively helping to develop an AI interactive map that shows homeless encampment concentrations throughout the city, as reported by Fox News.
The AI Map was reportedly developed by Nomadik by using Hammonds' provided data on the homeless crisis, documenting 130 homeless camps within the city as per the website's list. Hammonds reportedly says the interactive map will become a "tool" that governments and nonprofit organizations will be able to use in the future to forecast trends in the homeless populations.
The founders of Nomadik, Trevor Sorrells and Morgan Winters claims that there is either no data at all or a very fragmented picture of Austin's homeless population. Nomadik founders claim that by utilizing their expertise in machine learning and geospatial analytics, the map will be able to shed light on the problem.
They contend that by making it simple for everyone to comprehend and participate, it facilitates thoughtful and successful outreach, giving everyone a voice and drawing attention to the problem that it merits.
The chart was reportedly made in response to the city's unprecedented homeless population increase in 2023. About 2,400 persons were homeless in Austin as of January 2023, based on a point-in-time count conducted by the nonprofit organization Austin ECHO.
Reported estimates by October put the number of homeless persons in Austin or Travis County at about 6,600 each day. This figure encompassed both sheltered and unsheltered homelessness, including individuals who slept in automobiles, tents, and abandoned structures as well as in emergency shelters or "transitional housing."
AI Against Homelessness
This is not the first time AI has been used to help aid the homeless crisis as back in October of last year, AI was reportedly used in Los Angeles County Department of Health Services' pilot program to identify those who are most likely to end up on the streets. A program meant to help the county intervene and provide assistance before an individual even becomes homeless.
The program monitors information from seven county departments, such as ER visits, mental health crisis treatment, diagnosis of substance misuse disorders, arrests, and registrations for public services including food assistance. Subsequently, it generates a list of those deemed most vulnerable to losing their homes through machine learning.
United States' Homeless Crisis
United States' homeless crisis proves to also be worsening as Fortune reports that according to federal officials last December, the number of homeless people in the country has increased dramatically by 12% to the highest recorded level as rising rents and a decrease in coronavirus pandemic assistance made housing unaffordable for more people.
The number of homeless people was approximately 653,000, the highest since the nation started utilizing the annual point-in-time survey in 2007. The number from the January count is around 70,650 more than it was a year ago.
Amidst rising homeless camps, California is reportedly proposing to enact a new Senate Bipartisan bill that prohibits individuals from sitting, lying down, sleeping, or storing, using, maintaining, or depositing personal items on a sidewalk or street in the presence of a homeless shelter.
Additionally, it forbids camping within 500 feet of a public or private school, a green area, or a significant transit hub. The bill's sponsors state that while a violation may result in an infraction or a misdemeanor, it would be up to local authorities to decide how to prosecute the criminal offenses.
Read also: Revolutionizing Homelessness Prevention: AI Tools Target At-Risk Individuals in Los Angeles
