A major Hackathon will take place in Glasgow across the weekend of 13th – 15th April, designed to find practical ways of tackling the homeless situation in Scotland’s major cities.
Scotland’s first-ever “Homeless Hackathon” will aim to be a spark for innovative solutions including apps, websites and other digital platforms.
The Hackathon will bring together more than 150 people from across the IT and digital community, creative industries and local and national government, as well as the charity sector.
Last year, analysis from Heriot-Watt University predicted that homelessness in Scotland will rise by more than 53% in the next 25 years. The report also said that there are currently 11,800 people across Scotland either sleeping rough, staying in hostels, or living in unsuitable temporary accommodation
The Homeless Hackathon, sponsored by HRC Recruitment, will include pitches from charity organisations, such as Simon Community and Streetwork, who are looking for support to create a Risk Assessment App to be used by their street teams.
Glasgow Homeless Network Director, Margaret-Ann Brünjes, said: “If there are digital solutions that can ease people’s experience of homelessness in any way, then the Hackathon is the best opportunity to engage with the growing tech community in Scotland. We are delighted to add our support to a Hackathon that is designed to find practical solutions for organisations tackling homelessness in Scotland.”
William Thomson of organisers Gallus Events said: “We hope that by matching organisations with those individuals who have a desire to help, we will start to develop and implement practical solutions to the homeless situation across Scotland. The funding available for the winners will put in place longer term support that will allow ideas to become reality.”
The Hackathon is looking to attract anyone with ideas, time, skills and resources to dedicate to supporting homeless charities. As well as programmers and coders, the Homeless Hackathon will welcome, event organisers, social workers, graphic designers, care workers, digital marketeers, project managers, shop owners, journalists, accountants, PR professionals and those in transformational roles.
Tickets are available at: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/homeless-hackathon-tickets-34820669560