How Apps Can Help (and Harm) the Homeless

Darcel Jackson wants technology in the hands of San Francisco’s homeless. Homeless himself for a stint last year, Jackson knows firsthand how a lack of Internet and mobile access can foil prospects of finding a job, a home, and stability when you’re living on the streets or in shelters. It’s a digital divide underscored by the wealth of technology parading around and even building the city.

“Technology has enriched the lives of so many Americans, but they’ve left poor people out,” Jackson, a Bay Area native who now works as a personal chef, tells CityLab. He’s been working with shelters and Internet providers over the past year to get free WiFi to at least some places that homeless people live. “We’ve got two shelters and seven SROs so far,” he says. He’s trying to start his own nonprofit, Shelter Tech, to keep the project in motion.