HelpUSA is the leading client-oriented organization that provides housing and homeless services to homeless military veterans. HelpUSA has built a foundation first and foremost in placing homeless veterans in permanent, temporary or transitional housing. Hollis Gardens in Hollis, Queens, NY, for example, is the latest housing unit with 80 veteran residents and 40 senior citizens of the local community. In addition to housing, HelpUSA provides ancillary services such as homelessness prevention, client case management, legal assistance, employment service referrals and workshops, assistance in securing entitlements and benefits, among other services to bolster a client’s enrichment.
To receive these services, homeless…show more content… The heart of Daisy is built on OpenWhisk, a serverless computer platform that executes logic based on event triggers and implements IBM Watson and Bluemix cognitive technologies to improve HelpUSA’s processes of delivering, evaluating, and managing housing and homeless services.
As a digital platform, Daisy is optimized to deliver a personalized selection of upcoming Mental and Wellness services that align with a client’s Housing Stability Plan. Each selection is minutely assessed by Daisy’s recommendation algorithm, which, for example, utilizes document conversion to read and convert a client’s Housing Stability Plan and make recommendations that are approved by a client’s social worker. The algorithm may accept parameters such as need, income, location, and personal characteristics outlined in the Housing Stability Plan, and in key information provided by the social…show more content… The device is meant to naturally chat with a client in the comfort of their home in Hollis Gardens. With the device, a client may ask questions like “Daisy, is there a service that can help heal my back pain?” or “What does my schedule look like today Daisy?” or “Daisy, can you RSVP and remind me of the next Resume workshop?” or “Can I pay my rent online Daisy?” Daisy’s automated responses are generated based on personal management tools[RC4] , available features that are integrated into the system such as an online payment option, and on the expert knowledge of social workers who manage homeless cases. These responses are uniquely delivered through an internal alert system that notifies a client about, for example, an upcoming service, meeting, or due date, through various options, such as voice, email, text, and desktop notifications. By employing the Watson Conversation tool that converts speech to text and text to speech, Daisy may record and highlight key elements of a client’s conversation to assess which Mental and Wellness service a client prefers to and attends, how well a client stays on track with their Housing Stability Plan, a client’s review of a service or their social worker, and a client’s overall progression. After collecting this information, Daisy reports to and shares the information with the client’s designated social worker. Together, Daisy works with the social
