Shelter Ready App Transforms Homeless Housing Search in San Diego County

DA Summer Stephan demonstrates the Shelter Ready App

Shelter Ready App Transforms Homeless Housing Search in San Diego County

Digital platform streamlines shelter bed reservations, expanding countywide after successful North County pilot

June 9, 2025 - San Diego County

San Diego County has officially launched the countywide expansion of its groundbreaking Shelter Ready app, a digital platform that allows homeless outreach workers to find and reserve emergency shelter beds in real time. The app, which functions similarly to hotel booking websites, enables users to answer a few questions about their needs and instantly view available shelter spots with the click of a button.

From Hours of Calls to Minutes of Relief

For case manager Alex Maitre of Brother Benno's, the difference has been transformational. "This is a quantum leap," Maitre said. "I have now saved a couple hours of heartache." Previously, finding a shelter bed could require five or more phone calls, voicemails, and emails, with workers sometimes waiting hours for responses.

The technology addresses a critical gap in services, where it previously could take up to 10 days to connect someone with a homeless shelter bed, and by the time service providers reached back out to someone on the street, they were often gone. With this app, that connection can happen in minutes.

Technical Features and User Interface

The app features a clean and clear interface that requests specific information about shelter preferences, including whether someone needs a private room or safe parking option. Users must also indicate if the individual is a sex offender or arsonist. As answers are entered, a counter at the bottom of the screen displays how many beds might be available.

The platform tailors search results to clients by listing shelters that provide specific services they're seeking, or filtering out shelters that don't match their needs—such as showing only pet-friendly shelters for clients with animals. Additional features include the ability to create waitlists and allow shelters to specify their preferred move-in times.

Database Architecture and Data Security

The app maintains user privacy by collecting mostly general information without requiring names. While not linked to the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS)—the region's main database for people experiencing homelessness—the platform may include a person's HMIS identification number in intake forms.

Steve Lee, Caravan Studios' director of product development, confirmed that collected data is stored in a secure cloud environment. Some records, including age and gender information, may be retained to help officials study shelter utilization patterns, though other details are deleted once reservations are completed. Importantly, the data remains owned by the outreach workers and shelters themselves.

Development and Maintenance

The Shelter Ready app was developed by Caravan Studios, a division of the nonprofit TechSoup. The technology builds upon Caravan Studios' previous work with the Safe Shelter Collaborative, a similar platform used to find shelter for survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking.

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved funding for the $300,000 pilot program in March 2023, with the District Attorney's Office using asset forfeiture funds to finance the initiative. Approximately $162,000 has been spent on the project to date.

Caravan Studios has continuously refined the platform based on user feedback, implementing changes such as allowing shelters to specify optimal move-in times. Both shelters and outreach workers can use the program free of charge.

Current Status and Participating Organizations

Eight facilities and more than a dozen organizations currently participate in the program. Brian Wilson, director of the Rescue Mission's North County Lighthouse, reported that they've used the program to book hundreds of reservations, while Greg Anglea of Interfaith Community Services praised the waitlist feature.

The app initially launched as a pilot program in North County in late 2024 before expanding countywide. On June 9, the District Attorney's Office demonstrated the app to service and law enforcement organizations throughout the county, including Father Joe's Villages and the San Diego Police Department.

Impact on San Diego's Homelessness Crisis

While the app doesn't solve the region's fundamental shelter shortage—with more than 5,700 people countywide living in vehicles, tents, or sleeping bags, and only about 1 in 10 shelter requests typically successful in San Diego city—proponents believe the technology can help maximize existing capacity.

"This regional launch of Shelter Ready is a major step forward in creating a transparent, accountable, compassionate, and efficient solution to match an individual suffering from homelessness with a suitable emergency shelter," said San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan. Stephan noted that better data about who's successfully obtaining shelter could inform decisions about what types of beds need to be created.

Tamera Kohler, CEO of the Regional Task Force on Homelessness, emphasized the app's significance: "The most common question people ask when experiencing homelessness is, 'Where can I go for help?' And there's nothing more frontline workers want than to help. So, it's incredibly timely to have an app to help connect people to services they need, including finding a shelter bed."

Future Expansion Plans

Officials hope to eventually expand Shelter Ready to include detox beds, potentially broadening the platform's utility for addressing multiple aspects of homelessness and addiction services.

District Attorney Stephan believes the app could serve as a model for California and the rest of the country, calling it "a call to action for any organization genuinely committed to addressing homelessness in the region."

The Shelter Ready app represents a significant technological advancement in homelessness services, demonstrating how digital innovation can streamline critical social services while maintaining privacy and security standards. As the platform continues to expand across San Diego County, it may provide a blueprint for similar initiatives nationwide.

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Sources

1. Times of San Diego. "'Shelter Ready' app expands countywide to help unhoused find beds." June 9, 2025. https://timesofsandiego.com/politics/2025/06/09/shelter-ready-app-expands-countywide-to-help-unhoused-find-beds/
2. Government Technology. "New App Distributes San Diego Homeless Shelter Beds." June 9, 2025. https://www.govtech.com/civic/new-app-distributes-san-diego-homeless-shelter-beds
3. KPBS Public Media. "App will locate available San Diego County shelter beds for homeless." March 15, 2023. https://www.kpbs.org/news/local/2023/03/14/app-will-locate-available-san-diego-county-shelter-beds-for-homeless
4. The San Diego Union-Tribune. "County agrees to fund new app to connect homeless people with available housing." March 14, 2023. https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/homelessness/story/2023-03-14/new-app-may
5. The San Diego Union-Tribune. "Need a homeless shelter bed? There's now an app for that." June 9, 2025. https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/06/09/need-a-homeless-shelter-bed-theres-now-an-app-for-that/
6. Voice of San Diego. "DA Stephan Pushing New Homeless Shelter App." March 15, 2023. https://voiceofsandiego.org/2023/03/15/da-stephan-pushing-new-homeless-shelter-app/
7. TechSoup Blog. "A Closer Look at the Safe Shelter Collaborative from Caravan Studios." August 6, 2021. https://blog.techsoup.org/posts/a-closer-look-at-the-safe-shelter-collaborative-from-caravan-studios
8. Caravan Studios. "Unhoused Shelter." https://www.caravanstudios.org/unhoused-shelter
9. Fox 5 San Diego. "San Diego homelessness: District Attorney proposes app to find open shelter beds." March 14, 2023. https://fox5sandiego.com/news/da-proposes-app-to-find-shelter-beds-for-homeless/
10. City of San Diego Official Website. "Shelter." https://www.sandiego.gov/homelessness-strategies-and-solutions/services/shelter