What is Homelight?
Homelight is an app prototype to help homeless families find a home. It’s a pro bono project that we at Graphic Mint spent 9 months designing.
The Reason for Homelight
Homeless families in Ireland are having difficulties navigating and communicating with the current accommodation support system. People find it hard to reach or use, and are left in the dark about their application progress. Homelight aims to provide these families with access to the services they need to exit homelessness, on their smartphone.
How Homelight Helps
Simplifies the process
By consolidating the many accommodation services into one app, Homelight makes it easier for users to apply for accommodation and progress further to permanent housing.
Provides Guidance
Homelight guides users through each step of the application for accommodation. It helps users understand and request housing services best suited to their immediate needs.
Empowers Users
By giving more agency to the user, Homelight removes barriers and limits placed on people during the accommodation application process.
How does it work?
So how does Homelight work? After downloading the app, the user creates an account, registers as homeless, and chooses the type of assistance they need:
- a Bed for the Night
- Temporary Accommodation
- Social Housing
In the scenario where the user is applying for emergency accommodation. Homelight asks for the necessary details:
- their name
- a photograph of their passport
- a photograph of themselves to verify their identity
After confirming the details, the user must wait a few hours before being notified of their accommodation result. The app also provides the location and details of the accommodation. When users apply for Temporary Accommodation and Social Housing, they will go through a similar process. It also provides updates to the user showing them where they are in the application process.
Our Vision
We endeavour to engage in resolving the growing problem of homelessness in Ireland with Homelight. Its aim is to make registration as homeless and the process of requesting accommodation services simpler for all involved, allowing users to apply for accommodation through the app.
Human-centred, empathic design can be an agent of change and help shed light on the inequalities in our world. Homelight hopes to be a catalyst to transform systems and services for good.
At Graphic Mint we focus on making people’s lives better, no matter who you are. Our Graphic Mint Design ethos is all about respect, responsibility and sustainability. We hope to make the world a better place, one Design at a time.
Organisations Consulted on this Project
