New mobile on-demand outreach app being piloted in Timmins

Businesses and residents in Timmins, Ont., can now request on-demand outreach services to assist them with different situations.

A new mobile outreach app called Hummingbird is being piloted in the northern Ontario city.

Hummingbird works similar to other on-demand apps like Uber, Lyft, or SkipTheDishes. It allows users to request services through for help with incidents like loitering, needle pickup, crisis management or intervention, and supporting those in need of social services like housing or shelter.

An outreach worker will then respond to the request in real time within a few minutes and follow up with the user who made the request after the situation has been resolved.

"It's truly a two-birds, one-stone solution with a dual goal of providing immediate support to the public during stressful situations, but also connecting those in need with the right resources to help them get back on their feet," said Laura Meng, co-founder of Vancouver-based company Sponge Design, which created Hummingbird.

Meng said the app was developed after conducting months of research that looked at social issues like rising homelessness, the toxic drug crisis and mental health challenges that plague cities across Canada. They then set out to find a way to bridge the gap between services for those in need, also resolving conflicts felt by residents and business owners to make areas safer.

"Communities nationwide are grappling with a dual crisis. On one hand, many feel unsafe and frustrated by the increasing street disorder; on the other, individuals struggle to have their basic needs met and often act out of survival," said Meng.

Sponge Design connected with Jason Sereda, president of the board of directors at outreach organization DIY Community Health in Timmins. It was decided they would test the app for the first time in Timmins through a pilot project, using volunteer outreach workers from DIY Community Health and the Mushkegowuk Fire Keeper Patrol team.

Sereda said that by having outreach workers collaborate for services together, they can better co-ordinate coverage throughout the city, which is making outreach response times more efficient.

"We're hearing great feedback from some of the businesses and the Downtown Business Association around improved response time and just better follow up care about people feeling more satisfied when they call for outreach," said Sereda. 

"Right now, our outreach workers are responding within five minutes to most calls, whereas before it could have been, you know, 45 minutes or an hour before we get a response from the outreach teams."

The pilot launched in July with a select group of 10 businesses in Timmins's downtown core taking part, before it expanded in August to allow access to anyone who wants to use it. The pilot is currently running Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. while in the testing phase.

Data from app usage and community feedback will then be analyzed by Sponge Design and Sereda to see if the app could be released fully for use in other communities.

"The biggest thing that stands out from the data is that we're meeting a lot of people and we're meeting a lot of people who have a diverse range of complex needs," said Sereda. 

"So in July, we had over 500 contacts with 54 unique individuals. We cleaned up over 1,500 needles. So we're just seeing that it's needed in the community and that we're quickly making results that improve the health and safety of everybody."