What if an app on your smartphone could function as a case manager and a way to keep track of all the services an unhoused person receives? A group in Leon County is working to make that a reality.
The app is called Casey Chat. It’s the brainchild of Rick Kearney, founder of Leon County’s emergency homeless shelter, and his son Scott, the executive director of EnableYou, the company developing the app. Scott says his company’s mission is to serve the under-served, and Casey Chat is how they plan to do it.
“Imagine being able to get immediate answers about housing or health care at 3 o’clock in the morning without having to wait around," he says. "Without having a stigma. Without having hurdles or barriers. This is what that app can do. It turns that uncertainty into clarity.”
Scott says the app can answer those questions. It also tracks the services a person receives and logs those in a profile that’s available to everyone who works with that person down the road.
And for someone feeling isolated, Casey Chat is like having a friend in your pocket.
“And that’s who we want Casey to be," he says. "Casey is your friend. It is your assistant. It’s your concierge. It’s that lifeline, the connection to the rest of the community to help bring you from this crisis where you are right now to stability and growth so that you can flourish.”
The Kearneys are beta-testing Casey Chat right now, with the help of Florida State University and some clients of the Kearney Center.
