Shelter Bridge wins Rep. Suzanne Bonamici’s 2024 Congressional App Challenge in Oregon’s First District

When asked what inspired the creation of Shelter Bridge, the student said, “ShelterBridge was inspired by my experiences volunteering at Blanchet House, a local service organization that provides meals to the unhoused community in downtown Portland. During one afternoon meal service, I met Dano, an unhoused man who shared his struggles with accessing basic services like food and shelter. Left disconnected from essential services, Dano described his struggles of not knowing where to go or which shelters had available beds.

As a Blanchet House Student Ambassador, I hoped to leave a more lasting impact in the lives of the guests at Blanchet House, who were often unhoused. Realizing that the unhoused community lacked reliable shelter availability information, I set out to develop ShelterBridge to help people like Dano access critical services and change my community for the better.
Thus, I set out to create a tool that not only made these resources more visible and accessible but also gave people a sense of dignity and a constant amidst a life of uncertainty and instability. ShelterBridge became my way of leaving a lasting positive impact on my community, utilizing my technology skills to connect people with the critical services that could help them rebuild their lives.

My journey with ShelterBridge has been more than simply a way to develop my technological skills. It opened my eyes to the infinite ways that technology can be used for positive change in society and inspired me to continue striving to put my technological skill for social good.
ShelterBridge wasn’t simply inspired by Dano—it was inspired by the realization that access to resources is a fundamental need that we, as a community, can do a better job of providing. I wanted to use my skills to build something that could bridge that gap, ensuring that no one falls through the cracks simply because they don’t know where to turn for help.”