Prevention
What our shelter software doesn't know about childhood
Our intake forms start at age 18. For most of the people we serve, the story started much earlier.
Read the post: What our shelter software doesn't know about childhood →Building tools for frontline staff impacting people experiencing homelessness
I build technology inside a homeless shelter. I believe homelessness is prevented in childhood, and that a person can be housed and still homeless. The tools I build should help us notice earlier and help people become whole.
Latest post
All posts →From the notebook
All field notes →Christmas at a mission: what technology can't do
A night shift on 24 December, and the part of the work no system can do.
3 min read
Upstream
One letter a month on building technology for people experiencing homelessness.
Work
Open templates, reports and tools from the Innovation Hub at Hope Mission, free for other organizations to adapt.
Shelter AI Use Policy, open templateComing Mar 2027
AI pilot report: AI that gives staff time backComing May 2027
“Before the Shelter” evidence briefComing Jun 2027
See all work →Speaking
Talks for shelter leaders, youth-serving agencies, funders and churches. I speak from what we built.
“Every adult in our shelter was once a child: technology that notices earlier”
“Build your own: forward deployed engineering for frontline organizations”
Invite Chad to speak →Four convictions shape what I build and write.
Every post on this site sits under one of them. Follow one to read everything filed there.
01Prevention
Homelessness is prevented in childhood.
Many adults in shelter first became homeless as children or youth. Tools should help people notice earlier.
Read Prevention posts →02Housed is not whole
A person can be housed and still homeless.
Home means healthy relationships, a support network, wellbeing and purpose, not just a roof.
Read Housed is not whole posts →03Faith
Christian faith is the lens.
Every person has dignity and is made for relationship. Help that ignores broken relationships with God, self, others and creation can hurt.
Read Faith posts →04Build and share
Build your own tools, and share the data.
Engineers embedded alongside frontline staff, and a collective data sharing agreement so organizations still work together.
Read Build and share posts →