With property prices still substantial in many places around the world, homelessness remains a sizable issue on the streets of many of our cities.

There are a couple of start-ups that are taking an innovative approach to tackling the issue.  One of these is a crowdfunding venture called HandUp, which brands itself as the Kickstarter for the homeless.

Whereas when you give money to people face to face, there is always the niggling doubt that the money might be spent on things such as alcohol.  HandUp overcomes this by ensuring that all money donated is used for a specific requirement, whether that’s paying a phone bill or covering medical expenses.

HandUp primarily operates in the Bay Area and was launched to provide a more direct, accountable and transparent way for potential donors to help those in need.

A team of non-profit partners vet each homeless person and create a profile for them on the website, complete with a fundraising target for each.  Once the target has been met, the funds are released to the partner organization, who then purchases the items on behalf of the individual.

WeShelter

Another interesting project in this area is WeShelter, which also aims to empower donors in the offering of truly useful support to the homeless.

The app allows users to inform outreach teams when they spot a person sleeping rough.  A simple tap of a button on the app alerts one of the apps corporate partners, who will then automatically make a donation to help provide shelter for that individual.

The button can be tapped whenever users wish, but they are encouraged to save it for when they think someone is in specific need of help.  This is because each press of the button attempts to match the donation with support from homeless outreach services.

The app passes on information about each submission to such organizations, who then attempt to provide support.

Eventually, the makers hope that the app will provide data to help inform policy in New York, where the app is initially launching.