ALTRUISM PROJECT

Innovative Solutions: Ion District’s Innovative Community + Humanity for Midtown Houston’s

Homeless Community

TEAM MEMBERS

BRAYLIN JENKINS

MICHELLE BERNAL

MICHELLE CALLOWAY

ZAYRA RODRIGUEZ

CYNTHIA GUERRA

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altruism: selfless concern for the well-being of others, without care for one's own interests; unselfishness

HACKATHON HOUSTON 2025

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WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

1. While conducting research, we learned that the Coalition for the Homeless of Houston/Harris County will release results of the 2025 Point-in-Time Count & Survey regarding Houston’s homeless on September 9, 2025.
2. We learned that Houston’s Mayor and numerous entities are actively working to “end street homelessness” by securing housing and funding, but there are still gaps in addressing the issue and prevention.
3. We realized after conducting a few interviews that many who are homeless feel lonely upon receiving housing, which can increase mental health or substance abuse issues, leading to returning to the streets.
4. While some members of the public may feel uneasy or wish to see the homeless removed, we often overlook our shared humanity and the fact that they, too, long for connection and belonging. Public spaces exist for everyone, created to bring people together for these very reasons
5. While Houston leads the way for decreasing homelessness in urban centers, aiming to “end street homelessness”, the approach does not address the core problem. While admirable, the current plan ultimately serves as a quick fix to appease residents/tourists and does not effectively capture the underlying issues, nor focuses on preventative measures for the many on the brink of homelessness.

OUR OBJECTIVE: Innovation with Empathy: Turning Insights into Sustainable Impact

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Agenda

The Problem: Lack of innovative solutions to prevent & end homelessness

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• What is the problem? Homelessness persists in Houston despite city programs. Innovation has not been applied properly towards understanding, addressing, solving or preventing homelessness.

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• Who is experiencing this problem? Over 3,000 people in the city of Houston and over 770,000 in the U.S. are currently estimated to be homeless, with thousands more are on the brink of becoming homeless.

• Where? While this is a national problem, Houston, continues to be at the forefront, leading the way towards addressing these issues, but from conventional means.

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• Why hasn’t it been solved? The crisis is overwhelming, and often dismissed as a nuisance, relying primarily on traditional, government-led housing and financial solutions. Modern, innovative approaches have yet to be fully leveraged to prevent or resolve it.

[https://www.understandinghouston.org/topic/housing/housing-vulnerabilities#overview]

OUR OBJECTIVE: Innovation with Empathy: Turning Insights into Sustainable Impact

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The Solution: Innovation + Humanity

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• How does your solution address the problem? Our solution leverages Ion District’s Midtown hub and partner network to pilot data-driven, innovative programs—such as predictive analytics to identify at-risk individuals, rapid housing prototypes, and workforce development partnerships. By combining real-time insights with community resources, we can prevent homelessness before it occurs and create sustainable, scalable solutions for long-term stability.

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• How will people and communities benefit from it? By approaching the homelessness crisis through innovation, Ion District could pilot scalable solutions—such as modular housing, workforce training, sustainable farmers markets and technology-enabled outreach—that improve safety, dignity, and opportunity for unhoused individuals. Houston would gain healthier neighborhoods, reduced strain on public services, and a stronger sense of community. Success here could inspire models for other cities nationwide, positioning Houston as a leader in socially driven innovation with global implications..

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• Why will it work? It will work because Houston’s government and nonprofit sectors are now unified in their commitment to end street homelessness, creating an unprecedented alignment of resources and policy support. Ion District and Impact Hub Houston can amplify this momentum by applying innovation, technology, and cross-sector collaboration to pilot solutions in Midtown—approaches designed for scalability and long-term sustainability.

OUR OBJECTIVE: Innovation with Empathy: Turning Insights into Sustainable Impact

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The Impact

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• Success Definition:�Comprehensive understanding of Midtown’s unhoused community�Identification of service gaps and unmet needs�Actionable insights for nonprofits and city agencies
• Achievement Approach:�Structured interviews with unhoused individuals�Data collection from caseworkers and service providers�Secure, anonymized systems for analysis and reporting
• Scope of Impact:�Direct: 150–300 unhoused individuals�Indirect: Hundreds of service providers and organizations�Geographic focus: Midtown District of Houston
• Growth Potential:�Replicable methodology for other districts or cities�Scalable data-driven blueprint for ongoing improvements
• Tracking & Measurement:�Number of interviews and data points collected�Gap analysis metrics: unmet needs, service overlaps�Reports delivered to partners and city agencies�Follow-up engagement to see adoption of insights�Qualitative feedback from stories, caseworkers, and community�

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Innovation + Humanity

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By drawing on the experience of long-standing organizations like Church in the Park, which has worked with the unhoused community for more than 20 years, we can build on proven approaches and accelerate meaningful progress.

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Let us join together for the sake of humanity and innovation for true, lasting & sustainable impact.

Since 2015, every Saturday, 5 blocks from Ion District, breakfast and lunch are served to over 100 unhoused individuals by this ministry.

The Ask

Access & Cooperation: Partnerships with nonprofits, caseworkers, and city agencies in Midtown to gather stories and insights.

Human Resources: A small team of interviewers, data collectors, and coordinators to conduct structured conversations.

Data Tools: Secure, anonymized system to collect, store, and analyze story data.

Community Trust: Engagement strategies to ensure unhoused participants feel safe sharing their experiences.�

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Validated Local Model: Complete the Midtown study to create a structured dataset and report.�

Partnership Endorsements: Backing from Ion District, Impact Hub Houston, Houston First, and Mayor’s Office ensures legitimacy.�

Replication Framework: Template methodology for other Houston districts & regional cities to replicate the study.�

Reporting & Insights Platform: Clear, actionable reports that organizations can implement immediately.

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Estimated Funding Needed: $50k–$100k (lean, hackathon-scale budget). Planned Use of Funds:

• 40% Staff & Coordination: Interviewers, data entry, coordinators.�
• 30% Materials & Tools: Tablets, secure data systems, recording equipment, printing reports.�
• 20% Community Engagement: Food, transportation, and incentives to ensure participation and trust.�
• 10% Reporting & Dissemination: Report design, distribution, and presentation to partners.

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What do you need to continue building your solution?

What do you need to bring it to market and scale its impact?

If funding, how much? How will you use it?

PLANS FOR PRODUCT LAUNCH

1

PLANNING

Define study scope, identify participants, schedule interviews

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MARKETING

Engage community, partner outreach, awareness campaigns

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2

DESIGN

Interview templates, secure data systems, reporting framework

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3

STRATEGY

Data collection methodology, gap analysis, partnership alignment

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4

LAUNCH

Pilot Midtown study, collect insights, deliver findings to partners

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5

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TIMELINE

SEP

Stakeholder Engagement: Build partnerships, confirm participants

NOV

Data Collection: Conduct interviews, gather stories to humanize the crisis

JAN

Insights Analysis: Identify gaps, analyze trends

MAR

Report Drafting: Compile findings, prepare recommendations

MAY

Findings Delivery: Present results, share with partners and public

YEARS 2025-2026

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OUR TEAM

BRAYLIN

JENKINS

MICHELLE BERNAL

MICHELE CALLOWAY

ZAYRA RODRIGUEZ

Research / Human Factor

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CYNTHIA

GUERRA

Marketing/Idea Generator

Strategist / Communication

Research / Human Factor

Media/Creative Thinker

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OUR OBJECTIVE: Innovation with Empathy: Turning Insights into Sustainable Impact

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SUMMARY

“The Altruism Project is a focused Midtown study gathering stories from the unhoused community and insights from service providers. By identifying gaps and unmet needs, we deliver actionable intelligence to optimize support, strengthen collaboration, and create a replicable framework for meaningful impact.”

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Building on these insights, a hackathon or accelerator—led by Ion District, Impact Hub Houston, and partner organizations—could channel innovation directly into homelessness solutions while fostering a deeper, human-centered connection between the Ion and its surrounding community.

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Innovation with Empathy: Turning Insights into Sustainable Impact

THANK YOU

OUR OBJECTIVE: Innovation with Empathy: Turning Insights into Sustainable Impact

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- ALTRUISM PROJECT 2025 -

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Please contact Michelle Bernal at rmdasbernal@gmail.com or Braylin Jenkins at hbj7connect@gmail.com