Urban Vision Alliance

THE PRIMARY PURPOSE OF URBAN VISION ALLIANCE, AN INNOVATIVE NONPROFIT THAT BELIEVES ELIMINATING STREET HOMELESSNESS IS POSSIBLE WITH CURRENTLY AVAILABLE RESOURCES IF WE BREAK DOWN THE TRADITIONAL BARRIERS TO ENDING HOMELESSNESS, IS TO MOBILIZE THE PRIVATE SECTOR AND BUILD BROAD PRIVATE-PUBLIC COALITIONS TO ALIGN ON A SINGLE, CITYWIDE PLAN.

URBAN VISION ALLIANCE (UVA) IS A NONPROFIT COMMITTED TO ENDING STREET HOMELESSNESS THROUGH COLLECTIVE ACTION AND COLLABORATION BETWEEN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS. UVA ADDRESSES FRAGMENTED APPROACHES TO HOMELESSNESS BY BREAKING DOWN SILOS AND ALIGNING ALL STAKEHOLDERS THROUGH A DIGITAL PLATFORM THAT ENABLES TRANSPARENCY, PROGRESS TRACKING, AND RESOURCE MATCHING. THE PLATFORM CENTRALIZES EFFORTS, REDUCING COSTS, AND SPEEDING UP TIMELINES TO HELP CITIES CREATE ACTIONABLE PLANS TO REDUCE STREET HOMELESSNESS.SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA ALLIANCE: WE MOBILIZE PEOPLE AND ORGANIZATIONS FROM THE PRIVATE SECTOR TO CREATE LARGE SCALE PLANS THAT EXPANDS FACILITIES AND PROGRAMS TO MANAGE HOMELESSNESS. IN THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA, WE HAVE RECRUITED OVER 35 ORGANIZATIONS AND PARTNERED WITH LEADING FIRMS SUCH AS GENSLER, WEBCOR, GOODWIN PROCTOR, AND MORE WITH A FOCUS ON REAL ESTATE DESIGN/DEVELOPMENT TO PROVIDE PRO BONO AND DISCOUNTED SERVICES TO BUILD SPECIALTY HOUSING WITH SERVICES, MOSTLY ON FREE OR LOW COST LAND. CREATING THE ALLIANCE WITH A VISION FOR A LARGE-SCALE SOLUTION DRIVEN BY PRIVATE SECTOR EXPERTS CATALYZES A CULTURE CHANGE THAT INSPIRES OTHERS TO JOIN IN AND SUPPORT THE GROWING PLAN.UVA DIGITAL PLATFORM: LOCAL HOMELESSNESS RELATED PROJECTS ARE OFTEN UNCOORDINATED AS IS INFORMATION ABOUT THEM. TO DEVELOP ADEQUATE AND EFFECTIVE CITY OR COUNTYWIDE HOMELESSNESS MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS, WE NEED TOOLS TO ALIGN DIVERSE STAKEHOLDERS AND TO COORDINATE AND TRACK NEW HOUSING PROJECTS. WE ALSO NEED AN EASY WAY FOR BUSINESS AND CITIZENS TO SEE AND CONTRIBUTE TO THE PORTFOLIO OF PROJECTS. WE CONTINUE TO DEVELOP A WEB-BASED PLATFORM THAT WILL ENABLE CITIES AND COUNTIES TO MORE EASILY COORDINATE LARGE SCALE HOMELESSNESS INITIATIVES BY ALIGNING STAKEHOLDERS, COORDINATING AND COMMUNICATING THE PLANS, MOBILIZING THE PRIVATE SECTOR TO PARTICIPATE, AND TRACKING AND REPORTING PROGRESS. IT WILL BE AN ONLINE PLACE WHERE PEOPLE GO TO LEARN ABOUT AND PARTICIPATE IN LARGE SCALE HOMELESSNESS SOLUTIONS FOR THEIR CITY OR COUNTY. IN 2022, WE COMPLETED USER RESEARCH IN PREPARATION FOR DEVELOPING THE BETA VERSION OF OUR PLATFORM IN 2023.