STREET MESSAGING SYSTEM (SMS) FEASIBILITY REPORT Prepared for Telus Foundation – July 2015 I. ORGANIZATION PROFILE The Vancouver Community Network (VCN) owns, operates and promotes free, publicly accessible, non-commercial, computer utility in Metro Vancouver. VCN enhances communities and organizations, using information technology to create positive social change. We work to create social equality and opportunity by empowering people through access to information communication technology (ICT) with free dial-up Internet, free/low cost technical and website support, computer training, and web hosting for members, non-profits and community groups. VCN's core mandate is to develop and implement ways to increase knowledge of, expand public access to and use of electronic information resources and facilities. We do this by: • increasing digital inclusion by assisting all those in our communities to access and efficiently use the Internet and available technology • raising the level of digital literacy and improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the community IT resources • advocating for and showcasing the benefits of digital empowerment in our communities. The beta-staged Street Messaging System (SMS), which is the focus of this study, completely aligns with our organizational goals to provide online services and/or web safety for vulnerable or disadvantaged groups, and free services to assist individuals, community groups and non-profit organizations in accessing and utilizing the Internet. With the media impact of this project, we also have the opportunity to raise awareness of our work to the greater public and institutions ready to support our mandate to bridge the digital divide. II. PROJECT DETAILS Background In 2010, our Executive Director, Tracey Axelsson was leading Home For The Games –a homestay program in which half of the proceeds of the ‘rent’ was donated to local charities working to reduce homelessness in Vancouver. While visiting Covenant House, Axelsson noted the array of cellphones stacked and charging on the shelves of the reception area. When she expressed surprise she was told cellphones weren’t
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STREETMESSAGINGSYSTEM(SMS)FEASIBILITYREPORT
PreparedforTelusFoundation–July2015I. ORGANIZATIONPROFILETheVancouverCommunityNetwork(VCN)owns,operatesandpromotesfree,publiclyaccessible,non-commercial,computerutilityinMetroVancouver.VCNenhancescommunitiesandorganizations,usinginformationtechnologytocreatepositivesocialchange.Weworktocreatesocialequalityandopportunitybyempoweringpeoplethroughaccesstoinformationcommunicationtechnology(ICT)withfreedial-upInternet,free/lowcosttechnicalandwebsitesupport,computertraining,andwebhostingformembers,non-profitsandcommunitygroups.VCN'scoremandateistodevelopandimplementwaystoincreaseknowledgeof,expandpublicaccesstoanduseofelectronicinformationresourcesandfacilities.Wedothisby:
• increasingdigitalinclusionbyassistingallthoseinourcommunitiestoaccessandefficientlyusetheInternetandavailabletechnology
• raisingthelevelofdigitalliteracyandimprovingtheefficiencyandeffectivenessofthecommunityITresources
• advocatingforandshowcasingthebenefitsofdigitalempowermentinourcommunities.
Thebeta-stagedStreetMessagingSystem(SMS),whichisthefocusofthisstudy,completelyalignswithourorganizationalgoalstoprovideonlineservicesand/orwebsafetyforvulnerableordisadvantagedgroups,andfreeservicestoassistindividuals,communitygroupsandnon-profitorganizationsinaccessingandutilizingtheInternet.Withthemediaimpactofthisproject,wealsohavetheopportunitytoraiseawarenessofourworktothegreaterpublicandinstitutionsreadytosupportourmandatetobridgethedigitaldivide.II. PROJECTDETAILS
BackgroundIn2010,ourExecutiveDirector,TraceyAxelssonwasleadingHomeForTheGames–ahomestayprograminwhichhalfoftheproceedsofthe‘rent’wasdonatedtolocalcharitiesworkingtoreducehomelessnessinVancouver.WhilevisitingCovenantHouse,Axelssonnotedthearrayofcellphonesstackedandchargingontheshelvesofthereceptionarea.Whensheexpressedsurpriseshewastoldcellphonesweren’t
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allowedintheshelterduetoprivacyconcernsand“ifyouhaven’tgotahome–you’vegotaphone”.Flashforwardtothewinterof2013-14,andAxelssonwasaskedbyfriendandinternationally-recognizedVancouverHomelessAdvocateJudyGravestohelpspreadthewordabouttheExtremeWeatherShelterswhichhasfluctuatingavailabilityintheseason.AxelssonbegantapingtheshelteravailabilitytotheWoodward’slobbywindows;playingacatandmousegamewiththesecuritywhowouldtakethe8x11sheetsdown.InJanuary,onroutetoanotherstealthyposting,shepausedandlookedaroundherandatthealertsheet.Shebelievedthenthatthenon-descriptpagestapedtoawindowinavisuallyclutteredcommunityhadnothelpedasingleperson.Andwonderedwhyweweren’tjusttextpeopletheinfo.AxelssonthencalledJudyandaskedthatquestion.Judy’sresponse:
“Becauseithasneverbeentried.NotanywhereonEarth.”ByMay2014,VCNdevelopedtheplanandaccessedfundingfromtheCanadianInternetRegistriesAuthority(CIRA)totryit.Alotofworkwentintodevelopinganeasyandnon-threateningsystemspecificallydesignedtosendalertlevelmessagingonly.FocuswasputonhowtoensurethesystemdidnotunnecessarilyinterruptpeoplebylimitedmessagingwithincategoriesShelter,Food,HealthandJob/Trainingfilteredbyageandgender.LaunchInSeptember2014,VCNlaunchedtheStreetMessagingSystem(SMS),aweb-enabledplatformwhichhasbeenactivelysendingsurvival-levelalertstovulnerablepeopleintheDowntownEastside(DTES).Thesystemishostedonamobilewebsitewhichdisplaysamapoftheregionwithkeysocialserviceagenciesplottedonit.TheSMShastwodistinctusers;theClientandtheProvider.TheClientregisterswithhis/hercellphonenumber,yearoftheirbirthandgenderidentification,thenselectsthekindofalertsthey’dprefertoreceive.Nothingmore.TheProviderisastaffpersonatasocialserviceagencyorsocietywhosetsupapassword-protectedprofilethatisvettedbyVCNtoensuretheyarestaff/affiliatedwiththeorganizationandhavetheauthoritytosendmessages.Onceapproved,theycansend140charactermessagesstraightfromthewebsite.Sheltersalsocanchoosetoregisteracellphonenumberwhichwillpromptthemwithquestionsaboutbedavailability.Theyreplytothetext,thenumberofbeds(i.e.“11”),whichtheSMSwillthenautomaticallyupdateasthebedavailabilityonthemobilewebsite.Sinceitslaunch,manyalertshavebeensentonthingslikeshelterbedavailability,extremeweathershelteropenings,randomfreefoodavailability,freeclassesandjobreadinesstraining,techsupport,communityevents,abadbatchincident,missingpersonsandextremeweather,datereminders,addresschanges,informationalchangestowelfare,mobileneedleexchangesandpetcare.PriortoSMS,aclientwouldgetinformationonabulletinboard-iftheystoppedtolook,andiftheyhappentoseesomethingsalientintheoverwhelmingwallofnotes,
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postersandads(whichmayormaynotbecurrent).Orwhentheygetdirecthelp,theyreceiveapaperslipwithnumbersandaddressesonit,whichcanbelostorendupasawetwadofpaper.JudyGravesmaintainsheravidsupportfortheprojectsuggestingthatunifyingtheserviceproviders’voicesandputtingknowledgerightinthehandsofthosewhoneeditisoneofthebiggestadvancementstohappenforthevulnerablepeopleintheDTES-youth,peopleexperiencinghomelessnessandtheworkingpoor,indecades.Makinguseofthefreetextmessagingserviceoncellphones,SMSenrolledindividualsconnecttoawiderangeofinformation.Anditispermanentlythereforactionandretrieval.Withsomeextracoding,wecouldevenusetranslationservicestoreachawideraudience.ProjectNotesThemobilephoneisconsideredthemostrapidlyadoptedtechnologyinhistory,albeitlessrapidlyinthelowerincomesectors.Cellphonesandtheircarrierchargesareexpensiveandoftenthoughttobealuxurytotheconventionalpopulation.VCNhasbeenmetwithopendisbeliefthatstreetinvolvedpeoplehavethemeanstogetandmaintainone.Yetpeopleonthestreetswe’vespokentoduringthisstudyequatehavingacellphonetohavinga'lifeline'.Thecellphoneisn’tjustameansofcommunicationinaworldwherepay-phonesnolongerexist.Itismobiletechnology.Itisaconnector,tofriendsandfamily,jobopportunities,theInternet,socialmedia,aswellastheserviceprovidersworkingtosupportthem.Itisacomputerterminal,allowingthemtoaccessjobsites,send/receiveemailandstorecontacts.Itisanentertainmentunit;librarybooks,tv,netflixandyoutubeareeasilyaccessibleasaregames.Itisalsoasecuritytool,allowingthemtovideoincidentsforbetterandmoreclearreporting.
Morethanonceweheardthatthreatsevaporatedoncethecellphonewashelduptorecordasituation.Drugdealsandpimpswouldmovealong.And911wasjustaclickaway.A2013researchpaperoutofdowntownSanDiegoCaliforniaechosourexperience.Intheirpublishedwork,theinvestigatorsfoundthat8of11peopleinparticipantshadcellphones1.AmorerecentstudyoutofbothSydneyandMelbourneAustraliaconfirmsthesefindingsandsuggestcellphoneusageisactuallyhigherinthesectorwiththeundersatnding92percentofAustraliansownamobilephone,anevenhigherproportion–95percent–ofthe
1Kim,Cameron,andFung.“DesignsonMobility:PerceptionsofMobilePhonesAmongtheHomeless,”2013.
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adults,youthandfamiliessurveyedownamobile2.Asasector,thesegroupsareoftenleftoutoftechnologicaladvancementsandinnovation,buttheyareadoptingmobilephonetechnologyincrediblyquickly.Withthelessonslearnedintheearlystagesoflaunch,thesystemisnowreadytosupportalargeroutreachstrategy.Thereisaneedtoincreasethearchitectureoftheplatformbutthemajorityoftheworkneededisinon-boardingsocialserviceagenciesandcomprehensivestreetteamoutreach.III. FIELDFINDINGS
VCNtookontheSMSprojectbecauseitstrengthensourworkwithvulnerableanddisadvantagedpeople,especiallyyouth-at-risk.WeelectedtolaunchintheDTESbecauseitispartofourcommunityandbecauseitisawell-recognizedandchallengedarea.Areport,preparedfortheCityofVancouverandBCHousing,providesapictureofthesocio-demographicandeconomicprofileofresidents(SROandsocialhousingtenants)livingintheDowntownEastside(DTES).3Asstatedearlier,asasectorandcommunity,individualsintheDTESareoftenleftoutoftechnologicaladvancementsandinnovation.Codersanddeveloperswouldnottypicallyseethisasapopulationinwhichtoattempttomonetizeaproject.ThisisalsotrueforVCN.Toaccesssustainingfundingtopushthesystemintobothanexpandedserviceareaandthenextlevelofservicewhilemorecomprehensivelymeetwithandeducatethesocialservicesectororganizations.Todothisweneededtoundertakeafeasibilitystudytosupportourassertionsthatthiswasbothaneededserviceandhadpotentialcellphonecarryingclientstoreach.VCNfirstjobhasbeentoworkondispellingthemisconceptionthatresidentsoftheDTESdonotpossesscellphones.WithfundingprovidedbytheTelusFoundation,wewereabletoundertakearandomstudyof150peopleintheDTES.Face-to-faceinterviewswithanaimtomeet150people(10%of2015CityofVancouverhomelesscount)wereconductedbyVCN’soutreachteamwhovisitedshelters,communitycentres,parks,attendedtheDTESStreetMarketandwalkedthestreetsengagingpeopletointerviewabouttheircellphoneownership,theservicestheysubscribedto,theamounttheypaidfortheir
2Humphry,Justine.“HomelessandConnected:MobilePhonesandtheInternetinthelivesofhomelessAustralians,”2014.3Lewis,M,Boyes,K,etal.“DowntownEastsideDemographicStudyofSROandSocialHousingTenants”,2.
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plansandhowoftenthischanged.Inconversations,wecollectedanecdotalnotesoncellphoneusageinthecommunity.ThiswastohelpVCNbetterunderstandthecommunityweareserving;theirparticularneedsandcircumstancestobetterimprovetheexistingsystem.Whenasked,somerespondentssharedthattheykepttheircellphoneownershipveryquiet,mostoftenfornotwantingtobecomeatargetfortheft.Somealsofelttheyfacedextrascrutinyfromserviceproviderswhoquestionedtheirbenefitneedsiftheycouldaffordaphone.ThisisstrangegiventhatTrishGardiner,anAnti-PovertyAdvocate,spokepassionatelyataPovNetmeetingsuggestingthattheamountofmoneyleftoverfromawelfarechequeafterhousingandcellphonecostsweredeductedwasdismallylow.Suggestingthatwelfareworkersareveryawareoftheneedforcellphones.WealsocollecteddatathroughtheSMSplatformitself.Ultimately,ourfindingsconfirmpreviousstudiesthathavefoundmorethan30%voluntarydisclosureofcellphoneownershipinthecommunity,witha97%adoption(signup)andsupportfortheSMS.ThemajorityofrespondentswhoparticipatedinthestudyreportedthattheirprimarysourceofincomewasIncomeAssistancewith60%indicatingthatthiswasthecase.Additionally,21%ofrespondentsreceivedtheirincomethroughemployment,and12%reportedthattheyreceivedDisabilityBenefitsandasenior’spension.Themostimportantfindingwasthat77%reportedthattheyreceivedanannualincomeof$15,000orless.TheVCNsurveyrevealedlocallythatformost,ifnotall,cellphoneisanecessity.It’safact,thispopulationexperienceslimitedaccesstoqualifyforlandlines,andhavelimitedaccesstocomputers.Thecellphoneisthemostimportanttechnologyinnovationinthissector.Ourfindingsconfirmwhatpreviousstudieshavefoundthatasignificantnumberofpeopledoownmobilephonesamongthehomelesspopulation.Roughlyone-thirdofpeoplewhowereapproachedintheDTEStoparticipateinthesurveyownedcellphones.Asmallpercentageofcellphoneownersdeclinedtheinvitationtoparticipateinthesurvey.Datawascollectedfrom136people.Thosewhoownedacellphonereportedpayingbetween$10/monthtoupwardsof$60/monthfortheirphoneservice.63%ofuserspayformonthlyplans,while39%“pay-as-you-go”,withmostsayingthattextmessagesareincludedintheirplans.Anecdotally,welearnedcellphonesareusedtocommunicatewithfriendsandfamily,forwork-especiallyindaylabourand'on-call'opprtunities.Manyreportusingthephoneforsafety/securitypurposes,entertainment,Internetaccess,andcalendarizing/storinginformationfortheirdailylives.Theyusethecellphonetomaintaincommunicationwithprogramsandgroupsupportaswellasbusinesscontacts,appointments,medicalemergencies/healthreasons,toarrangecareforchildren,call/getcallbacksfromsocialsericeagencies,getinformationontransit,forbanking,andthecellphonecanbeusedbysomeasa“husbandlocator”.
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Asacodiciltothesefindings,approximately71%indicatedthathavingtheabilitytoreceivetextmessagesisessential,avitaltoolforsurvivalandcommunication.Themajorityofpeople,83%,thoughtthatreceivingalertsrelatingtofood,emergencyshelter,jobsandskillstraining,healthprograms,communityevents,etc.wouldbeusefultothem,andthesameindividualsconfirmedthattheywouldpassonthisinformationtoothers.Itisimportanttonotethatmostparticipantsofthesurveyreportedthattheirphonenumbersrarelychanged,unlessthephoneisstolenorlost.Onememberofthestreetoutreachteamobservedthatwheninterviewingnoonecomplainedaboutthecostofphoneplans.Itseemedthattheexpensewasacceptedasanecessarypartoftheirday-to-dayexistence.Anumberofrespondentsmentionedinpassingthattheyareonwelfareordisability,whichleadustoassumethatthissourceofincomeishowtheypayforthephoneserviceandgiventhatshelterandfoodcostsaresubsidizedoravailableinthearea.Onemanreportedusingmoneyfrombottle-collectiontocoverthecostofhisphoneservice.Thosewhodidnothavephonesreportedbeingin“betweenphones”,completelydisinterestedinICTs,itwasduetoaffordability,disinterest,lostorstolenphone,theircomfortlevelwithtechnology,andtheneedforglasses.VerbalinterestintheSMSprojectwasfairlyconsistent,withmanyClientssigningontheusetheSMS.Providers,ontheotherhand,havebeenmixedintheiruptake.Whilemosthavebeenenthusiasticandexpressedtheywouldtrytheserviceanditsoundedlikeagoodconceptwefindweneedtomakemultipleconnectionstogettheadoptionlevelwe’dlike.Thereappearstobesomemisunderstandingofhowthesystemworks,thereisasensethattheywouldbe‘over-sharing’andmanyhavebeenputofffromusingthesystemawaitingseniormanagementdecisionsforpermissiontouseit.ButwehavebeenseeingrecentconversionsandgreateruptakeinthesystemnowwithBC211andEmberspostingmessages.Veryrecently,wereceivedthisemailfromIreneJaakson,theExtremeWeatherSheltercoordinatoratBCHousingencouraginghernetworktoadoptSMSasafreeandeasyservicetoincreasetheirimpact.
Hieveryone,IwantedtotaketheopportunitytointroduceyoutotheStreetMessagingSystem(SMS)hereinVancouver.Myapologiesforcrossposting.IthinkSMSwillbeenormouslyhelpfulformanyofyou.[SMSprojectdescription]SMSisbeingupgradednowtofurtherlocalizezonesofcoverageandbettertargetexistingstreetpopulations.Aspayphonesdisappear,manyinthestreetpopulationbecomefurtherisolatedandfinditincreasinglydifficulttocommunicatewithagencies,friendsandfamilies.Manydohavemobilesandsmartphones,especiallytherecentlyhomeless,couchsurfersandthoselivingintheircars.Forthesepeople,theirphonesarealifelineandkeepthemconnectedtothewidercommunity.Thosewithouttechnologyfacesignificantbarrierstoreintegrationandrehabilitation.
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Whilesomemembersofthestreetcommunitywishtoremainasfaroffthegridaspossible,otherswouldwelcomethechancetoconnect.TheExtremeWeatherResponseshelteratSt.Mark'sChurchinKitsilanohasadoptedSMS.Whenevertheyareopenanoticegoesout-andithelps.St.Markshasfoundthateverycommunicationstoolavailablehelpsthemreachthestreetpopulation.Addedbonus-it’seasywithonly140characters.
Shewentontodrawattentiontothestudieswehavementionedinthispaperearlier,aswellaspostingthelinktoa3minuteCinework’svideowewerefortunatetohavemadeontheproject:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyTVRkdfqDoJaaksonalsofeltitwasworthwhiletosharealinkaboutMozillacellphonesforAfricaandthethirdworld.https://blog.mozilla.org/blog/2015/05/08/orange-launches-first-firefox-os-smartphones-in-africa/
IV. OPERATIONS
VCNhasasmallbutdedicatedstaffandagroupofconsultantwhichweaccesswhentheyworkrequirestheirexpertise.InordertoexpandtheSMSproject,wewillneedtoretainacodertoaddageo-linktothesystemtoallowfortheabilitytousethesysteminotherareasofMetroVancouverandbeyond.WehavereceivedfundingfromtheHomelessActionWeekprojectwiththeCityofVancouver,toofferafew‘lunchandlearn’sessionstobetterworkwiththesocialserviceagenciesinthecity.Financiallythesystemisveryeasytoqualifyandeasilyscaled.Thetextservicechargesarelessthanhalfacenteach,whichwilldecreasewithgreatervolume.Thedevelopmentplatformwehosttheprojectonis$25amonthandmaintenanceonproprietorialsoftwareisrelativelycostefficient.Providersentertheirowninformation,populatingthemapifappropriate.Naturally,somewomen’ssheltersdonotwanttobeplotted.Intime,themessagingwillbeself-generatedwithlittleinvolvementofVCNstaff.Intermsofsecurity,nonamesoftheClientsareevercollectedsotheyarenotterriblyvulnerable.TheProvider’sdataisencryptedandpasswordprotected.TheyarealsovettedbyVCN,andthengivenfreedomtoposttheirmessageswithnofurthermoderation.VCNcanpulltheiraccessinstantlyifanyabusesaredetected.Note:VCNhascontroloverthealldataofthecurrentSMSplatform.ItallowsaccesstoandmaintenanceofrecordedinformationofClientsandProviders.Bothoftheseusergroupsign-upsareaccomplishedthroughoutreach,word-of-mouthreferralsbetweenclientsandpartneringsocialserviceproviderswhopromotetheplatform.
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V. PROJECTGOALSMilestone1• Gatherfeedbackfromtheexistinguserbasetoaddresslimitationsofcurrent
websiteandimproveuserexperience• Convenetechnologymeet-uptodiscussrelevanttechnologiestoimproveexisting
system/websiteforstrongerbaseapplication• Buildpartnershipswiththe211systeminCanadaasthesystemhostand
operationsmanagement• Hostasector-widemeetingtoaddressprocedurequestionsandlimitationswhile
developingpolicyframeworkMilestone2• Finalizewebsitefeaturesandexpansionplusrelatedcommunicationscollateral
forexpansionlaunch• Deviseon-boardingroutinetospeedthevettingprocessallowingnewsocial
serviceprovidersaccesstothesystem• Developadetailedguidetoinformclientsandprovidersonthesystem• Integrateon-boardingwithreferralprocessforproviderstoregisterclientsto
increaseproviderbaseMilestone3• LaunchcommunityoutreachinVancouver,Calgary,TorontoandMontreal• Addressexpansionarchitecturechallenges• Makeimprovementsbasedonfeedbackandshareusagestats• Gatherinformationforsystemimprovementandsuccessstories• Lookforserviceimprovementsandsuggestionsforcomplementaryapplications
tobuildintofuturedevelopmentMilestone4• Buildmonetizationoptionsforsystemfinancialsustainability• ReachouttootherCanadianNorthAmericanorganizationswishingtoofferthis
innovationVI. PREDICTEDOUTCOMESEvaluationoftheexistingsystemisalreadyunderway,whichincludesanassessmentandrecommendationsontechnology,contentorganization,andmarketingstrategies.AsanInternetserviceproviderwewouldbelookingforimpactsalongstatisticallines.Thetoolsthatwillbeutilizedtotrack,document,andcollectdataarethefollowing:MeasurableIndicators:• Numberofclients(homelessindividuals,at-riskyouthandotherwisestreet-
involvedpeople)subscribedtoreceivealerts• Numberofhealthrelatedgroupspostingnotificationsontopicsfromhealth
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(mental,dentalcare,detoxcentres)• Numberofhomelesssheltersandtransitionalhousingorganizationsupdating
theiravailability• Numberoffoodprovisionorganizationsprovidingtimesandlocations• Numberoforganizationsfocusedonskills-building,trainingprograms,and
employmentopportunitiessharingupdates• Numberoftestimonialsfromclientsofthepositiveimpactofthesystem• NumberofmediastoriesontheprojectDocumentationPlan:• Countnumberofclientssubscribedtousethesystem• Countandcreatetrackingsystemusingspreadsheetswithfrequencyandtypeof
notificationssubscribedto• Outreachtocollectstoriesfromclientsthroughinterviewsandquestionnaires• Marketprojecttothepublicwithamediacampaign(film,rebranding)Note:ItisalsoourintenttobeacontributingbloggertotheHomelessHubwhiledevelopingourownnewslettertokeepsubscribersinformedaboutthemilestonesintheplatform.Thesuccessstorieswecollectandchallengesweovercomewillformthebackbonetotheseinformationpieces.Ultimately,themediahasalreadyshownagreatinterestinthework.Weintendtocontinueourmedia-relationswork.VII. RISKS• Lowclientandprovidercount• Failuretocreateanoptimaluserexperience• Clientslosephones,missbillpayments,changephonenumbers• Difficultyofothercitiesreplicatingtheprojectduetolocally-specificcontextsHowtheywillbeaddressed:• Streetteamoutreachandcommunityeventparticipationwithanon-goingstudy
oncellphoneownership;sectorconsumerchoices,deviceandserviceplancostsandbehavourialtrends,etc.
• Anon-boardingandretentionprocesswhichwillincludetipsonhowtousetheSMSandreminderstoencourageconsistentuseoftheplatform
• Ongoingengagementandcollaborationusingafeedbackprocessfromuserbaseandpotentialproviders
• Implementasecureuserauthenticationsystemthatcouldvalidateandverifyworkingphonenumbers
• Ongoingsystemupgradestoadapttotheneedsofthecommunity
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VIII. PROJECTEXPANSIONTheprojectsiteisliveandwillcontinuetosendSMSalertsintheDowntownEastsideofVancouver.Withthepositivedemonstrationofthesystem,VCNwillworktoexpandacrossMetroVancouverandacrossCanada.Weprojectthiswillonlyhappenwithaminimumfundingprojectionof$45,000.
IX. CONCLUSIONSVCNhasitsownservers,andwillcontinuetohostthewebsite.Ourintentionistocontinuetoexpandintootherareas,cities,orregions.Monetizingthesystemmovingforwardwillbekey.A3multi-yearexpansionprojecttimeframewouldallowustimetodevelopasustainingfinancialplan.Thelargestfinancialcomponentoftheprojectisinthesetup-thecostsofcontacting,trainingandvettingthesupportorganizationsandgettingthecellphoneregistrations.Oncemanyoftheserviceorganizationsareestablishedinthesystem,theon-goingmessagingcostsarelikelytoberecoverableviacrowd-funding,publicfund-raisingcampaignsanddonationappealsifnecessary.
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APPENDIXA–FIELDFINDINGS
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