VivaSLO (vivaslo.org) is a free, mobile-friendly web app that helps people experiencing homelessness in San Luis Obispo County find shelter, food, showers, medical care, legal help, and dozens of other services. It is a project of Shower the People, a local nonprofit, and it is fully open source.
We are looking for volunteers to help keep VivaSLO accurate, useful, and easy to use. This is unpaid volunteer work, not a paying job.
We could use help with:
- Web development: the app is a JavaScript / Vite progressive web app (installable, works offline). We need help with bug fixes, accessibility improvements, and new features.
- Research: helping verify and update information about local agencies and programs, such as phone numbers, hours, eligibility rules, and services offered.
- Spanish translation: checking and improving the Spanish-language version of the site.
For the research, no specific experience level is required, just care about getting the details right, since real people rely on this information. Work can be done remotely, though knowing San Luis Obispo County and its services is a plus.
For the web dev side, you'll want some familiarity with markdown, and some amount of comfort with git-based development. The project is developed in the open on GitHub: https://github.com/davgross/homeless-in-slo-resource-guide
Take a look at the code and the CONTRIBUTING.md file there, then contact us at the Shower the People contact form if you would like to get involved.
