What I Need, a mobile app assisting Angelenos with resources

The nonprofit organization Our Community LA (OCLA) has developed the What I Need (WIN) mobile application for Angelenos who are looking for resources in these critical times.

The free, anonymous platform is available in Spanish and English and connects vulnerable families and individuals to free and low-cost resources provided by trusted organizations in their nearby area. 

Those resources include: shelter locations, housing assistance, food pantries, hot meal programs, medical and mental health services, legal assistance, baby essentials, childcare services and more.

OCLA was established by Dr. Denise McCain and a dedicated group of volunteers who were deeply concerned about the information barriers faced by homeless youth and adults. The organization is committed to offering social equity tools that empower anyone who is experiencing extreme resource-insecurity and homelessness to easily access reliable information about nearby helpful services in Los Angeles County.

In 2012, the publication of L.A.’s first resource directory for the organization began as a 150-page directory service for the youth. McCaine, who is also the creator of the app, shared that the app's original concept was inspired by an LAPD officer during a meeting of a homeless coalition. 

After researching and talking to experts McCaine decided to develop the app in 2015, slowly evolving to not only helping youth but eventually including seniors and adults of all ages.

By 2021, the app was made available to all adults and the organization received funding to translate everything in Spanish, making the app more accessible for the Latino community. “It's a bilingual app, everything goes out in English and Spanish,” said McCain.

Today, the WIN app connects individuals to over 2,200 free programs, offering users detailed summaries of services, as well as hotlinks to program contact information, addresses, directions and websites. Users can narrow their search by geography, population demographic or category of service. The app also sends alerts directly to users’ phones with important community announcements and even a one-tap function that connects users to emergency services.

McCain emphasized that the mobile app is for everyone to use whether an individual is homeless or not. “There is nothing about needing help that means you have to wait until you're on the streets to get it,” she said.

Many undocumented Angelenos are currently hesitant to seek support despite urgent needs, due to the stigma surrounding housing, financial insecurity and the new administration’s fulfilling President Donald Trump's aggressive immigration policies.

McCaine said that the immigrant communities are equally able to use the app with confidence. Unlike other resource platforms, WIN does not require users to create an account or share any personal data.OCLA aims to respect users’ dignity and privacy; when McCaine first started conducting a lot of focus groups whose main concern was sharing their personal information.

She knew the importance of the app respecting the user’s anonymity,  making it more accessible for everyone. “Some people think confidential means you've got my information, you're gonna hold it. No, in our case, confidential means you've always been anonymous,” she said. “It's free to download and free to use. Nobody's tracking anything. It's really there to support people, and it's just as useful for if you're homeless, if you're struggling, or if you wanna use it as a referral tool.”

According to Los Angeles County’s Homeless Count, the results from January 23, 24, and 25, estimates that the homeless population declined by 0.27% to 75,312 in the county , and by 2.2% to 45,252 in the City of L.A. The Homeless Count is conducted annually by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) to assure that programs and organizations like OCLA are able to provide the right resources and tools for the most vulnerable communities.

Another way the WIN app is different from other mobile applications is the ability to access every agency and program in the application without a referral. “There are other great organizations that aren't in our app, but that's because you can't directly go to them. You need someone to refer you,” said McCaine. “If you need a referral, we're only gonna have the place that makes the referral in the app.We don't want to bounce people around. We want to make sure that whoever they contact in the app, they can contact directly. So that they can get help right away.”

The WIN app is available for download via iOS and Android app stores. A web-based version can be accessed via the website www.oclawin.org.