Date of Award

6-15-2024

Document Type

Undergraduate Honors Thesis

Degree Name

B.S. in Criminology

Organizational Unit

College of Arts Humanities and Social Sciences, Sociology and Criminology

First Advisor

Alana Inlow

Second Advisor

Matthew Rutherford

Third Advisor

Amie Levesque

Keywords

Blockchain, Homelessness, UX Design, Government benefits

Abstract

Although technology could be used to combat inequality, it is instead increasing it. This paper discusses how the unhoused population suffers at the hand of technological inequality despite being relatively offline. It presents theories on how this would change if we reapproached how technology is used to assist the unhoused. It suggests implementing blockchain as a resource as well as modifying the websites built to assist in accessing benefits. Employees at shelters are interviewed for this paper about their experiences with using digital resources to rehouse and restabilize the vulnerable. They are asked how the sites can be improved for more optimized use. The sites are also tested against current UX standards for accessibility. Currently, they are extremely outdated and difficult to navigate. It also suggests that blockchain would assist the unhoused population in their ability to get the government assistance that they are entitled to in the U.S. Blockchain is, put simply, a network of distributed and encrypted pieces of data, which is already frequently used by the government to store sensitive data. It has been suggested in prior research papers about the unhoused population that blockchain could be used to store identification data, such as a copy of a birth certificate, driver’s license, or other vital documents, which can be easily lost when one is living transiently. This impacts someone’s ability to get food stamps, get a job, remain a legal citizen, and receive healthcare, among other things. Blockchain could assist this population, but there are barriers that might make that difficult to implement, specifically when it comes to potential concerns from participants about personal security.

Copyright Date

6-9-2024

Copyright Statement / License for Reuse

All Rights Reserved
All Rights Reserved.

Publication Statement

Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.

Rights Holder

Casey Pratt

Provenance

Received from author

File Format

application/pdf

Language

English (eng)

Extent

38 pgs

File Size

594 KB

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