Mobile tools connects homeless people with distant family

Insight

With more than 100 million homeless people in the world, it’s easy for people to walk on by when the problem stares them in the face.

One San Francisco entrepreneur refused to let that happen. He believes mobile tools can provide what he calls ‘miracle messages’ that could help reduce the homeless problem, reconnecting families.

CCTV’ America’s Mark Niu reports.

It was a little more than a year ago that on San Francisco’s Market Street Jeffrey Gottshall, who was on the missing persons list for 12 years, sent a video message to his family.

That was the beginning of ‘Miracle Messages,’ a website that utilizes social media to help the homeless reconnect with their love ones, founded by Kevin Adler.

Miracle Messages has so far connected at least 15 families, and even arranged some cross country reunions.


Marybeth Shinn on efforts to combat homelessness

Some governments believe it is their responsibility to combat homelessness while others prefer organizations to take the lead role.

CCTV America’s Mike Walter spoke to Marybeth Shinn about efforts to combat homelessness.

She’s a professor of human and organizational development at Vanderbilt University.