thegenius1
29th February 2008, 11:14 AM
INTERNET giant Google is giving homeless people a free phone number and voicemail to help them get back on their feet.
Google has promised to provide the life-long services to San Francisco's entire homeless population to help them get a job and build self-esteem.
Senior project manager at Google Craig Walker said the free services could one day be rolled out across the US, allowing every homeless person to list their own number on job applications.
“We're firm believers in the power of technology to improve the daily lives of individuals and communities as a whole, and we recognise that access to phone and voicemail services is one way (to) help San Francisco's homeless stay connected with family, friends, social workers, health care providers, and potential employers,” Mr Walker said.
“While we're excited to bring this technology to our local Bay Area community, our ultimate goal is to provide these invaluable services to cities and shelters across the country.”
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom said the project would change the way the homeless see society, msnbc.com reported.
“How do you communicate as a homeless individual?” Mr Newsom said.
“How do you expect your life to turn around if you can't even get information or if someone can't even get in touch with you?”
A man who used to be homeless told msnbc.com the project was a great way to help raise self-esteem.
"Having your family, friends and loved ones being able to say ‘I'm thinking about you, I love you, I want you to know you're mine, and I miss you,' can have a monumental change in one's behaviour,” the man said.
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23296129-1702,00.html
Google has promised to provide the life-long services to San Francisco's entire homeless population to help them get a job and build self-esteem.
Senior project manager at Google Craig Walker said the free services could one day be rolled out across the US, allowing every homeless person to list their own number on job applications.
“We're firm believers in the power of technology to improve the daily lives of individuals and communities as a whole, and we recognise that access to phone and voicemail services is one way (to) help San Francisco's homeless stay connected with family, friends, social workers, health care providers, and potential employers,” Mr Walker said.
“While we're excited to bring this technology to our local Bay Area community, our ultimate goal is to provide these invaluable services to cities and shelters across the country.”
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom said the project would change the way the homeless see society, msnbc.com reported.
“How do you communicate as a homeless individual?” Mr Newsom said.
“How do you expect your life to turn around if you can't even get information or if someone can't even get in touch with you?”
A man who used to be homeless told msnbc.com the project was a great way to help raise self-esteem.
"Having your family, friends and loved ones being able to say ‘I'm thinking about you, I love you, I want you to know you're mine, and I miss you,' can have a monumental change in one's behaviour,” the man said.
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23296129-1702,00.html