How would you solve homelessness in downtown San Francisco ?

Clarify the question :

I need to get a few things clarified so I can address the issue properly

Interviewee : Am I addressing this as google PM or PM working for the city of San Francisco ?

Interviewer : Take the perspective that you are Google and you are trying to do something to solve the homelessness problem.

Can I look into partnership opportunities with government and local companies

– Yes.

What time frame are we looking to solve this issue – Open ended.

Is there a target i.e bring down homelessness from X to Y ? Make up your own targets.

Describe the product :

The solution will be a community program spearheaded by Google. Google is an influcenial company and able to spread the message. The champaign can be a geographically targeted. Google also has technology & resources to develop mobile applications on their android applicances.

With current political environment, google effort could be construded as big tech influence in the politics and show be handled carefully.

List of strategic choices

1) Raise funds to build low cost homes in San Francisco. These would include homeless services.

Raising funds and building low cost homes does provide some relief but does not address mental and addiction issues. It will attract more homeless people into the city as it is handout.

2) Build a long term solution to route out the causes for homelessness and ensure people do not fall into it as well.

Analyse the root causes of homelessness
(a) Drug addictions (b) Mental issues (c) Joblessness (d) Under employment, unfordable to live in SFO.

Establish a hospital in the local area with either charity funds or provide tax/free land for an hospital

Start addressing (a) & (b) issues of the homeless population.

Create incentive for job creates to hire the homeless guys (a & b issues addressed). It can be small jobs i.e cleaning the street, office delivery etc. On similar lines, new building with servant quarter & employment in the building get incentives as well.

Builder & companies get tax incentive if they fund low cost housing.

3) Enchant strict polices so that homeless people are arrested and driven out of the city.

It may work to clean up SFO downtown but the problem just moves elsewhere. Many social organization will oppose and not a humane solution at the end.

Evaluation of the strategy

1) Should be a sustainable solution over time.
2) Should not be a burden on local community and business
3) Should be a humane thing to do.
4) Minimize relapse into proverty and homelessness

Evaluate your strategy choice:

Startegy        Impact      Cost     Long term sustainability
———————————————————

1        Med       Med     Not sustainable as root cause for homelessness is not addressed
2       High       High    Long term solution with less burden on funding and can sustain as many of the core issues are addressed.

3        High      Low      Will not be humane and will only shift the problem to other place.

Recommendation :

Adopt the Build a long term solution to route out the causes for homelessness and ensure people do not fall into it as well.

– With tech companies involved, many of the mental services, handling drug addiction consoueling can be done through Telicall/Zoom at low cost.
– Build social communties through cloud & mobile solutions so volunteers can co-ordinate and provide training for the homeless and upscale the skills of the unemployed. (May be some of them will become a good tour guides. How about making them a future programmers 🙂
– Google can run geographcially SFO target champiagn to create awareness