Release Date: Thursday, February 25th 2016

Brattleboro’s Green River Selected by Boston for Homeless Coordinated Access System.

Green River Software Press Release, BDCC, 2/25/2016

BRATTLEBORO’S GREEN RIVER SELECTED BY BOSTON FOR HOMELESS COORDINATED ACCESS SYSTEM

Green River to build platform to help connect homeless with housing

BRATTLEBORO – 2/25/2016 – Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh announced on Friday, 2/18/16, that the City has selected Green River as the vendor to create a new Coordinated Access platform to streamline Boston’s approach to helping homeless individuals access housing and services.  This technology is a key deliverable on the Walsh Administration’s Action Plan To End Chronic Homelessness Among Individuals in Boston. The federal government defines a person experiencing chronic homelessness as an individual with a disabling condition who has been continuously homeless for a year or more, or has had at least four episodes of homelessness in the past three years.

Green River, a technology firm based in Brattleboro, VT and Cambridge, MA, has been tasked with building a web-based application that will provide a unified site where housing providers can share available opportunities, such as housing units, programs, and vouchers, and will enable City housing navigators to easily suggest and communicate those opportunities to homeless individuals.  The company was selected from a pool of nine potential providers who responded to a competitive Request for Proposals (RFP) issued by the City in November.

Green River has been a technology pillar in the community and Michael Knapp serves on numerous committees and is committed to economic development initiatives in the region. “Michael follows-up his words with actions by attracting employees to the area who share his vision. The growth of Green River directly helps to expand the economy by addressing our wage disparity gaps,” said Adam Grinold, Executive Director, BDCC.

“Boston has a phenomenal network of providers, staffed by hardworking people who dedicate their lives to our city, and now we have the opportunity to build on their work to better serve Boston’s homeless individuals,” said Mayor Walsh. “Launching this new, innovative system will give us another tool to reach our goal to end chronic homelessness by the end of 2018.”

“Green River is honored to be a part of Boston’s revolutionary effort to redefine homelessness as something other than a state of being,” said Michael Knapp ,CEO of Green River. “This project is so clearly in line with our desire to use technology to make effective, positive change in the world.  We look forward to using our software development and analytics expertise to help Boston end chronic homelessness.”

More information about Green River can be found at their website, www.greenriver.com.