Link-SF gets a much-needed update

In 2014, Zendesk officially launched Link-SF, a collaboration between Zendesk and a local non-profit, the St. Anthony Foundation’s Tenderloin Technology Lab. Link-SF is a mobile-first web app that connects needy members of the community with services and resources such as food, shelter, and medical aid. This allows individuals to find critical resources on their own at anytime, without dependence on a case manager, social worker, or other service provider.

Last year we announced a partnership with Open Referral, whose mission is to standardize civic services data across geographic regions. With this standardization, referral portals such as Link-SF can share data with each other, which decreases the amount of work duplication to maintain resource information. To that end, we are happy to announce that our latest version of the project consumes data that is very close in structure to Open Referral’s exemplary API, the Ohana API.

The new version of Link-SF received a couple of small style updates as well, while adhering to the principles gleaned in our user testing from 2013-2014, with our sole aim being usability among the underserved population in our communities.

The project is still open-source, (visit: https://github.com/zendesk/linksf) where it can can be adapted and deployed in cities all over the world. Our goal is to provide a solution which can be easily set up in days, using technology to create easier access to crucial services and helpful information for those in need. Take a look at our city’s version of the app.

Learn more about the Zendesk Neighborhood Foundation