Just Infrastructure? Field Research on a Standardized Assessment Tool for a Continuum of Care for People Experiencing Homelessness. Issue 1 (13th October 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Slota, Stephen C.; Fleischmann, Kenneth R.; Greenberg, Sherri; Surka, Michelle; Evans, Keyanna S.; Snow, James; Rodriguez, Sarah; Zimmerman, Tara
• Is Part Of: Proceedings of the Association for Information Science and Technology. Volume 58:Issue 1(2021)
• Page Start: 327
• Page End: 336
• Publication Date: 2021-10-13
• Subjects: critical infrastructure studies -- homelessness -- infrastructural justice -- Knowledge infrastructures -- VI‐SPDAT; Information science -- Congresses; Information technology -- Congresses; Information science; Information technology; Conference papers and proceedings; 020
• DOI: 10.1002/pra2.460
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2373-9231

Abstract

Abstract: As community‐oriented programs move from intervention to infrastructure, questions of just and equitable access to that infrastructure both arise and become more consequential to those served. However, extant tools are general in scope, often undertested, and inconsistently linked with positive outcomes for served communities and service providers. We explore the dynamics and implications of a key tool within this infrastructure intended to enable portable collaboration across organizations serving those who are experiencing homelessness: the VI‐SPDAT (Vulnerability Index ‐ Service Prioritization Decision Assistance Tool). This tool, while providing a means of coordinated assessment, must itself be negotiated according to the values, data concerns, and goals of the agencies and service providers who make use of it. This paper reports findings from 29 interviews with individuals working in nonprofits, charities, and government agencies that provide services or resources to people experiencing homelessness within the City of Austin's Continuum of Care. The life‐and‐death stakes of the VI‐SPDAT, which is designed to prioritize access to services based in part on a prediction of potential for premature mortality, drive home the need for equitable and just infrastructure.