A community-driven approach to locating supplies helps prevent the spread of Coronavirus

Our partners over at the OurStreets app have temporarily pivoted their platform to help people find supplies during the COVID-19 crisis.

The platform, which we’ve been promoting locally to crowdsource street violation hot spots like parking in bike lanes and reckless driving, has a new feature to help people locate needed essentials.

OutStreets Supplies

Called OurStreets Supplies, the idea is that people can report on the availability of such things as toilet paper and diapers at their local markets. As places run out, people are traveling from store to store seeking basic necessities all the while, increasing their risk. The app will allow people to more safely obtain needed essentials while helping prevent the spread of COVID-19. The app also asks and reports whether or not users were able to keep a safe social distance of six or more feet from other shoppers.

For instance, if someone is in need of hand sanitizer, the app will direct you to a place where it is available so that you don’t waste your time, and risk exposure in a store that has run out – something that is especially important for vulnerable people. Stores themselves can even post their supply levels to help minimize contact for their employees.

Simply stated, the app is “an interface for shoppers and retailers to update stock levels, and a search feature for shoppers and regulators to better understand the supply level of essential goods in their communities.”

UPDATE: There is now a mapping tool to make it even easier to locate supplies, no download required. Check it out here: www.ourstreets.com/supplies

How You Can Help

1. Download OurStreets. OurStreets Supplies is free and available in the OurStreets app on the App Store and Google Play.
2. Report What’s Available. Use OurStreets Supplies to report what you’re able and not able to find when you make your next safe shopping trip. More data means OurStreets Supplies will be more useful to those who need it most. Senior-citizens and the immuno-compromised can use OurStreets Supplies to find out if their local supermarket or pharmacy has what they need and will not need to risk going to more stores than necessary.
3. Provide us with feedback. The team built OurStreets Supplies quickly to meet the moment and are excited to continue expanding its feature set and usefulness. Share feedback with them at contact@ourstreets.com.

If you’ve been using the OurStreets app to report issues on the street, this new feature will be automatically added to your existing app, so there is no need to download anything new.