The Bridge
Connecting Chicago outreach workers and community members with approved organizations, with privacy and dignity at the center.
Start with a real need.
Outreach workers and community members need a way to communicate needs and coordinate support without exposing identifying details of vulnerable people.
Who it is for
Chicago outreach workers, community members, and approved support organizations.
What is implemented.
- Post needs, browse a needs board, and coordinate claims and fulfillment.
- Manual organization approval and role-specific dashboards.
- Deterministic privacy checks, AI screening, and an admin review path.
- An informational AI assistant and English/Spanish interface.
How it comes together.
Next.js App Router and React connect to Neon PostgreSQL through Drizzle. Neon Auth handles sign-in. Server-side Anthropic calls support privacy screening and an informational assistant.
The important decision
The database does not ask for exact locations or identifying details of people being served. Screening failures do not publish requests, and uncertain submissions require human review.
Clear about what it does.
Screening can miss details. Chat does not have the request form’s local privacy filter. The assistant has no access to accounts or the database. Organization verification is manual.