[LRUG] Homes For Ukraine Scheme - tech to fill the gap?

[Simon Fish]

Hi Patrick,

I guess if it worked a bit like dating apps in that there's a quiet expectation that you'll communicate off the platform, it could work without those major concerns. Some dating apps have a lot of documentation on good etiquette and ways to use the app safely, so I'd also encourage those as a good pattern.

I think you're right that a solution could be concocted fast, but there are a lot of potential vectors for abuse and security concerns. Here's one Bumble experienced - it's a really good read: https://www.techradar.com/uk/news/security-hole-in-dating-app-bumble-exposed-user-location-data
It'd be good to think about some of these and design defensively before starting work on it. 

I have a good feeling that folks in the Rails community would consider lending a hand. There might be organizations out there like https://rubyforgood.org that take an interest in solving this issue with software. I hope there's some good inspiration in here for you!

Thanks,

Simon

On Mon, Mar 14, 2022, at 10:25 AM, Patrick Gleeson wrote:
> Hi all,
> 
> It sounds like <https://archive.ph/ZSQiY> the initial implementation of the UK's 'Homes for Ukraine' scheme will only allow individuals in this country to offer housing to Ukrainian refugees if they can specifically name them. This is because there's no vetting process, so de-risks opening up your home to a total stranger. BUT for people who have a spare room or two and are happy to take in a stranger, it makes it much harder to help.
> 
> There's a suggestion that Brits with spare rooms and Ukrainians trying to enter the UK can find each other via social media, but that seems wildly inefficient. 
> 
> It seems to me that a really simple web-app, where people can list their availabilities/requirements and find contact details of people who match, could be knocked up in Rails in about an hour. And it could do a lot of good very fast.
> 
> I'm nervous of doing it by myself, because I don't speak Ukrainian, and, not having worked in anything to do with immigration/asylum/UK govt processes, I'm not sure I'm on top of the legal/privacy/security constraints a site like that would have to operate under.
> 
> Does anyone on this list feel more qualified than me?
> 
> Best,
> 
> Patrick
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