Digital Tools for Housing First: How Technology Supports Citizen-Centered Care

What is Housing First?

Housing First is an approach that prioritizes providing permanent housing to people experiencing homelessness, and then offering supportive services. It is widely adopted in Denmark and Sweden, with proven results in reducing long-term homelessness.

The Challenge of Digital Tools in Social Care

Most software in this space is built for administrators, not for the people it serves. Forms are long, language is technical, and citizens have no visibility into their own care plans. This creates a power imbalance that goes against Housing First principles.

Citizen-Centered Design

At Bergman Coding, we built the TapIn care planning module with these principles:

Plain language: Everything is written so citizens can read and understand it
Co-created goals: Citizens and social workers define goals together
Citizen voice: Every goal has an "in my own words" field
Consent toggles: Citizens control what is shared with the team vs. kept private
Visual pathway: A timeline from intake to move-in that both parties can see
Printable plans: A one-page "my plan" the citizen can hold in their hand

What the Platform Includes

The housing plan module covers the full journey: intake, stabilization, housing search (with boligforening waitlist tracking), apartment viewings, budget planning (including kontanthjælp and enkeltydelse tracking), move-in checklists, support network mapping, crisis safety plans, and after-care check-ins.

Built for Scandinavia

TapIn supports Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, and 7 other languages. It integrates with the NFC attendance system for staff management, so one platform covers both workforce and citizen care.