Research
We explore how technology can support IHARC’s work. STEVI offers a concrete example of the needs that shape that work: asking for help, sharing information and staying connected.
STEVI
Supportive Technology to Enable Vulnerable Individuals
Support requests and follow-up
Finding help can involve several people and services. STEVI is IHARC’s technology for private support requests, referrals and follow-up, helping people communicate what they need and stay connected.
For people seeking help and people helping
IHARC describes STEVI as a pathway for individuals, people concerned about someone else, and partner agencies. Its purpose includes outreach requests, service navigation and coordinating next steps.
Privacy and consent
IHARC’s published approach calls for collecting only the information needed, limiting access to authorized people, and using consent-based sharing wherever possible, with human oversight.
See IHARC’s official explainer for public access options and service boundaries. STEVI is not a replacement for emergency services.
Learn about STEVIResearch direction
Our broader research interests include making tools easier to use, protecting sensitive information, and reducing friction when people and services need to coordinate.
We want to understand what makes a tool useful in practice: whether people can use it, understand it and trust it with their information.
Have a practical problem or a question connected to this work?
Contact Labs about a project