iHobo – a homeless man for your iphone!?

Jan 9, 2011

This app is either very crass (I have friends who would derive great amusement from it) or another valuable way to highlight the plight of the homeless?

Part of the reason for the apps development was to raise awareness and make younger people care about this subject.

Apparently the majority of Depauls donars are over 65 with young people donating much less.

The best way to decide about this app either way is to download this free tamagotchi style app for iphone from Depaul UK and decide for yourself!

Depaul UK say:

A young homeless person lives on your iPhone for three days.

Take care of him, or his life could spiral out of control.

You’ll need to be there for him, day and night, providing food, money, warmth and support.

He’ll alert you when he gets into trouble or needs your help, and the speed of your response could be the difference between him making it through in one piece, or becoming addicted to drugs.

Can you keep him on the straight and narrow?

Get iHobo for free, click ‘Download App’ or go direct to the iTunes App Store and search ‘iHobo’.

You’ll receive push notifications on your iphone updating you on your hobo’s status. Make the wrong choices and you could put the iHobo in danger of a drug overdose or death.

One reviewer at http://thenextweb.com/apps/ noted:

The game actually instilled a sense of guilt in me when, having ignored the ‘hobo’ for a few hours, I was told by the app “He has been offered drugs to block out the cold. If you were here he might not have accepted them”. There’s even a stats screen that shows the man’s wellbeing, body temperature and daily calorie intake, as well as how many alerts you’ve missed.

Try this app out as whatever your views of the homeless are their sure to be challenged!

You can also donate to Depaul UK from within the app itself and don’t forget to see more of Depauls good work at their web site here:http://www.depauluk.org/