Melbourne, Australia
Help App developed in response to COVID-19 is helping isolated and high-risk individuals across Australia through 5000 registered helpers garnered in the fortnight since going live.
Angel Next Door is a web and mobile app designed for people isolated by lockdown to offer and seek help from their neighbours.
Users can seek help for delivering groceries, picking up medications, maybe putting the bins out or doing a spot of gardening. Their neighbours receive notification and can offer help discreetly and securely through in-app chat.
Geelong Tech Entrepreneur & App developer Aamir Qutub, found himself caught short of toilet paper and called his sister, Saba, to see if she could help. Luckily, she could. It triggered a Eureka moment for Aamir who partnered with Villawood Properties Executive Director Rory Costelloe to develop and launch Angel Next Door.
App has gained massive support throughout Australia with some 5000 registered helpers in a fortnight since going live. “We get an average of 7 offers for each help request – and you get help in first 30 minutes of posting a help request on an average” said Aamir Qutub, Co-Founder of Angel Next Door.
Recently, Neighbourhood Watch Victoria has partnered with Angel Next Door to boost their vital community assistance during the coronavirus lockdown.
“This is a great example of that Aussie tradition of stepping up to help during a crisis,” Ms Gordon said “And ‘watching out for each other’ – something that Neighbourhood Watch has been doing for 37 years”.
“Angel Next Door has been designed specifically to protect the privacy of those people in need. Many of these people might otherwise be the target of scammers and hackers.
“The beauty of the website is its simplicity, its verification of help requests and its ability to provide care from locals in the neighbourhood.” Ms Gordon said
The whole Angel Next Door process is simple. Helpers and people in need register online and as requests arise the nearest neighbours swing into action.
Deliveries, gardening, advice, emotional support, putting out the bins, transport, running errands, walking the dog … whatever the need, the Angel Army is all about helping out quickly and efficiently.
To date, the website has been helping elderly, ill and infirm people as well as others isolated by the corona quarantine. These include:
· . A GP seeking webcams for online consultations.
· . A man suffering back injuries seeking mowing help.
· . A woman seeking pick-up help for a washing machine.
· . A woman with a heart condition isolated from her children needing groceries help.
· . A heart surgery patient and father of five suddenly unemployed seeking food for his family.
The Angel Next Door campaign is being spearheaded by Australian Idol singer and presenter Kim Cooper, a full-time carer for her disabled father, John.
“During this time, it’s so important that we come together as a community to support those around us,” Kim says.
“We can’t all save the world right now but we can definitely make a positive difference to our little slice of it.
“It may simply be cooking a meal or doing a grocery shop for someone in your street who needs a little support.”
Villawood Properties has turned its giant corten metal Geelong Ring Road messaging to the cause, with three-metre-high letters spelling out #angelnextdoor to passing motorists.
“This is a wonderful idea to connect people who need help with people who’d like to help,” Villawood’s Rory Costelloe said.
Angel Next Door can be accessed via web at angelnextdoor.com.au or as an app on Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
