Smart Homes, Real Impact: How CSUF Students Are Reimagining Housing for the Formerly Unhoused
What if your house can do more than provide shelter?
What if technology can help to build lives, rather than just automate them?
But can smart systems really enable healing and independence for those that have lost everything?
And what part do students and universities play to help contribute toward solving real housing issues in the real world?
As homelessness reaches unprecedented levels across the nation, Cal State Fullerton is offering a new and hopeful response — by bringing compassionate engineering and smart home technology together. The goal? Engineering tech solutions that don’t just work — but care.
Let’s take a look at this exciting intersection between innovation and impact.
2. The Mission Behind the Project
At the core of this effort is a singular goal – to help previously unhoused people have a place to live, and through smart technology, help them develop stability, safety, and independence. The project was initiated by Cal State Fullerton’s College of Engineering and Computer Science to think of human-centric smart home solutions for the real world.
The effort received an initial $1.25 million grant from the National Science Foundation to demonstrate how to bridge the gap between affordable housing and supported living. We give residents the tools to easier and safer daily tasks so that they have a stronger platform to rebuild their lives — one smart system at a time.
3. Meet the Innovators: CSUF Students and Faculty at Work
Behind this groundbreaking project is a passionate team of students and faculty from Cal State Fullerton’s College of Engineering and Computer Science. Led by experienced professors and mentors, the initiative thrives on collaboration — bringing together students from different disciplines like computer science, mechanical engineering, and human services.
What makes it unique is how classroom learning directly connects to real-world impact. From idea to prototype, students are building smart systems that could one day improve lives outside the campus walls. It’s innovation with a purpose — and a powerful learning experience for the next generation of problem solvers.
4. Prototype 1: Smart Cooking Assistant
The Smart Cooking Assistant is a huge benefit for residents that do not have the knowledge or confidence to cook safely. Using a combination of camera and infrared sensors, the prototype follows stove use in real-time to make sure users are cooking safely and properly.
The system helps each user step-by-step through the cooking task, informing them visually and sending safety alerts when necessary. It will alert the user automatically if the stove has been left on for too long or is at risk of overheating.
The desired outcome is independence, so the residents can prepare their own meals with lowered risk of accidents associated with cooking when kitchen safety standards are sometimes not followed due to vulnerability.
5. Prototype 2: Smart Pill Dispenser
The Smart Pill Dispenser is designed to ensure that residents never miss a dose of their vital medications. This intelligent system automatically reminds users when it’s time to take their pills and tracks each intake. With built-in alerts, the dispenser sends notifications to both the user and their caregivers if a dose is missed, helping to prevent medication errors and maintain health stability.
For elderly individuals or those with chronic illnesses, this system is especially beneficial as it eliminates the stress of remembering medication schedules and reduces the risk of health complications caused by missed doses. The dispenser not only supports daily health management but also fosters a sense of security and independence.
6. Prototype 3: Wellness Check System
The Wellness Check System serves as a vital safety net for residents, particularly those who may be vulnerable due to age or health conditions. This system continuously monitors activity levels, detecting any signs of prolonged inactivity, which could indicate a potential emergency. If no movement is detected within a specified time frame, the system automatically triggers alerts to caregivers, family members, or emergency responders.
By providing an added layer of security, the Wellness Check System ensures that help is on the way at the first sign of trouble, offering peace of mind to residents and their families. It’s an essential tool for maintaining health, safety, and independence, particularly for individuals with limited mobility or chronic health conditions.
7. Community Collaboration: NGOs and Housing Partners
The success of this project will rely on much more than just technology and the meaningful collaboration of the community organizations. Working with organizations like Mercy House and Jamboree Housing Corporation to take these smart home prototypes into the actual environments with housing is vital. The prototypes and related tools can be pilot tested in these spaces where they can have an immediate impact on the lives of the former unhoused.
The project will leverage cutting-edge technology while being closely aligned with the emerging and pressing needs of vulnerable populations. It is about more than creating a range of gadgets; it is about finding and implementing solutions for the issues that people have to deal with as they seek to achieve the stability and self-sufficiency they are interested in pursuing. The project helps to close the gap between innovation and daily actions by working collaboratively with people and their organizations.
8. Bigger Picture: The Role of Smart Tech in Affordable Housing
Smart home technology has the potential to alter the entire field of affordable housing and transitional housing, rather than just the residences. Smart technology could provide additional ways for communities to deal with housing crises, while also allowing residents to live and get back on their feet in a sustainable way. Smart homes can also reduce the reliance on other forms of outside assistance by allowing people to manage their essential items, every day, independently, giving them the freedom to make decisions about how they would like to exist.
As smart home technology becomes developed in these prototypes, they can become part of public housing and shelter systems, where they assist people getting from homeless to permanent housing. The broader social justice project of integration and sustainability for affordable housing can expand the way population integrate back into society, not only do they have shelter, but a place from which they can build independence, tend to their own needs, and re-integrate into society responsibly.
9. Challenges and What’s Next
There appear to be multiple hurdles to overcome with smart home technology. First, scalability and cost issues must be dealt with so there is a viable way to reach more people if the production cost and eventual implementation remains unsustainable.
Secondly, feedback from the formerly unhoused population is another crucial barrier to success—to learn from their experience and their needs will be important in refining this technology to ensure that it is able to improve their circumstances in tangible ways.
Lastly, the long-term goal is to have smart support systems inserted into every stream of affordable housing development. More importantly, the technology should not just be a project but a long-term solution that ultimately enhances quality of life for individuals.
10. Conclusion
A home is more than a roof and four walls, a home includes dignity: independence and safety. Cal State Fullerton’s project is a prototype for universities across the country to show how smart technology could change lives for the greatest vulnerable individuals. If we have the tools to support them, with dignity and independence, we can get them to thrive!
Let’s be part of the movement to bring smart homes to everyone and allow everyone the opportunity to live – to live safely, to live independently, to live with dignity! Join us in advocating for a smarter, safer and dignified future for all.
11. FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
Q1: What university created this project?
A: California State University, Fullerton (CSUF).
Q2: Who benefits from this technology?
A: Formerly unhoused individuals placed in supportive housing.
Q3: Is this technology currently in use?
A: It is currently in prototype and pilot testing stages in collaboration with local housing partners like Mercy House and Jamboree.
