Updates to resource URL structure.

We are long overdue for an update. The full version will come shortly; we have been working overtime to release some significant updates and onboard exciting new clients. However, there is something that a few of our clients have noticed, and I want to talk about it now. Our search engine is deep linked, meaning…

Read More...

Some thoughts on simplifying HSDS locations for the future.

Following are a couple thoughts on potential updates for location, physical_address, and postal_address in HSDS. I’ve been transforming AUW211’s data into HSDS using DBT, and the aspect of having two address tables that are separate from the location table introduces complexity that I’m not sure is worth it. I’m usually in favor of normalization, but…

Read More...

Finishing strong! Updates for Q4 2021.

It’s been a few months since we posted an update. 2 out of 4 of our team members (including yours truly) were having babies in December, and that kept us plenty occupied outside core operations. All’s well, and our team just increased by 50% thanks to two adorable little additions. Release Notes Chris kept developing…

Read More...

Release Notes for Q4 2021

Technical release notes are listed below. For an expanded rundown of what’s been going on at Connect 211, as well as highlights of our most exciting updates, read Finishing strong! Updates for Q4 2021. BUGS: Back button should link to the most recent view, not to the home view. Investigate possible errors in data during…

Read More...

What’s new after Summer 2021!

This has been an incredible summer. The really big news is that we hired Chris Short as a full time, full-stack engineer starting August. He’s been working solely on the Connect 211 Open Resource Search Engine, and boy has he made progress. You can check out the release notes here, but following are some of…

Read More...

Release Notes for August – September 2021

It’s been a busy Summer 🙂 We’re keeping these release notes fairly technical from now on. If you would like the highlights and newsy version, see here. Features: Add optional distance filter on top of service area. Add session id as a cookie that expires at end of session. Add “required_document” HSDS table data to…

Read More...

Open Referral features Connect 211. See what they have to say!

Open Referral just released a blog article highlighting Connect 211’s search engine and how it makes use of the HSDS format for storing resources. The article was a collaboration between Skyler Young, Partner at Connect 211, and Greg Bloom, Director at Open Referral. We are super grateful for the opportunity to work closely with the…

Read More...

TeenLink joins us for the Open Resource Search Engine.

We are super excited to announce that TeenLink (https://teenlink.org), a program of Crisis Connections in King County, Washington state, has joined Connect 211. TeenLink provides targeted resources for adolescents and young adults, particularly those at risk. They publish a booklet of resources for youth all over Washington State, and more recently have been looking for…

Read More...

Better code and saved favorites!

Creating the Connect 211 Search Engine has been a gradual process, but we hit several major milestones today and are super excited to let you know about them! Recently completed: Updated the design system (in the code) to follow guidelines and be easier to maintain as we add more features in the future. We refactored…

Read More...

A new application framework.

We are now publishing release notes 🙂 The Connect 211 Search Engine is really coming together as a usable, refined piece of software. The biggest update I’d like to share is that we hired a new developer for the project in October, 2020. Chris Short has been a cornerstone of our local developer meetups in…

Read More...