Designing an AI-Powered Support App for Young People Leaving Foster Care

The challenge

An organization supporting young people aging out of foster care needed to translate its homelessness-prevention mission into a practical digital product. The proposed app would help users discover support programs, understand their next steps and prepare the documents needed to access assistance.

The work

Will Lassalle personally delivered the solution architecture and design, including user workflows, AI components, a data dictionary, integration strategy, a working prototype, and a full rough-order-of-magnitude estimate and development plan.

The design combined AI-assisted guidance with clear boundaries. AI would help users navigate approved information, supported by source checks, safeguards and fallback paths. Consequential decisions remained with defined rules and accountable people.

Document-readiness checklists and external handoffs helped users prepare for assistance. Controlled sharing with trusted supporters was designed around user choice and revocable access.

The outcome

JLS delivered a working prototype and a comprehensive architecture and planning package connecting the user experience to the data, AI, integrations and development effort. The phased plan provided a basis for implementation decisions, including dependencies, staffing assumptions and acceptance criteria.

The completed scope was architecture, design, prototyping and development planning. It did not establish a production launch or measured reductions in homelessness.