Inspiration / Problem
Victims of sexual assault often face their most urgent moments after hours, when live support is unavailable. Only 1 in 9 Canadians receive virtual mental-health care (CIHI), leaving survivors without immediate help. After an assault, students may be in shock, unaware of hotlines, and delayed by the 4:30 PM cut-off for in-person services. This can result in lost evidence, delayed hospital care, and missing documentation needed for pressing charges. Current systems require downloading separate apps, creating friction at the worst possible time.
What it does
SFUSnap – VictimSupport integrates into the existing SFUSnap app to provide:
• Hospital directions and wait times nearby
• Local hotlines and police numbers surfaced immediately
• Documentation tools for notes and conversation logs, which can be securely exported by email for evidence or follow-up
This ensures students have instant, trusted, and simple access without switching platforms.
How we built it
• Integrated location services for hospital directions and wait times
• Built a local emergency resource database with hotline and police numbers
• Designed automated documentation features with secure export options
• Developed simplistic UI design to reduce stress (include dark and light mode)
• Multi Agent System to ensure the user would get the specific information they require with.
Challenges we ran into
• Protecting sensitive survivor notes with data privacy and security.
• Accessing accurate hospital wait-time data and keeping hotline information up to date.
• Designing with empathy and sensitivity while keeping the interface clear and easy to use.
• Reducing AI hallucinations and off-topic responses
Accomplishments that we are proud of
• Creating a clear step-by-step flow that guides survivors through urgent decisions
• Delivering an integrated solution instead of a separate app, reducing barriers to access
• Exploring and implementing the Google Gemini API to integrate advanced AI features into applications
• Building with survivor-centered and trauma-informed design principles
What we learned
• Survivors need immediate access, minimal steps, and clear options
• Students are more likely to trust support tools built into existing university apps
• Effective survivor tools require collaboration with counselors, crisis centers, and campus services
What’s next for SFUSnap – VictimSupport
• Partner with hospitals, crisis centers, and campus services to keep resources accurate and trusted
• Expand into a stand-alone website so survivors outside SFU can also access support
• Collaborate with universities and organizations to integrate VictimSupport into existing apps, making it the easiest way to connect students and market existing public programs
• Add multilingual support for diverse student populations
• Explore AI-powered triage chat to provide reassurance during after hours
• Pilot test on campuses to refine usability and ensure trauma-informed design
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