What You Can Do with the CHSSN Map App

If you’ve landed here, you’re probably already exploring the map. You may have searched your borough, looked up another organization, or tried out the filters. Maybe you’re wondering what it would mean to join. Maybe you’re not even sure if your org is already listed.

That’s okay. This tool is still new to a lot of people.

But if you’re working in community social services, chances are you’ve already had the kinds of questions this app is built to help answer.

Questions like:

• Who else is offering this kind of support in my area?
• Are there gaps we’re not seeing because we’re too close to the work?
• Who could we partner with, learn from, or refer to?
• How can I show the need I see every day in a way that funders will understand?

That’s where the CHSSN Map App comes in. It is a shared, evolving space where service providers can find each other, layer local context, and build a clearer picture of where care is showing up and where it still needs to.

A co-op model for community knowledge

This tool is not powered by algorithms. It is powered by the people who use it.

Every dot on the map represents a real organization that chose to share what they do, who they serve, and where they are doing it. Each new addition makes the map more complete and more useful for others.

The Mapping App is built on a co-operative model. Its accuracy and impact depend on the people and organizations that contribute to it. When one organization updates their information, dozens of others benefit. When a user filters by service type or neighbourhood, they are seeing a network shaped by shared effort.

This is not a top-down database. It is a living system built from the ground up.

It’s not just about visibility. It’s about making the invisible visible.

A place to find what isn’t on Google

Plenty of organizations don’t show up in search engines. Some are too small. Some don’t have time to manage a website. Some offer services that don’t show up well in translation.

The CHSSN Map App makes it easier to surface those quieter efforts.

You might find a drop-in support group that meets in your area but never advertises. You might notice that your borough is missing grief support or that the only English-language program for seniors is on the other side of the island.

You might also discover someone doing work that mirrors your own, just a few blocks away.

A way to strengthen the stories we tell

Every community org is asked to do more with less. When it comes time to apply for funding, draft a strategic plan, or report back to a table, most teams rely on cobbled-together stats and internal spreadsheets.

The Map App includes built-in overlays for demographics, economic data, population trends, language profiles and more. These layers are drawn from the 2021 Census and updated as the app evolves.

You can use them to understand who lives where and what services are reaching them. You can also download charts or snapshots to help support your case.

It’s not about having all the answers. It’s about asking better questions and making more informed decisions, together.

Quiet collaboration

One of the most valuable things the app offers is also the hardest to see. It makes community knowledge visible in ways that help us collaborate more intentionally.

Users have described reaching out to organizations they found through the app. Some made direct referrals. Some applied to new roundtables. Some adjusted outreach strategies based on what they found in the data.

One organization even used the map to plan Facebook ads funded by a grant, targeting boroughs where language needs and service gaps were clearly shown.

These aren’t headline-grabbing stories. They’re small, everyday decisions made stronger by shared information.

If you’re curious

If you’re already using the map to search, filter, or browse, that’s a good start. You don’t have to make any big decisions yet. But if your organization isn’t on the map, or your listing could use an update, you might consider what you’d want someone else to know if they were searching for you.

What services do you offer? Who do you serve? How do people find you?

And then maybe take a few minutes to complete the survey. Or talk to the person on your team who manages your CHSSN account. That one small step might be exactly what someone else needs next week when they open the map and go looking.

This isn’t about marketing. It’s about showing up. Together.