Speakers

Rhema Vaithianathan leads the development and real-world deployment of data-driven tools that help governments intervene earlier in homelessness and child welfare systems. She is best known for leading the team behind the Allegheny Housing Assessment (AHA) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - one of the world’s first operational predictive risk models used to prioritise homelessness services and housing support. Developed in partnership with the Allegheny County Department of Human Services, the tool replaced traditional survey-based assessments with a more accurate and equitable data-driven approach to identifying people at highest risk of harm from homelessness.

Rhema’s work combines predictive analytics, linked administrative data, and responsible AI to improve frontline decision-making in social services. Her research and implementation work on predictive risk modelling (PRM) has influenced homelessness prevention policy internationally, including through publications on the ethical and operational use of AI in homelessness systems and resource allocation. She is co-author of the chapter “Predictive Risk Modelling and Homelessness” in the Research Handbook on Homelessness, which examines how predictive tools can support earlier intervention and more effective housing prioritisation.