HOPE: WestCare Foundation

The Arizona State University Artificial Intelligence Cloud Innovation Center, powered by Amazon Web Services (AWS), collaborated with WestCare Foundation to design HOPE (Helpful Online Positive Engagement) - an AI-powered, trauma-informed empathy chatbot that provides 24/7 supportive engagement for individuals seeking behavioral health, housing stability, substance use recovery, and domestic violence resources across WestCare’s Arizona service network and broader service footprint.HOPE is designed to reduce barriers to care by answering frequently asked questions, helping people locate the right programs, and guiding users through a gentle, strengths-based intake experience that can generate personalized next steps.

WestCare supports individuals and families navigating complex, high-stress circumstances often outside standard business hours. Many people who need help may hesitate to call due to stigma, fear, safety concerns, language barriers, or lack of transportation, while staff simultaneously face increasing demand for intake support and repetitive information requests.

WestCare needed a solution that could:

• Provide nonjudgmental, immediate access to information and guidance at any time
• Offer empathetic, trauma-informed engagement in moments of uncertainty
• Help users navigate services such as outpatient substance use treatment, sober living, inpatient treatment support, and domestic violence shelter resources
• Escalate safety concerns appropriately, including routing high-risk situations to crisis support and relevant hotlines/resources

The CIC team built HOPE, a serverless, trauma-informed AI chatbot on AWS to support 24/7 program navigation and guided intake for WestCare services. The prototype experience is organized around three core flows: Client Chat, Safety Escalation & Routing, and Knowledge/Content Management.

• AI / Conversational Intelligence: Amazon Bedrock generates empathetic, trauma-informed responses with controlled prompting and safety-aware behavior to support service discovery and intake-style guidance.
• Conversation orchestration: Amazon Lex structures the user journey (FAQs, program navigation, intake prompts) and manages dialogue flow across common scenarios such as outpatient services, sober living, and domestic violence support pathways.
• Backend logic & routing: AWS Lambda runs the orchestration layer for program lookups, step-by-step intake progression, and escalation triggers when risk language is detected (routing users to appropriate crisis resources and hotlines).
• Data & session context: Amazon DynamoDB stores structured intake responses and lightweight session context to support continuity and reporting needs for the prototype.
• Content management: Amazon S3 stores curated knowledge artifacts and content snapshots that support accurate responses and make updates simple as services expand or change.
• API layer: Amazon API Gateway provides secure endpoints between the HOPE front-end and backend services.
• Monitoring & security: Amazon CloudWatch supports logging and operational monitoring; AWS IAM enforces least-privilege access; and AWS WAF helps protect public-facing endpoints from common web threats and abuse patterns. 

HOPE strengthens WestCare’s ability to meet people where they are, especially when they may not be ready or able to make a phone call. By providing a supportive, always-available entry point, HOPE helps:

• Reduce delays in access to care and resources
• Decrease repetitive administrative load on staff by addressing common questions instantly
• Improve navigation to appropriate programs, including domestic violence and substance use supports
• Provide clearer next steps through structured intake guidance and goal checklists

"Working with the ASU CIC team was an incredible experience. They were professional, responsive, and genuinely passionate about our mission of uplifting the human spirit. In a remarkably short time, the students helped us bring HOPE to life in a way that truly reflects our commitment to compassionate, accessible care. Their professionalism, speed, and deep understanding of our work made this collaboration seamless and rewarding. HOPE is a testament to what's possible when the right people come together around a shared purpose."

Diane Ludens, VP of Software Development

While HOPE is focused on WestCare’s Arizona service network and key priority programs, its design supports expansion across WestCare’s broader footprint (17 states and four U.S. territories) and additional human services contexts.

The solution’s modular approach enables:

• Scaling to additional WestCare locations and service lines
• Continued enhancement of bilingual support and interpreter guidance
• Expansion of the assessment framework and resource pathways