MyFriendBen

In just 6 minutes, a family can find $2,500 in monthly benefits and tax credits. This information has the potential to change a family’s future, which is why we’re so excited to share that MyFriendBen was awarded $2.4 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to deepen the impact of the tool and expand the screener to other states. With this support, we are launching an effort — alongside innovative partners like?PolicyEngine?and?Code the Dream?— to unlock $100 million in public benefits across multiple states. As we grow, we are building cross-sector partnerships, interoperable applications and APIs, and shared open eligibility rules engines. By pooling talent, data and capacity, we can allow the experts on the ground - including community members and frontline staff - to focus on innovations that create excellent experiences for households. Special thanks to the Colorado friends of Ben who helped us prototype, test and prepare for scale. Those friends include Gary Community Ventures, Aurora Community Connection family resource center, Benefits in Action, City and County of Denver Human Services, Get Ahead at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Jefferson County, Colorado Human Services, Mile High United Way/211 and the Fax Partnership. Read more about our future plans and join us in this exciting work.?https://lnkd.in/gW6y4NyG

We don't just help people. We help the people who help people. Take our partnership with Eagle County Government. With a lot of need in the community and just 24 people working across multiple programs, a tool like MyFriendBen helps social service staff more efficiently. We're excited to help friends of Ben, including Economic Services Deputy Director Michelle Dibos and Organizational Effectiveness Manager Melissa Moore, connect their community with the local, state and national programs that can make a meaningful difference in their lives every day.

“Imagine for a moment that you can go online, answer a few basic questions about yourself and your family and in 6 minutes you get a customized report that tells you about the benefits you’re eligible for. Often, those benefits equal $2,500 a month. That’s phenomenal and life changing for every family.” Santhosh Ramdoss, CEO of Gary Community Ventures, joined Denver Mayor Mike Johnston and Dana Niemela, MSW, director of economic resilience at Denver Human Services to announce a new partnership that will introduce and embed MyFriendBen into the ways the City of Denver serves residents. We couldn’t have dreamt up this partnership without the vision and dedication of our friends at the City and County of Denver, including Dana and Anne-Marie Braga, MSSW, Adriana Lopez and Gordon Loui. Thanks to the hard work of Elise Henson, Brian Hiatt, Rodney Bautista, Rebecca Peterson, PMP, Sydney Devine, Caleb Pe?a, Ivonne Hernandez and Kathleen Bottagaro, MyFriendBen is available at no cost to everyone in Colorado. Watch the press conference here >>> https://lnkd.in/g7ixkFCT

For-profit companies spends millions on market research and user testing every year. It's good for users and it's good for business. We need more of this in social services. Friend of Ben Jess A. leads our effort to get feedback from MyFriendBen users. Every day, she's on the phone, texting, sending surveys ... you name it ... to learn more about how people use our tool and how we can improve. Along the way, she's heard a lot of personal stories about the impact of benefits. Take, for example, the mom who found a way to pay for afterschool programs for her two kids, the woman who received a new hot water heater or the man who gets a box of free food delivered once a week. Jess shared her thoughts on the role of user feedback in product design and community trust in our latest blog post. She also shared her own personal story about using the social safety net as a new mom. Hear more from Jess here >>> https://lnkd.in/gZU95--v

New technologies make it easier for families to find benefits and claim tax credits. In a new report, Credit Where Credit's Due, from the Bipartisan Policy Center researchers highlight local and state innovations to increase the number of folks who claim tax credits and benefits - two of the most effective tools we have to boost economic security and address poverty. We are thrilled to be to included in a new report along with Gary Community Ventures and our friends at Bright by Text.

Tax credits and public benefits are key to ending poverty, but millions of dollars in benefits go unclaimed every year. We think technology and user-centered design can go a long way in making our systems more accessible. Hear more from MyFriendBen's Executive Director Elise Henson in the latest perspective piece from Gary Community Ventures >>> https://bit.ly/elise_mfb

If 7 of the largest social safety net programs were fully funded and had full participation, we could unlock $4 billion more for Colorado families. So why is so much go unclaimed every year? Finding benefits is time-consuming and confusing for everyone, even seasoned benefit navigators. We think there should be a better way, so we created MyFriendBen with Colorado families. In about 6 minutes, MyFriendBen will give you an individualized report of the programs you’re eligible for, their cash value and the time it takes to apply. Our Executive Director Elise Henson recently spoke with Jenn (Garcia) Rosendo about the impact benefits can have on family pocketbooks. Listen to the latest episode of Family Engagement Fridays from Early Learning Ventures.