1/ #COVID19 has put unprecedented pressure on the #safetynet. Tech & policy failures are front page news.

W/ @saralksoka & @chadxsmith_ @BeeckCenter, we took a deep dive into the "tech-enabled safety net" COVID-19 response.

Here's what we found: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/blog-posts/the-tech-response-to-covid-19-shows-how-to-fix-the-safety-net/

2/We see tools & techniques of modern tech applied to the #safetynet & #COVID19--Meeting users where they are & building with them. Data matching & streamlined access. Rapid scaling to meet demand. Instant surveys & data analysis.

3/ @codeforamerica @benedatatrust @alluma @freshebt @navapbc @usdigitalresponse @auntbertha @onedegree @singlestop @civilla @mrelief are tech-focused orgs, but the ethos here seems less “move fast and break things” and more “the user is always right.”

4/That comes through beautifully in this profile of @mRelief_form, coincidentally published today in the WaPo: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2020/07/08/snap-food-stamps-hunger-mrelief/

5/If we can apply that ethos in policy, implementation, & tech we can give our benefit systems a 21st century update and spread real #financialsecurity. This challenge is especially acute in #safetynet policy where we have marginalized & demonized the end user for generations.

6/Key examples here are exciting. @freshebt ID'ing user need & delivering real $$$. New navigation tools from @onedegree & @auntbertha. New tools for screening & application from @singlestop & @mRelief_form, fast policy implementation from @codeforamerica & @usdigitalresponse.

END/We find orgs rising to meet need. We also see them pushing policy reform & (some) working together for change via @socialtechus. #COVID19 has revealed the need for better tech & better policy. The path to both is the same--put people in need squarely in frame, all the time.

@USDResponse apologies for using the wrong handle!