Code for America

Government benefits are a critical lifeline to access food, housing, medical care, and more. But for far too many, the process of navigating America’s social safety net makes it difficult to obtain and keep these benefits. We sat down with PBS NewsHour to discuss the impact of America’s complicated benefits system and the steps we’re taking to build a more human-centered safety net that serves everyone. Watch now: https://to.pbs.org/3Vg6gqB #SafetyNet #SNAP #WIC #Government

Human-centered design (HCD) seeks to solve problems by understanding people and their processes. Government agencies can use it to create welcoming experiences and improve services, like making it easier to access benefits. Ultimately, understanding your clients' experiences can help build trust. Government Technology has a few tips to help governments start using this practice ➡️ https://bit.ly/46d4aeM How has your government agency used HCD to improve your service delivery? What were the results? #CivicTech #Government #GovTech Civilla

In 2018, California passed a law to automatically reduce or dismiss all eligible cannabis convictions. Learn how our Clear My Record team worked with district attorneys in California to scale an automatic record clearance pilot to a statewide automated process that has impacted thousands of people since its implementation, opening meaningful pathways to life without a criminal record. https://bit.ly/4eYxxoR

Millions of people in America keep food on their tables with SNAP benefits, and the state agencies that administer the program invest millions of state and federal dollars in enrollment and eligibility systems to manage their caseloads. But those systems are complex, and people too often fall through the cracks when they're already struggling to meet their own and their familes' food needs. And while state eligibility systems can generate a lot of data, state agencies frequently can't access the specific information they would need to identify common pain points for the people they serve. An impactful provision in Sen. Stabenow's farm bill proposal aims to change that. In my new GovLoop post, I explain how establishing a new SNAP Customer Service Metric and providing dedicated federal funding for related updates to state systems would be a huge step toward giving states the information they need to serve the public better. https://lnkd.in/gZK7ftf2

Seven months ago, The Office of Management and Budget established benchmarks to enhance government websites. Since then, government agencies have used this guidance to improve 1,000+ sites, creating more welcoming digital experiences that can help break down barriers to government services. Take a look at the plan's key focus areas and the progress so far. https://bit.ly/4bAtaNO

The #FarmBill has a civic tech highlight you may have overlooked: the SNAP customer service metric. Learn why this has the power to fundamentally transform the way state agencies administer America’s most impactful food assistance benefit. https://bit.ly/3L5z2nL

Amy Paris has worked in government technology for more than a decade. During that time, she's worked to improve the federal government’s relationship with the LGBTQ+ community and served as a strategy and evaluation lead for the IRS Direct File pilot. Read her interview to learn more about her experience using technology to help make government work for all. https://bit.ly/3XJ4M9G

A Participatory Action Research (PAR) framework can be an excellent tool for sourcing community ideas on a specific challenge and empowering those most affected by the situation. Listen to our audio interviews with community researchers on using PAR to create solutions for reaching disconnected youth in Shelby County, Tennessee. https://lnkd.in/gJ9CyY6k

On this day in 2018, the nation’s first Clean Slate Act became law in Pennsylvania, paving the way for millions of people living with records to move forward with their lives. Since then, the state has automatically cleared more than 45 million records and 11 more states have adopted Clean Slate laws. In honor of this anniversary, revisit our discussion with Rep. Jordan Harris, one of the bill’s sponsors, and The Clean Slate Initiative CEO Sheena Meade highlighting efforts at the state level to reshape the criminal legal system. https://lnkd.in/gnPsuWx6 #CleanSlate #Government #CivicTech

In a highlight from her fireside chat at Code for America 2024 Summit, our Executive Director Lynn Overmann provides insights on building government systems that work for everyone: “I think we really need to recognize that governments are at fundamentally different stages of digital transformation… we each kind of have unique superpowers of meeting governments where they are.” ▶️ Watch the full recap video at https://bit.ly/45B4S5d #GovTech #CodeForAmerica #CfASummit #DigitalTransformation