The Tech Response to COVID-19 Shows How to Fix the Safety Net

Modern digital technology, coupled with user-friendly and human-centered design and application, positively impacts delivery of critical and essential social supports to low-income families especially during COVID-19. This blog post details how the private sector has responded to the COVID crisis with technological solutions to help Federal, state, and local governments meet the needs of their most vulnerable populations. Nonprofit organizations have designed and made available to public-serving institutions technology to help low-income families access SNAP assistance, WIC supplements, energy saving programs, TANF funds, and other public safety benefits. While these tech-enabled processes and associated IT systems have streamlined the delivery process, there are still flaws in the existing system and gaps in the delivery mechanisms associated with accessing safety net programs that complicate access.