overview
Many people rely on state-run benefits programs like SNAP, LIHEAP, NSLP (National School Lunch Program) among many others to ensure they are able to remain housed and fed. However, gaining access to those programs is not always easy and often feels like the process is designed to keep people in need out. My team was contracted by GovAI, a startup in Pittsburgh imagining the future of government, to create a solution using technology to reach people typically left behind by it. As our Capstone project, we spent 7 months researching, exploring, prototyping, and testing ways in which we could use technology to improve access to benefits programs. Our solution, VesPA, combines voice and SMS technologies to lower the barrier to entry into the benefits process for applicants and empowers them with knowledge of their eligibility status and about other benefits programs.