Creating New Pathways
to Support
Where policy creates barriers, our team uncovers opportunities to build a more empathetic, seamless system. Since 2014, we’ve been developing our digital infrastructure to ensure that we can quickly adapt our technology to meet new systemic challenges.
Establishing an Emergency Working Group
In November, the nationwide government shutdown disrupted SNAP benefits for the first time ever, leaving recipients to decode confusing, often contradictory federal guidance. The unclear messaging added to the stress of finding essential resources and undermined the dignity of those already facing hardship.
In response, mRelief quickly mobilized an internal working group to keep our users informed and bring clarity to a moment of crisis. We proactively sent SMS texts to eligible clients, provided daily updates on our screener page, and coordinated our responses with our community-based partners to share localized, specific resources so families were not left navigating the uncertainty alone.
In the wake of these challenges, we also invited food banks, social workers, and advocates for a Town Hall to make sense of the shifting policy landscape. Together, we reaffirmed a simple truth that accessing food should not be a privilege. It is a human right.
Widening Our Support Scope
Expanding access to food assistance means helping households connect to every program available to them, not just one. That’s why we integrated WIC into our national screening tool, allowing families to learn about multiple sources of support through a single, streamlined experience. In just eight months, we identified over 28,000 WIC-eligible individuals and directed thousands straight to their local agencies. As changes to public benefits programs create new barriers for many households, WIC provides families—particularly immigrant and mixed-status households—another path to the support they need.
WIC Eligible
Screeners
28,811
Clicked “Find Local WIC Agency”
2,396
State with most
eligible WIC screeners
NY, MD, CA
Accessing Support Equitably
Designing equitable technology for the social safety net is essential and recent research from the Washington Center for Equitable Growth found that SNAP applicants who identify as Black or Hispanic face significantly more psychological barriers when applying. In order to assess how mRelief’s products impacted the different demographics we serve, we started a research project to identify barriers faced by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) applicants. We sent a pre-screener campaign to 600 users and began conducting user interviews with selected BIPOC applicants from the survey.
Our early research suggests that uncertainty about eligibility and lack of income documentation are key barriers behind gaps in SNAP application completion. We are continuing to expand interviews to better represent BIPOC users and build a statistically meaningful data set.
Once our research is complete, we plan to use these findings to inform future technology improvements. Key opportunities include analyzing and improving user confidence with eligibility outcomes and exploring income validation tools to streamline income reporting and ensure the accuracy of financial information.
BIPOC Survey Respondents
38%
23 out of 60 total respondents
BIPOC Survey Respondents
56%
Agree or Strongly Agree that the SNAP application
process was stressful or overwhelming
“
I have no complaints. MRelief made it easier for me to get [an] application filled out and a phone interview since I'm disabled and don't have transportation to get into the office. I thank them for all their help. God bless them.
— mRelief user, TN
Join The Movement
Join us in reinforcing the digital infrastructure that provides relief, dignity, and a clear path forward for every family seeking the support they deserve.
Donate
Fund our work to create durable pathways to support. Your investment helps us remove barriers and ensures families maintain reliable access to the essential benefits they deserve.
Partner
Our work shows that coordinated action can transform systems. Partner with mRelief today to help us ensure that no legislative barrier can block the right to food.