Policy & Practice | Summer 2024

whom multiple in-person appointments had previously posed a barrier, as well as households with additional informal caring responsibilities, that were too time-stretched to visit in person. With New York’s extremely diverse population, the team was diligent in addressing the needs of visually impaired communities, and house holds with limited English proficiency by ensuring the platform supported multiple languages and by providing special services to support those who are sight impaired, such as the Job Access With Speech (JAWS) interface. Consideration was also given to communities who may not have access to technology, and the depart ment added computers to 15 of the city’s SNAP centers (office locations for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) to support access for these groups. Community Outreach Taking it one step further, the government department works with state and local agencies, advocates, employers, and community- and faith-based organizations to reach people who are not currently receiving support from supplemental food assistance but may be eligible. 6 This community-led approach prioritizes older adults, people with disabilities, and immigrant and mixed status households, to help inform them about the availability of benefits assistance. It also helps them to understand and navigate eligibility and the application process. In some cases, applications for benefits can be returned to the commu nity organizations themselves, instead of directly to the SNAP centers. Benefits for All This community-led approach has improved experiences for those in need of support, reducing barriers around access and helping to build trust and reduce stigma and misperceptions about eligibility. The result is increased access to services, and more take-up of essen tial support for individuals, children, and families. Increasing awareness and access to social programs like this one is vital in working toward a more

equitable society. What’s more, when access to services begins sooner, this earlier intervention can create poten tial cost savings for the state. With digital services and community organizations supporting adminis trative processes around program awareness and application, social workers have more time to spend on the complexities of creating tailored outcomes plans for individuals, and on empowering them to take a more active role in their own care coordination. Social workers deserve recognition for the incredible work they do every day. Let’s empower them to focus on the important work, so they feel supported and engaged to make a dif ference where it matters most. Learn more about the New York City HRA and its approach to food assistance benefit application at https://www.merative.com/documents/ case-study/new-york-case-study. Reference Notes 1. The National Association of Social Workers. (1956). American Journal of Public Health and the Nations Health, 46 (1), 90–91. https://doi.org/10.2105/ AJPH.46.1.90 2. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. (2020). World social report 2020: Inequality in a Rapidly Changing World. https://www.un.org/en/ desa/world-social-report-2020 3. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. (2023). World social report 2023: Leaving no one behind in an ageing world. https://www.un.org/ development/desa/pd/sites/www.un.org. development.desa.pd/files/undesa_ pd_2023_wsr-fullreport.pdf 4. Lin, V. W., Lin, J., & Zhang, X. (2016). U.S. social worker workforce report card: Forecasting nationwide shortages. Social Work, 61 (1):7–15 https://doi.org/10.1093/ sw/swv047 5. Merative. New York City Human Resources Administration Case Study: Improving the process of applying for Supplemental Food Assistance. https://www.merative.com/documents/ case-study/new-york-case-study . 6. U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service. (2024). SNAP outreach. https://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/outreach

values, customs, religion, gender, race, interests, and skills. Members of a community often feel a sense of trust within their group, and can positively influence each other in their environ ments. Social workers help people of every background and age, but they are especially equipped to advocate for communities that are underserved. Empowering people in their own community environment, with an understanding of the issues they face and a respect for their particular needs and requirements within that commu nity, can help reduce anxieties around using services, particularly fears around discrimination, and better engage people to be active participants in their own care. Overcoming Barriers Sustainable change in any sector needs structural support. Innovative community-led approaches practiced by social workers at the ground level need policy support at the govern ment level for long-term success. Skills-building for effective coordi nation between social workers and community groups and leaders can support progress and create new ways of working. Technology that stream lines the process of delivering services to communities can give time back to caseworkers to focus on people-centric care. It can also empower individuals to work toward improving their lives. Better Experiences The largest social services agency in the United States, the New York City Human Resources Administration (NYC HRA), was looking to improve the experience of applying for supple mental food assistance. 5 A key focus was putting citizens’ needs first and opening up new ways to apply for assis tance. The solution they implemented is a good example of a community-led approach to social care, leading to better experiences for the individuals in need of services. The NYC HRA improved service access by enabling citizens to apply for benefits using mobile and online technology and by upgrading its existing Cúram platform. This supported the needs of communities with reduced mobility, for

Héctor Upegui is a Worldwide Market Development Executive at Cúram at Merative.

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Summer 2024 Policy & Practice