Policy & Practice | Winter 2025

technology speaks

By Héctor Upegui

How a Community-Led Approach to Digital Services Can Engage and Empower Citizens

S ocial programs play a vital role in our communities, empowering individuals and families with the right support to live full and heathy lives. But in today’s landscape of ongoing policy changes, budget constraints, and workforce challenges, an innova tive, community-led digital approach to service delivery is needed to enable caseworkers to do their best work. A key strategy is to support citizen engagement, and digital services featuring mobile-enabled self-service platforms can be an effective way to encourage participation. Engaging the community can help activate individuals and their families to meaningfully participate in their own care and equip them with strategies to impact their outcomes. It can also help relieve the workload of caseworkers, allowing them to focus on the impor tant work— their clients. External Drivers of Change Demographic shifts are creating new challenges to social welfare. For instance, the number of people aged 65 and older is expected to double over the next three decades to reach 1.6 billion in 2050, creating an increasing demand for services. 1 Additionally, the constantly evolving policy landscape can impact eligibility for social programs. A recent example was when H.R. 1 was signed into law, reshaping how eligibility and enroll ment will be determined for Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients. 2 These external forces are exacer bated by workforce challenges facing government agencies. Staffing cuts,

employee turnover, shrinking budgets, and increasing caseloads are further overburdening caseworkers and impeding access for those who need services the most. With fewer resources and a higher demand for services, it’s no longer sustainable to expect caseworkers to work closely with the most vulnerable families and share critical life skills. By activating communities, caseworkers can target and support individuals in a more coordinated and efficient way, employing trusted community organizations and person-centered, digital-first services to drive engage ment from those in need of support. A Community Approach Communities cover multiple geo graphical areas with diverse values and populations. When agencies empower caseworkers within a com munity environment who understand the issues their clients face and respect for the particular needs and requirements within that community, it can help reduce anxieties about using services, improve the clients’ experiences, and help achieve better outcomes. Cities like New York have

introduced the role of community nav igators to build trusting relationships and help connect residents to com munity resources and services, often working out of community centers and other local hubs. 3 These navigators can support individuals in the community by helping them understand how to use the digital services available, to access resources, and to become active participants in their own care. This localized, trust-based community-led approach makes social services more accessible and effective. Overcoming Barriers Sustainable change in any sector needs structural support. Innovative community-led approaches practiced by caseworkers at the ground level need policy support at the government level for long-term success. Skills building for effective coordination between caseworkers, community groups, and leaders can support progress and create new ways of working. Technology that streamlines the process of delivering services to communities can give time back to caseworkers to focus on people-centric care while empowering individuals to also help themselves.

Illustration by Chris Campbell

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