Policy & Practice | Winter 2025

Applying Human Centered Design Using a human-centered design approach can significantly enhance community participation. For example, the New York City Human Resources Administration (NYC HRA) is the largest social services agency in the United States 4 and was recognized recently for innovation in this area. The agency was awarded APHSA’s prestigious ISM Award of Excellence in the Best Use of Technology for Customers category for its modern, citizen-centered redesign of its service delivery model. This model provides multichannel access to its food assistance (SNAP) program, which featured a redesigned citizen engage ment portal for client self-service. 5 The agency conducted extensive user research in the community, including shadowing users at SNAP centers, scenario testing, and co-designing pro totypes with outreach workers. These efforts led to impressive results: an 85 percent increase in accessing digital tools, a 50 percent reduction in in-person office visits, and nearly a 50 percent decrease in unintended case closures due to missed periodic reports. 5 This shift not only saved time for the workforce by improving self-service utilization and reducing case re-work, but also allowed workers to focus on the clients who needed their support the most. By improving access and reducing churn, NYC HRA demonstrated how involving communities in the design of digital services can lead to better outcomes. The increased participation highlights the transformative impact of human-centered design in deliv ering essential services effectively and efficiently. Better Experiences When NYC HRA was looking to improve the experience of applying for supplemental food assistance, a key focus was putting citizens’ needs first and opening up new ways to apply for assistance. 6 This solution is a good example of a citizen-centered, digital approach to social care, leading to better experiences for the individuals in need of services. NYC HRA improved service access by upgrading its existing self-service

Benefits for All This community-driven digital

platform to enable citizens to apply for benefits using mobile and online technology. This supported the needs of communities with reduced mobility, for whom multiple in-person appointments had previously posed a barrier, as well as households with additional informal caring responsibilities, who 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 department added computers to the city’s SNAP Centers (office locations) to support access for these groups. through digital services has proven to be a powerful tool for increasing program participation, and New York City’s Fair Fares initiative is a prime example. This program—which provides eligible residents with low income with a 50 percent discount on subway and select bus fares—saw significant engagement thanks to a proactive digital strategy led by the New York City Department of Social Services (DSS). Through a targeted social media campaign, DSS effectively informed subway riders about program eligibility and helped them understand how to apply. 7 DSS continued community outreach efforts by partnering with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to meet the community “where they are” by establishing customer service kiosks equipped with iPads in subway stations. These kiosks allow for on-site enrollment, making the discounted transit fare program even more accessible. Ongoing monthly enrollment events and collaboration with the MTA continue to enhance the program’s reach, demonstrating how digital outreach and self-service options can successfully connect resi dents with valuable resources. 8 Community Outreach Community outreach enabled

approach has improved experiences for those in need of social assistance, 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 helping those who are most in need. Increasing awareness and access to social programs is vital in working toward a more cohesive society. What’s more, when access to services begins sooner, this earlier intervention can create potential cost savings for the state. With digital services and com munity organizations supporting administrative processes around program awareness and application, caseworkers 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. Caseworkers deserve recognition for the incredible work they do for society. Let’s empower them to focus on the important work, so they feel supported and engaged to make a difference where it matters most. Learn more about NYC HRA and their approach to food assistance benefit application at https://hubs.la/Q03LL7xB0/. Reference Notes 1. https://www.un.org/development/desa/ pd/sites/www.un.org.development.desa.pd/ files/undesa_pd_2023_wsr-fullreport.pdf 2. https://www.merative.com/blog/ strategic-steps-for-government-agencies-to implement-hr1-effectively 3. https://manhattanda.org/ introducing-our-neighborhood-navigators/ 4. https://www.nyc.gov/site/dss/hra/hra.page 5. https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=lj6RHymKtAk 6. https://www.merative.com/documents/ new-york-city-human-resources administration-case-study 7. https://www.nyc.gov/assets/fairfares/ downloads/pdf/Social_Media_Toolkit_ FairFares_2025.pdf 8. https://www.qgazette.com/articles/mta announces-new-customer-service-center kiosks-available-for-fair-fares-enrollment/ Héctor Upegui is the Chief Health Officer at Cúram.

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