Digital Politics With Karen Jagoda

Melanie Lavelle, Founder of Benefit Kitchen, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to discuss the impact of welfare reform and the creation of an app and database to empower people to understand what benefits are available.  Benefit Kitchen is focused on working with people to overcome obstacles and gain insight into the eligibility rules for federal, state, and local benefits. Melanie has discovered that many rules and hard-to-find information are designed to keep people from enrolling and discourage participation in programs.  The more these agencies hide, the more determined Melanie is to dig out the information and help people get necessary services and resources. Deepak and Melanie talk about: How people find out about benefit programs and who is qualified to participate Creating an app that helps people decide which benefits to pursue and how one benefit might impact another Who is most likely not to get benefits Why a mobile-first solution for this target audience is essential #BenefitKitch