The Benefit Navigator
Imagine LA’s new suite of online tools and services dedicated to helping individuals and families maximize their public benefits and tax-credits and chart permanent pathways out of poverty.
I. OVERVIEW
History: The Benefit Navigator was co-founded by Jill Bauman, CEO of Imagine LA and Brit Gilmore, former President of the Giving Keys. The idea for the Benefit Navigator was born out of Imagine LA’s and the Giving Keys’ many years of economic mobility work which repeated observed that the complexity and lack of transparency of the public benefit and tax credit programs often created fear and barriers to people seeking to work their way out of poverty (see “The Problem and The Solution Below”). Next came extensive research in 2020-21 with the USC Center for Social Innovation, on all the Federal, State and Local public benefit programs; the results of which strongly called for an easier way to navigate and access public benefits, to transparently see what happens to benefits when earned income rises as well as policy changes to better promote pathways out of poverty into long term financial independence. In 2022 Jill & Brit, embraced the challenge, reached it their technical systems backgrounds, and with the partnership of many multi-faceted experts, funders, created the Benefit Navigator. In 2023, the Benefit Navigator completed its Initial Pilots with 10 LA County social service non-profit organizations, alongside a robust third-party evaluation. The results were inspiring — significant additional benefits and refundable tax credits (cash and health coverage) were quickly identified and secured, plus case managers thanked us for creating something that actually helped them do their jobs.
Based on pilot feedback, enhancements were made, and current expansion pilots are underway with 50 service providing non-profit, government and healthcare organizations, with over 500 case manager users - serving over 10,000 clients. Thus far, we have conducted over 75 user feedback focus groups and the Benefit Navigator has identified over $100 Million in additional eligible benefits and refundable tax credits! Launch of Benefit Navigator in LA County is planned for July 2025. In addition, we are planning for expansion across California and key cities across the country shortly thereafter.
Imagine LA has structured the Benefit Navigator it as a non-profit social enterprise SaaS organization (Software as a Service) focused on providing simple human-centered tools, services and data for case managers and individuals. These tools will empower users to quickly navigate and access public benefits and tax credits as well as provide pathways to economic mobility and out of poverty and into financial security. They also decrease staff administrative burden and provide clear impact data for agencies and policy makers. The first tool, the Benefit Navigator is a “one-stop shop” for understanding and accessing Federal, State and Local public benefits and tax-credits as well as other critical resources needs to mitigate homelessness and extreme hardship.
THE PROBLEM AND THE SOLUTION
The Benefit Navigator tackles the challenge of navigating the complicated web of public benefits and tax credits, crucial for providing safety nets and pathways out of poverty. The current system's complexity and fragmentation hinders swift access to aid, compounded by fears of benefit loss upon employment and confusion over tax implications and immigration status. Partnering with USC Center for Social Innovation, research uncovered 15 distinct, often siloed Federal, State and County benefits available in LA County, revealing the labyrinth of applications and compliance processes and highlighting:
The difficulty of identifying, applying for and receiving all benefits and tax credits, which results in both the underutilization of available benefits and time delays in receiving benefits which can exacerbate trauma and homelessness.
The phenomenon of "benefits cliffs" when a modest income increase surprisingly triggers a severe benefit loss.
The fear of loss of benefits, and the lack of transparency of how it happens can prevent people from earning income.
The fear and lack of understanding about taxes and tax credits and that they can actually generate significant cash for the low-income households, especially families and immigrants, means that impactful tax benefits are often not being utilized by the people that need them most.
“Finally, something that actually helps me do my job!”
“Navigator helped empower my staff and decrease burnout by decreasing time searching for benefits and feeling good that they were being thorough with their clients.”
This landscape unwittingly both leaves billions of dollars of critical resources untapped and enmeshes individuals and especially families, in poverty. The Benefit Navigator seeks to provide trusted information, transparency, and accessibility, to empower individuals and case managers with informed decision-making tools to navigate toward economic mobility. Additionally, by collecting comprehensive benefit use data, the Benefit Navigator aims to help inform policy change that will better provide easy access to immediate temporary relief for severe economic hardship, eliminate benefit cliffs, and better promote financial security and sustainable exits from poverty.
II. BENEFIT NAVIGATOR
The Benefit “Navigator” provides a trusted “One Stop Shop” for case managers and their clients to simply and efficiently navigate the extremely complex public benefit and tax credit landscape (Federal, State & LA County). The Navigator’s human centered design is anchored in research and recommendations from USC’s Center for Social Innovation, vast lived experience/expertise, Imagine LA’s 15 years of working alongside families trying to navigate public benefits, and continuous feedback from users.
Features include:
A Benefits Information Hub that provides easy to understand information about mainstream federal, state, and local public benefits and tax credits (including impact of immigration status) all in one place.
A Benefits Calculator assessment tool that in 6-10 minutes identifies what benefits and tax credits a household are eligible for and provides links and instructions on how to apply.
A Benefits Planner that helps users understand how their benefits will be affected if their income changes – it shows when benefit cliffs occur and when they don’t, and how filing for taxes could result in significant tax credits / cash in clients’ pockets.
Accessibility! The Navigator is multi-lingual and can be used on any online device - mobile phones, tablets, laptops and desktops
Impact Data that shows benefits identified, accessed and changes in income.
Together the Benefit Navigator’s information and capabilities are unprecedented
NAVIGATOR IN ACTION
Pilots commenced in 2023: Benefit Navigator was built and tested in 2022 and 2023 completed an Initial Pilot with 10 Los Angeles-based NGO social service agencies. In 2024, expansion pilots are currently undergoing with target goals to serve 50 community-based organizations, NGOs and government agencies, and community health care (over 500 users and 10,000 beneficiaries). All Pilots, which include rigorous third-party evaluation and enhancement feedback loops, will continue until June 30, 2025. Thereafter and the Navigator will be available via Software as a Service (SaaS) user license / social enterprise model across Los Angeles County with plans to grow to serve California and the Nation.
Target pilot populations are Los Angelenos living in poverty, experiencing or vulnerable to homelessness and other system involvement - youth, transitioning foster youth, families, veterans and individuals.
Navigator capabilities are being enhanced to include data impact dashboards, more benefits, AI and features that facilitate client access to living wage pathways. Plus, we are forging partnerships with benefit policy experts to explore how the Navigator’s technology and data can be best utilized to fuel policy change analytics and advocacy.
PILOT RESULTS & IMPACT (via third-party evaluation)
Significant increases in staff efficiency and efficacy -- The Navigator reduces staff administrative burden and provides valuable training, and proactive services to help staff work effectively, build client trust and reduce burnout.
Benefit maximization! - 55% of user clients quickly identified and secured additional benefits (as compared to 10% of clients in the non-user control group) with the average value of additional benefit nearly $15,000 per household.
Increased earned income! – 43% user clients increased income by an average of 24% (as compared to 16% average decrease in the non-user control group over the same time period).
*See section IV below for full pilot impact report
“Finally a tool that helps me do my job!””
NAVIGATOR PILOT USERS
Mayor’s Fund of Los Angeles (MFLA), “We are LA” homeless prevention program. 21 Agencies (231 users) trained and using Navigator including: Ezperanza, St. Johns Health Community, Groundworks, 16 Family Source Centers, Right Way Foundation, Children’s Law Center (Transition Aged Youth).
Department of Health Services, Housing for Health (required LA County SaaS Cyber Security Approval). Pilot departments include Homeless Prevention, Interim Housing, CBEST, Street Outreach, Skid Row and Stars Clinics.
LAHSA & County CEO HI collaboration pilot with Interim Housing and Time Limited Subsidy programs.
Youth, Foster Youth, Community Benefits & Mental Health Organizations including Pacific Clinics, Ready to Succeed, Covenant House, AssistHub, LA City Youth Workforce Development, Cedars-Sinai.
Homeless Service Agencies: PATH, The Whole Child, Downtown Women’s Center, HOPICS, Safe Parking
Family, Veteran and Workforce Development service agencies: Children’s Institute, LIFT, JVS, Para Los Ninos.
NAVIGATOR FUNDERS: include the Carl & Robert Deutsch Foundation, the May & Stanley Smith Trust, and the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, Bank of America, the Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, the Kayne Foundation, and CSH.
For more information visit www.imaginela.org/benefit-navigator - be sure to check out the demo video below!
III. THE BENEFIT NAVIGATOR TEAM
STAFF
Jill Bauman, Founding CEO, Imagine LA & Co-Founder, Benefit Navigator. Seasoned private and non-profit entrepreneur with MPPM/MBA from the Yale School of Management. Past experience includes software engineering and creation of management information systems.
Brit Gilmore, Chief Product Officer, Imagine LA & Co-Founder, Benefit Navigator. Former President of The Giving Keys, a $10M for-profit social enterprise that employed 130+ people transitioning out of homelessness. Brit was designated Forbes 30 under 30.
Karen Van Kirk, VP Product Implementation and Data. Former SVP, Viewer Experience for Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+, Director at Intuit.
Erika Guzman MSW, Director of Operations (Account Management & Customer Success). Highly experience social service program design and oversight executive.
Alejandro Gonzalez, MSW, Senior Customer Success Manager. Experienced homeless service case and program manager.
CONTRACTOR/PARTNERS
Senior Technical Advisor. Peter Marx. Former CTO, City of Los Angeles, Universal Studios.
AI Chatbot development partner, NavaLabs.
Engineer/Programmers: Lead, Allen Lai, Lane Fujikado, and Lincoln Moore.
Data Scientist: Patrick Fernard.
Interface Designer: Uche Onyeka.
Benefit Policy Expert: Soledad De Gregorio, Ph.D., Research Associate, Abt Associates.
Benefits Research and Writer: David Tausik, Writer & Entrepreneur.
Third Party Evaluator: Jaime Thomas, CEO Format Consulting.
Benefit Eligibility API: PolicyEngine, Co-founder Max Ghenis.
Lived Experience Team Members:
Leilani Reed, Imagine LA Program Graduate and Board Member.
Quenisha Johnson, experienced case manager, public benefits specialist with lived expertise.
Claudia Iglesias, Imagine LA Program Graduate and Family Team Manager (staff).
Youth Advocates from Aspen Institute’s Ascend Initiative’s Young Parent 2Gen approach in LA County.
ADVISORS
Adam Miller, SaaS expert, CEO, Better Angeles, Founding CEO Cornerstone.
David Crippens, President, City of Los Angeles Workforce Investment Board Youth Council, former Sr. Vice President, KCET.
Kelvin Driscoll, PhD, MSW, MPA, Deputy Director of Access, Outreach, and Health Service, Homeless Outreach Program & Care System (HOPICS).
Greg Ericksen, Director, Government Partnerships & Policy, REDF.
John Kobara, Random Acts of Progress; former EVP & COO California Committee Foundation, CEO Big Brother Big Sisters, UCLA Vice Chancellor.
Carrie Miller, PhD, Senior Manager Policy Implementation and Alignment Branch, LA County Chief Executive Office, former founding Executive Director, Los Angeles County Poverty Alleviation Initiative.
Lisa Salazar, General Manager, Youth Development Department, City of Los Angeles.
Andy Goodman, storytelling expert, Founder, The Goodman Center.
Rob Jensen, Professor of Economics and Director, Program on Social Enterprise, Yale School of Management.
Jonathan Kroening, SVP, Global R&D Lead of Data Science & AI Lab, Ipsos
Ali Motroni, Client Experience Director & Impact Investing Advisor, Align Impact Capital.
Joe Takai, Partner, McKinsey & Co., significant expertise in the incubation and scaling of tech companies.
Adlai Wertman, Former Professor Social Entrepreneurship, USC Marshall School of Business; Former CEO, Chrysalis (model for social enterprise).
For more information, please contact jill@imaginela.org.
IV. BENEFIT NAVIGATOR INITIAL PILOTS
Initial Pilot with 10 Social Service Agencies. During 2023 Navigator was piloted by 10 Los Angeles based social service NGOs serving families, youth and individuals emerging from homelessness and/or experiencing severe poverty. The Initial Pilot included a rigorous third-party evaluation by Format Consulting with active Navigator users as well as non-user control groups (60 case workers and 450 clients, approximately ½ users and ½ control group) as well as live feedback loops to learn from the user experience. The pilot collected baseline and quarterly data on all the case managers’ clients’ use of public benefits and income levels as well as information from the case managers, such as time spent navigating public benefits, related challenges, and the Navigator’s impact on their clients (particularly how changes to income and consequential benefits changes affected their career and financial decisions).
Initial Pilot Agencies:
Children’s Institute Inc., serving families enmeshed in poverty thought LA County
Covenant House, serving unhoused youth in Hollywood
Downtown Women’s Center, serving unhoused women in Downtown LA
HOPICS, serving unhoused in South Los Angeles
Union Station Homeless Services, serving unhoused in Pasadena and San Gabriel Valley
The Whole Child, serving unhoused families in Whittier and Southeast LA
LA LGBT Center - Hollywood
New Economics for Women (NEW), serving women and families in Pico Union and SF Valley
LIFT-LA, serving families in the City of LA
Imagine LA, serving families emerging from homelessness in South LA, Mid-City, San Fernando Valley, and West LA
Initial Pilot Results:
The Initial Pilot culminated with a November 2023 convening of the pilot participants and a presentation and discussion of the evaluation data and user experiences. Conway C Collis, the CEO of the Mayor’s Fund of LA, opened the convening and compared the potential impact of the Navigator to the first handheld calculator invented in 1967 by Texas Instruments; other key highlights include:
Clients of Navigator Users significantly increased their Benefits & Tax Credits.
1. 54% of Users identified additional Benefits & Tax Credits as compared to 10% in the control group.
2. Tax-credits - while many people secured tax-credits once they knew they were eligible, many did not file because of fear around immigration or owing back taxes.
Clients of Navigator Users Earned income increased.
43% of User clients earned income increased as compared to 12% in the control group.
24% increase in User client earned income (average) as compared to a decrease of 16% in earned income by control group clients. The Navigator's scenario planning feature showed clients thinking about starting to work, or earning more wages for very low-income workers, that the additional earned income would not cause significant loss of benefits, plus the gain in tax-credits was substantial. The result was that clients felt safe to start working or to work a little more, hence the significant rise in earned income.
*Please note that most of the Initial Pilot partner clients initially had zero to very low-income. For Pilot 2.5 we are targeting next level workforce development agencies, so we can see the impact when benefit cliffs are identified in advance.
Case Worker Navigator Users increased their feeling of efficacy around maximizing their client benefits, especially regarding tax-credits as well as building client rapport/trust.
"Prior to Navigator our team used historical knowledge, staff networking and web research to try to navigate benefits."
"Navigator helped me do my job better and more efficiently – no more co-worker networking or research."
"Helped my clients increase both benefits and earned income."
"Empowered my clients by giving them the autonomy to know what benefits they qualified for and how earning wages impacted their benefits."
Clients felt more seen and fear around applying for benefits decreased - “By creating more clarity around all benefits and especially around the impact of immigration status, my clients felt more seen and fear around applying for benefits decreased."
With the Navigator, caseworkers could help clients apply rather than referring to government agency. This result can be interpreted as bringing efficiency to the government both in terms of using less of their staff time and in getting the benefits to those in need more quickly.
Program Managers were delighted to report how much the Navigator empowered staff and clients to make confident and informed decisions, plus made their jobs easier.
The Navigator “Took out the guesswork - prior to Navigator, case workers used their historical knowledge, which varied”.
"Helped empower staff and decrease burnout by decreasing time searching for benefits and feeling good that they were being thorough with their clients."
"It was great to watch my team go from “Oh another thing on my plate” to “this is really helpful”. Key to this was how user friendly it was and became even more so during the Pilot. Confidentiality was greatly appreciated as well as the straightforward functionality."
Question: How did the Navigator effect your management of staff? “Made it is easier, especially training around benefits - didn’t need to worry about it”.
"As benefits are always changing, use of the Navigator eliminates a perplexing training challenge."
When users were asked, “What their wish was for the Navigator?”, the most frequent answer was that “everybody in LA could use it.”
For more information, please contact jill@imaginela.org.
