Alluma and One Degree Join Forces to Transform the Social Services Safety Net
The two nonprofits are merging to address the systemic barriers that prevent people in need from getting the resources and benefits available to them.
OAKLAND, Calif., Oct. 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Alluma and One Degree announced today that the two social technology organizations are merging into one organization with a bold vision to address the country's broken social safety net system. The two nonprofits are integrating their services to create a streamlined and efficient solution to help more people access the social services and public benefits they need during the Coronavirus pandemic and beyond.
"In the middle of a global catastrophe, we've experienced the failure of the safety net system just when folks needed help the most, and the negative health and economic repercussions will continue in the coming months and years," said Robert Phillips, President and CEO of Alluma. "There has never been a more urgent moment to reimagine the way we help people in this country."
Alluma and One Degree are joining forces to create an easy-to-use online platform that enables people in need to find, qualify for and enroll in safety net services and benefits such as Medicaid, food stamps, housing assistance and more all in one place. The merger will combine One Degree's community-facing resource and referral platform with Alluma's public benefits eligibility and enrollment solution to create an efficient platform that makes it quick and simple for people to get what they need.
They will expand their ability to support state and county agencies and departments as well as community-based organizations to analyze systems, consult on necessary improvements and implement technology solutions that can help bring services and benefits to more people.
This effort will not only help the end user directly, but will allow those helping them — agency staff, case managers and other professionals — to spend their time supporting families in need rather than processing applications, re-entering information across systems and translating paperwork.
"The current social safety net in this country is fragmented and confusing to navigate — people in need spend hours searching for the right programs, going to multiple agencies and giving the same information multiple times for different applications," said Rey Faustino, the CEO and Founder of One Degree who will serve as Chief Strategy and Impact Officer with Alluma. "The systems are disconnected and processes are outdated — just two additional barriers that prevent families in need from accessing the resources that could help them not only survive, but thrive."
Alluma and One Degree have nearly three decades of combined experience working to move people out of poverty and attain social and economic mobility. Approximately 250,000 people use One Degree annually and Alluma supports about 3.2 million applicants for public benefits each year. As a merged organization, Alluma and One Degree aim to expand their combined platform nationwide by 2025 to help 25 million people per year. If they're successful, low-income and at-risk families will be able to unlock and access an estimated $38 billion in public and private benefits and services annually.
"We envision a world where people can easily find, qualify for and enroll in multiple benefits and services, all in one place," said Phillips. "With the joining of our two organizations, we will be able to help government agencies and nonprofits make rising out of poverty and attaining social and economic mobility a reality for the people they serve."
To learn more about Alluma and One Degree's shared vision for how to fix America's broken social safety net, join us for Rebuilding the Social Safety Net: How Can We Center Equity?, a Zoom Discussion Forum on Wednesday, October 28, 9-10am PT to discuss the future of the social safety net system and how it can be transformed to center equity. Please come ready to share your experiences, ask questions, and discuss innovative solutions for how the system can be transformed! Register here.
Alluma is a leading nonprofit social enterprise on a bold mission: to eliminate barriers to getting people connected to help. We do this by working collaboratively with leaders in government agencies, community organizations, and others to challenge the status quo and create thoughtful solutions that unlock the possibilities of both technology and policy. In 2020, Alluma merged with One Degree, a resource and referral platform for nonprofit and community-based resources. Alluma's eligibility and enrollment solutions have connected more than 25 million people across the country to critical health and human services that change lives and create stronger communities. One Degree's platform serves around 250,000 annually, and together Alluma and One Degree aim to grow their impact 100 fold. Alluma is based in Oakland, California with offices in Sacramento, CA and Phoenix, Arizona. Learn more at www.alluma.org.
SOURCE Alluma
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