The City of Denver, spearheaded by Mayor Mike Johnston, has partnered with Denver Human Services (DHS) and Gary Community Ventures to debut an online tool, MyFriendBen, aimed at streamlining the process for residents to find and apply for a variety of public benefits. Addressing one of the major issues residents face, the complexity of navigating assistance programs, the website serves as a hub for information on over 50 public benefits including healthcare, food assistance, and transit discounts.
According to the City and County of Denver, this initiative could potentially distribute millions more dollars to support Denver residents without increasing the city budget. Mayor Johnston highlighted that while "one in three Denverites utilize public benefits," the challenge has always been the "incredibly complicated and time-consuming" process of accessing them. With this new online tool, the expectation is to maximize residents' benefit collection, thus enhancing their quality of life.
Despite DHS’s effort to serve over a third of the city's population, many individuals still encounter hurdles with the existing system. MyFriendBen is positioned as a solution, providing an estimate in roughly 6 minutes of the potential cash value and access to programs they might qualify for. “At Denver Human Services, we recognize that many residents are unaware of the services available to them or think that applying for benefits are too complicated and time-consuming,” DHS Economic Resilience Director Dana Niemela expressed. The agency’s team is set to use the tool to better assist their clientele.
Gary Community Ventures, a participant in the collaboration, emphasizes the importance of the initiative. “We believe that providing this benefits screener to all Denver residents is an important first step in making our city a national leader in benefits access. and safety net protection for the most vulnerable Denverites,” President and CEO Santhosh Ramdoss said, as per the City and County of Denver. As part of the outreach to raise awareness, the City and County of Denver plans to inform residents about MyFriendBen across its public-facing offices and through community engagement workers.
MyFriendBen is intended as a preliminary screener providing estimates and not definitive eligibility determinations. Residents will need to confirm final eligibility and benefit amounts with the appropriate government agencies to secure the support referenced by the online tool.
