Why behind-the-scenes technology matters to people who rely on social services.

Sara Rubin here, thinking about the magical little elves hidden inside the computers who are responsible for sending you this email newsletter. I’m only sort of kidding—I’m not very tech-savvy, if you can’t tell. So it was a little bit strange that I found myself reporting a cover story that is largely about technology for this week’s issue of the Weekly. 

The story is about a tool called the Smart Referral Network, developed by United Way Monterey County and deployed among dozens of local organizations that offer a range of social services from food to housing to transportation to mental health counseling to support for survivors of crime. 

Josh Madfis, the person who came up with the idea for the Smart Referral Network, is now a leading evangelist for the system, trying to recruit more agencies—schools, government offices, nonprofits—to participate. The hope is that with more widespread participation, case managers in one organization can refer clients to each other with a quick click and get their clients help more efficiently. 

I spoke to one client at Sun Street Centers who is living proof of how the concept works, and you can read more about him in my cover story. But it’s a story that is only partially about people—it’s also about systems, and how the systems we design can support the outcomes we want. Madfis and his colleagues have grand aspirations for systems change. The system they have built isn’t perfect, but it’s a start.