Learning from Lyft to Fix the Social Safety Net
In 2012, on a busy city street, I watched a man exit an ordinary-looking vehicle driven by someone else. I asked him if he knew the driver and he responded that he did not. Rather, he was an early angel investor in something called Lyft, which used a mobile app to connect drivers with people who needed rides. His Lyft had just dropped him off.
After we parted, I thought the concept made sense – connecting a person who needs a ride with a driver who needs a fare – but I thought the logistics were insurmountable to overcome.
Quickly, I was proved wrong, and now services such as Lyft, Uber, AirBnB, TaskRabbit, DoorDash and even Amazon have built marketplaces based on perfect information; that is to say, a marketplace where all consumers and producers have complete and instant pricing information.
One of the most remarkable innovations of the digital age is the ability to use data to connect people with goods and services that meet their needs and preferences. Companies such as Lyft and others have revolutionized the transportation, hospitality, and retail industries by using technology and data to deliver personalized, convenient, and affordable solutions. These companies have achieved this by solving the problem of information asymmetry, which occurs when one party in a transaction has more or better information than the other, resulting in inefficiency, unfairness, or market failure.
Information asymmetry can be a major obstacle to creating a functioning marketplace, especially when the quality or suitability of the product or service is uncertain or variable. For example, before Uber and Lyft, customers had limited information about the availability, price, reliability, and safety of taxis or other ride-hailing services. Similarly, before Airbnb, travelers had limited options for finding accommodation that matched their budget, location, and preferences, and hosts had limited exposure to potential guests. Before Amazon, online shoppers had limited access to a wide range of products, prices, and reviews, and sellers had limited reach to customers and feedback.
In social care services – where our company, findhelp, operates – the same obstacles exist. Billions of dollars have been spent on creating government and private-sector programs that help people whose needs fall outside of what is traditionally thought of as healthcare, but which we now realize greatly impact an individual’s overall health outcomes.
And yet, these needs persist. The answer is not more money or more programs. The answer is better information.
Findhelp is a platform that helps people find and access free or low-cost social care services such as food, housing, health care, legal aid, and education in their communities. It does this by collecting, verifying, and updating data from thousands of service providers across the country, and making it available through a simple website and app. Users can search for services by Zip code, category, or eligibility, and get detailed information on how to apply, what documents to bring, and what to expect. Users can also rate and review the services they receive and get personalized recommendations and reminders.
Findhelp aims to help fix the social safety net by using technology and data to deliver social care services to individuals in need with speed, efficiency, and dignity. It addresses the problem of information asymmetry that plagues the social sector, where people often lack awareness, access, or trust in the services that are meant to help them. By providing accurate, comprehensive, and timely information, findhelp empowers people to make informed choices, access their rights, and improve their outcomes. By gathering feedback and analytics, findhelp also enables service providers to improve their quality, reach, and impact, and helps policymakers and funders to allocate resources more effectively.
And it’s important to note, findhelp does this while protecting users’ social care data, which does not enjoy the same safeguards as their HIPPA-covered medical data. Findhelp does not and will not sell users’ data. We operate what is known as a closed-loop referral system, which gives individuals the choice to their personal information at every step of the process.
Findhelp is an example of how data can be used for social good, and how the lessons learned from the private sector can be applied to the public sector. By using data to match people with the services they need, findhelp is following the footsteps of Lyft, Uber, Airbnb, and Amazon, but with a different goal: not only to make profits, but to make a difference.
Erine Gray is the founder and CEO of findhelp.
