People and families living in poverty often find it very difficult to find out about and access the services, resources and aid that society makes available to them, both from government and third sector organizations. The diversity of organizations, especially in large cities, the regulatory complexity of public aid, the labyrinth of aid and social benefits and how to access them, or the problems associated with the digital divide are barriers that are difficult for many people to overcome.

In recent years some NGOs and public administrations have developed innovative digital tools that try to provide a solution to this problem, in the form of guides and simulators that offer quality information in an easy, fast and accessible way to people who need it, and at the same time are very useful for social professionals who have the daily task of guiding and informing these people.

• Soliguide, a French social action mapping platform that facilitates access to essential services and promotes social reintegration by providing quality information to all those who need it. Soliguide has a database of 23,000 organizations and 62,000 services, which it continuously updates, ranging from social emergencies to social and socio-professional reintegration, with the aim of taking into account all types of needs of people in situations of vulnerability and social exclusion. All the major French associations and the French government are involved in its management. The database, which in 2022 received 1.8 million searches, is available through various digital and paper supports.
• Les meves ajudes, a personalized prescription tool for social aids and benefits that brings together the main financial aids of the various levels of Public Administrations in Spain aimed at the economically vulnerable population and also at the general population. Sometimes it is difficult to know if you meet the requirements to access any of the more than 200 social aids and benefits granted by the many Spanish public administrations. That is why this Barcelona City Council simulator, which received more than 100,000 visits in 2022, filters the aid available to each person according to their income and family situation.

Speakers:

• Victoria Mandefield, Solinum Association (Paris, France).
• Marta Juan, Barcelona City Council (Spain)