This is the sixth entry in the Families in Neighborhoods blog series, which offers commentaries that explore efforts underway in Detroit, to reimagine neighborhoods as places of opportunity for children and families. In this edition, Kresge’s Jonathan Hui joins United Way of Southeastern Michigan’s Shauna Aitson, director of youth opportunity, Jeff Miles, vice president of community impact, and KG Redmon, director of network integration & transformation to explore how coordinated resource navigation is essential for families to access services that support their basic needs, health and economic stability. 

When Jasmine arrived at her Henry Ford Health prenatal appointment, she was focused on one thing: making sure her baby was healthy. But her doctor noticed something else — signs that Jasmine might be struggling with food insecurity. Instead of adding another burden to Jasmine’s already full plate by handing her a list of phone numbers to call, her care team asked a simple question: Would you like us to connect you directly to a food pantry?

Within hours, a United Way social navigator reached out to Jasmine, scheduled an appointment at a convenient food pantry, and discovered she also needed help with utility bills. When Jasmine arrived at the pantry, her information was already in their system. No repeating her story. No filling out the same forms again. Just the food and support she needed, exactly when she needed it.

This seamless experience is possible because of Connect4Care, a Community Information Exchange (CIE) that United Way for Southeastern Michigan has developed with partners including the Detroit Health Department, Henry Ford Health, Gleaners Community Food Bank and dozens of other organizations across the region.

The platform represents a fundamental shift in how families access publicly available resources — from a fragmented system where families must navigate multiple agencies and tell their story repeatedly, to a coordinated network where organizations share information securely and work together to support families.

The challenge: When systems don’t talk, families fall through the cracks

In a recent Community Health Needs Assessment, Detroit residents identified access to basic needs as one of the greatest barriers to health, wellbeing and economic stability. The problem isn’t a lack of resources — it’s that those resources are disconnected and difficult to navigate. A family seeking help with housing, food, childcare and utilities often must contact four different agencies, navigate four different intake processes and tell their story four different times. Many families, already stretched thin by work, child care and daily survival, simply can’t manage the complexity.

Communities, not technology, drive CIEs. We exist because of that common experience where families fall through the cracks. By increasing connections between organizations providing services to the community, there is broader awareness among partners of the resources that exist and stronger relationships between those partners.

Resource navigation and case management strategies aren’t new — they’re proven approaches to ensuring equitable, human-centered access to services. What makes Connect4Care different is how it uses technology to integrate across sectors and systems that traditionally don’t communicate with each other, all while keeping human connection at the center of the experience.

A “no wrong door” approach

The genius of Connect4Care lies in its flexibility. Families can access resources through multiple entry points, or “doors,” depending on what’s most convenient and comfortable for them. Some families prefer calling 2-1-1 to speak with a real person who can help identify relevant resources. Others want to search independently using the MI 2-1-1 Resource Directory website. Still others first encounter the system through a trusted provider — a doctor’s office, a food pantry, a housing counselor.

The key is that whichever door a family enters, they can access the full network of support. When a patient at one of the 12 Henry Ford Health clinics and hospitals integrated with Connect4Care mentions they need food, the health care provider can document that need and, with the patient’s consent, send a secure referral directly to United Way’s Social Navigation program. A navigator reaches out within hours to conduct a more comprehensive assessment, identify additional needs and schedule appointments at convenient locations.

The vision is that over time, we will have a vast network of partners sending information about clients and resources to each other securely and efficiently so that whatever door is most accessible for a family can help get them to the right place with minimal hassle.

Technology that serves people, not the other way around

What sets Connect4Care apart from other coordination efforts is its approach to technology. Many collaborative models require all partner organizations to use one shared platform — an approach that sounds efficient but often creates new barriers. Organizations already juggle multiple technology systems required by different grants and partnerships. Adding another system requires time, training and resources that many community-based organizations simply don’t have.

Connect4Care takes a different approach: instead of requiring everyone to use the same system, it makes different systems talk to each other. A health care provider can continue using their electronic health record system. A food pantry can keep using the client management software that works for them. Behind the scenes, Connect4Care creates secure connections between these systems so information can flow seamlessly while each organization uses tools that fit their workflow.

If a system doesn’t work for an organization, it just won’t be used or the burden on the organization will be high enough that it will impact their operations. A CIE is different because it does not require all partners to log onto one shared system. Instead, it uses technology to make different systems talk to each other.

Human connection at the center

While technology enables coordination, human connection remains at the heart of Connect4Care. Social navigators provide the individualized, culturally responsive support that families need to move from crisis to stability.

When Henry Ford Health refers a patient for food assistance, the technical integration facilitates what the team calls a “warm hand-off.” Health care staff explain what to expect, and a social navigator reaches out directly. The navigator can see available appointments at food pantries in real time, discuss which locations are most convenient, and book an appointment on the spot. When the patient arrives, their information is already in the pantry’s system — no need to retell their story or fill out redundant forms.

But navigators don’t stop at the immediate need. They conduct comprehensive screenings to identify other challenges a family might be facing — utility assistance, transportation, child care, housing support. They connect families to multiple resources through a single relationship, reducing the burden of navigating complex systems alone.

An equitable and effective system of care will always need individualized, human-centered supports. Throughout this journey, it’s real people who provide individualized care and it’s the technology behind the scenes that supports it. That’s how CIE is meant to be.

Community-driven design and governance

Connect4Care didn’t emerge from a foundation boardroom or a technology company’s innovation lab. It was built through deep collaboration with community organizations and shaped by the people who use it every day — both service providers and families seeking support.

If the community, inclusive of community members and organizations, isn’t driving the approach and ensuring accountability, the model won’t work. This principle of collaborative governance means that partners of all sizes — from major health systems to small neighborhood organizations — have a voice in how Connect4Care evolves.

United Way established four standing committees that meet regularly to guide the platform’s development:

• The Strategy & Impact Committee focuses on prioritization, strategic alignment, sustainability and continuous improvement.
• The Ethics Committee establishes standards for data sharing and privacy practices, ensuring that families’ information is protected and used appropriately.
• The Partner Engagement Committee works to ensure that organizations of all sizes can participate meaningfully in the network.
• The Client Engagement Committee sets expectations and standards around community voice, making sure that families themselves are active participants in shaping how the system works.

When United Way works with an organization to integrate them into Connect4Care, they don’t dictate the solution. Instead, they act as facilitators, asking questions to understand what’s working, what’s not, and where CIE could provide support. Together, they design projects that are both valuable and feasible, bringing in the necessary technology partners to make the vision a reality.

Early impact and growing reach

Since launching the Henry Ford Health integration, Connect4Care has received 2,486 referrals for food assistance, distributing thousands of pounds of food to families in need. The overwhelming majority of individuals receiving care through the platform have household incomes below $35,000 — families for whom access to food assistance can mean the difference between paying rent and facing eviction, between keeping the lights on and sitting in the dark.

But the impact extends beyond immediate crisis intervention. Social navigators help families access utility assistance, transportation support and other resources that reduce financial strain and free up income for other essential needs. By addressing multiple needs through a coordinated approach, Connect4Care helps families move from crisis to stability — and from stability toward prosperity.

For low-income families, the food they’ve been able to access through CIE helps by not only making sure they can feed their family but by reducing that expense and freeing up more money for other needs. That’s impactful.

As more organizations join the network and more connections are built between systems, that impact will continue to grow. United Way uses dashboards to visualize data about referrals and resource sharing, continuously improving how they measure impact and identify gaps in service. Partners participate in this improvement process, ensuring the platform evolves to meet changing community needs.

A model for the future

Connect4Care represents more than a technological innovation — it’s a reimagining of how communities can work together to support families. By combining secure data sharing, flexible technology integration, human-centered navigation services and genuine collaborative governance, it demonstrates what becomes possible when we design systems around the needs of families rather than the convenience of institutions.

The model offers important lessons for other communities working to break down silos and improve access to resources:

• Start with relationships, not technology. Strong, reciprocal partnerships between organizations create the foundation for effective coordination. Technology can facilitate those relationships, but it can’t replace them.
• Meet organizations where they are. Rather than requiring everyone to adopt new systems, find ways to connect existing tools and workflows.
• Center community voice. Families and frontline service providers must shape how systems evolve. Collaborative governance isn’t just a nice idea — it’s essential for accountability and effectiveness.
• Keep humans in the loop. Technology should support human connection, not replace it. Individualized, culturally responsive support will always be necessary for families navigating complex challenges.
• Use data for continuous improvement. Measure what matters, share insights transparently, and adapt based on what you learn.

For Kresge, Connect4Care aligns with our commitment to ensuring Detroit families can thrive in their neighborhoods. Through our support of Hope Starts Here: Detroit’s Early Childhood Partnership and our broader Detroit Program investments, we’re working to ensure that families have access to the resources that keep them secure, healthy and economically mobile.

As United Way continues to expand Connect4Care’s reach — adding new partner organizations, building new connections between systems, and refining the model based on community feedback — the platform offers a glimpse of what’s possible when we truly commit to a “no wrong door” approach. Every family deserves to access the support they need without navigating a maze of disconnected systems. Connect4Care is proving that with the right combination of technology, human connection and collaborative governance, we can make that vision a reality.

To learn more about Connect4Care and United Way for Southeastern Michigan’s work, visit unitedwaysem.org. Organizations interested in joining the Connect4Care network can contact United Way to explore partnership opportunities.

Learn more about the Families in Neighborhoods series:

• Introducing ‘Families in Neighborhoods’: A new series focused on family-centered neighborhoods in Detroit
• Mobility trends of families with children and the role of public schools in Detroit’s neighborhoods
• Helping children thrive: Community of practice links local programs supporting kids and families from birth to career
• Family-friendly policies can help keep people in Michigan and create economic opportunity
• Strengthening healthy, connected neighborhoods through child- and family-centered parks and public spaces
• Filing for the future: How Detroit families gain from tax credits
• How Detroit’s community information exchange is transforming family access to essential resources