Transforming Emergency Aid: From Research to Rapid Relief at Edquity and the Hope Center

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, few colleges offered emergency funds, and those that did made application processes closer to college admissions than to an emergency support program. The Hope Center, as leaders in the space around the real financial challenges of college students today, had a vision for a new kind of application. In 2019, they brought on Reroot Research to bring it to life.

Key Challenges

There are some critical challenges with standard Emergency Aid Application processes:

1. They require too much information and require it in essay form. The form can take lots of time the student doesn’t have.

2. They often require students to come before a panel and “perform their poverty”.

3. Many forms are paper-based or not mobile-friendly. This excludes students facing challenges accessing technology.

4. The long, complex forms require staff to dedicate time to administrative work rather than supporting students.

Research and Design Approach

I built a quick and adaptable prototype using Typeform and conducted user tests while iterating on the form. Reroot Research and The Hope Center collaborated to create the necessary assessment algorithm using the data collected. The resulting product was quick and accessible, even to students with learning disabilities and under extreme stress.

Reroot Research then supported The Hope Center in the selection and hand-off to a tech partner – Edquity. I joined the Edquity team for 9 months to support the build-out of the Emergency Aid application, now the organization’s core feature, and stand up their research efforts.

Outcomes

The tool was immediately rigorously tested – its first live college experienced an unexpected tornado on launch day. Four months later, the Covid Pandemic hit. By 2021, the Edquity Emergency Aid tool distributed $50 million to over 60,000 students a quarter, averaging 24 hours between applying and funds hitting their bank accounts.