June 20, 2025
MyFriendBen Expands to Pueblo County
Empowering families to unlock $1,500 in monthly savings through innovative technology and community partnership.
When families face rising costs and complex bureaucracy, accessing critical support shouldn’t add another layer of challenge. That’s why we’re celebrating a major milestone: MyFriendBen‘s expansion into Pueblo County, marking the tool’s first major reach into southern and rural Colorado.
Reshaping Access to Opportunity
Millions of dollars in government aid go unclaimed each year in Colorado.The whole process is overly complex, confusing and dehumanizing.
Through our partnership with United Way of Pueblo County and the Pueblo County Department of Human Services, we’re delivering breakthrough solutions that eliminate barriers between families and the support they need. MyFriendBen transforms what’s typically a maze of paperwork and multiple websites into a simple, six-minute process that helps families discover an average of $1,500 in monthly savings.
“At a time when many in our community are facing rising costs, a tool that can uncover $1,500 in support each month is a game changer,” said Lee Hodge, Pueblo County Department of Human Services Assistant Director. “This partnership is all about simplifying what is often a complex process so the Pueblo community no longer needs to search multiple websites or complete unnecessary paperwork just to learn if they might qualify for these critical supports.”
Growing Solutions That Work
MyFriendBen exemplifies Gary Community Ventures’ approach to systems transformation. In partnership with Colorado families, we identified an opportunity to remove barriers to the social safety net. Our team piloted the solution over the course of a year and is now working with community organizations and government agencies to make the tool available at no cost to the community.. The mobile-friendly tool connects users to over 40 public benefits, tax credits, and nonprofit programs—from child development support to property tax relief.
While technology has often left rural families behind, MyFriendBen’s mobile-first design and availability in 12 languages ensures accessibility across diverse communities and geographic barriers.
Partnership in Action
Rather than working alone, we’ve partnered with organizations that understand their communities’ specific needs and have existing relationships built on trust.
Both the Department of Human Services and United Way staff have been trained on the tool and are integrating it into their community engagement efforts. Each organization has embedded MyFriendBen directly on their websites, making access even simpler for the families they serve.
“Through our community resource navigation and community resilience efforts, we’ve seen just how complex the benefit system can be,” said Shanna M. Farmer, President and CEO of United Way of Pueblo County. “Unfortunately, many people in our community are missing out on valuable programs, like child development support or property tax relief simply because they don’t know they exist.”
Delivering Opportunity at Scale
The impact numbers tell a compelling story: families using MyFriendBen discover an average of $1,500 in monthly support. But beyond the dollars, this tool represents something bigger—a future where navigating the social safety net doesn’t require expertise in bureaucracy.
“Pueblo County is the first in Southern Colorado to make it easier for everyone—from community members to seasoned caseworkers—find benefits,” said Sekhar Paladugu, Lead Entrepreneur for MyFriendBen. “We think there is a significant opportunity to use technology to help families find the support they need to be financially independent.”
By making benefit navigation transparent, accessible, and actionable, we’re not just helping families access existing programs; we’re rebuilding a fairer system that serves everyone.
Ready to explore what support might be available to your family? Families in Pueblo can try MyFriendBen at co.myfriendben.org. The tool is available in 12 languages and is optimized for mobile use.