One Economy is a national nonprofit organization using technology to connect low-income people to opportunity. One Economy’s signature program is the Beehive, an electronic self-help tool that provides important information on financial programs, health care, education and schools, employment and training, and insurance.

Although it is national in scope, the Beehive designs its websites to fit the needs of specific communities. Local versions of the Beehive exist in 11 major cities: Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Cleveland, Los Angeles, New York, Portland, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. Each user receives a free email account. Because literacy is often a barrier, information is written at a 6th grade reading level. Content is accessible in English, Spanish, Haitian Creole, Russian, Chinese, and Urdu. Nationwide, the Beehive helps over half a million people a month.

With MacArthur funds, One Economy has tailored versions of the Beehive for four new mixed-income communities created as part of Chicago’s ambitious Plan for Transformation of its public housing. Websites for Lake Park Crescent, Oakwood Shores, Park Boulevard, and West Haven Park provide specific information about the schools, services, and supports that are available in each neighborhood. Although residents are still moving into these communities, 30,000 people have registered online and more than 3,000 use the Beehives each month.

To encourage even greater use in Chicago, One Economy sponsors the Digital Connectors Program, which every year trains 100 young people to teach neighborhood residents how to use personal computers, how to use the Internet, and how to navigate the local Beehives. More than 1,000 individuals and 3,000 families have received instruction so far.

The Beehive’s reach is amplified by other local organizations. For example, its job search and career information is being used by Centers for Working Families in their own job training and assistance programs. In addition, drawing on Beehive content, the Centers also give people hands-on help preparing their tax returns, explaining how to file for the Earned Income Tax Credit and other tax supplements. Since its inception, this program has helped Chicago families gain access to more than $14 million in additional income.

Through technology, the Beehive is helping low-income people empower themselves. Connected to information and opportunities, the residents of Chicago’s newest neighborhoods are starting to take charge of their future.

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