Why this matters: the research

Help is hardest to reach where need is highest. Texas is above the national average on both food insecurity and lack of health insurance.

16.7%of Texans had no health insurance in 2024, the highest of any state
8.2%national uninsured rate in 2024, up from 7.9% in 2023
2.8%Massachusetts, the lowest state rate

Household food insecurity by state, 2021-23

Arkansas18.9%
Texas16.9%
Mississippi16.2%
Louisiana16.2%
Oklahoma15.4%
Kentucky14.5%
South Carolina14.4%
Georgia12.8%
U.S. average12.2%
New Hampshire7.4%

Sources: USDA Economic Research Service (food insecurity); U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2024 via America's Health Rankings (uninsured). Texas food insecurity from a Texas A&M summary of USDA data. USDA source

How it works

  1. Choose English or Español.
  2. Tap what you need: food, health care, jobs, housing, or learning.
  3. Check any boxes that describe you. This is optional.
  4. See results ranked as "You likely qualify" or "Open to everyone".
  5. Tap Get directions or visit the website. Call 2-1-1 if you are still stuck.

Matching runs in your browser. Each service lists who it is for, and the app compares that with your answers. Nothing is sent or saved.

About this project

Austin Help Finder was built by the Westwood Computer Science Club for WarriorHacks 2.0. Listings are examples for the prototype: check each organization's website for current hours and rules.

Keeping it running: hosting is free, and the service list is one data array that volunteers and nonprofit partners can update. To use it in another city or state, replace the data.