Social service providers across the Kansas City metro shared how caseworkers are stepping in as digital navigators to help vulnerable clients access housing, food, and employment.

The Intersection of Case Management and Digital Inclusion

KC Coalition for Digital Inclusion November 2026 Recap: The November gathering of the Kansas City Coalition for Digital Inclusion focused on how the digital divide directly impacts basic needs and social services within the realm of case management intersecting with digital navigation support. While applications for safety net programs and essential services began shifting online prior to the pandemic, that transition has accelerated dramatically, leaving individuals who lack connectivity or devices at a severe disadvantage. As a result, caseworkers frequently find themselves stepping into the role of informal digital navigators—assisting clients with setting up email accounts, uploading verification documents, and submitting online forms.

Featured Panel: Social Services at the Digital Frontlines

Facilitated by Leslie Scott, the featured panel brought together representatives from five regional social service organizations who shared overviews of their programming and the digital realities of their clients:

• Terri George (Bishop Sullivan Center): George described the organization’s three-month workforce development program and wraparound supports, which include the One City Café, food pantry access, utility and rental assistance, thrift pantry partnerships, and Project ElderCool for installing air conditioning units. She clarified that while they are not a staffing agency, they prepare individuals for sustainable employment.
• Stephanie Ogle (Community Services League – CSL): As Senior VP of Workforce Development, Ogle outlined CSL’s comprehensive supports for “neighbors” (what they refer to their clients as) in Eastern Jackson County, including tuition assistance, housing and utility aid, minor vehicle repairs, financial coaching, homeownership support, and direct connections to employer partners.
• Rachel Ohlhausen (Jewish Family Services – JFS): Serving Missouri and Kansas, JFS operates food pantries in Brookside and Overland Park, maintains a distribution warehouse in Raytown, collaborates with local schools, and provides aging-in-place support alongside an in-house chaplaincy program and others.
• Lawrence Leek (Community LINC): Serving as a Housing Outreach Navigator, Leek provides comprehensive case management to street homeless individuals and families, assisting with identification documents, credit resolution, landlord relations, and supportive housing navigation across Jackson and Wyandotte counties.
• Katie Adams (reStart, Inc.): Adams (Adult Program Service Manager) detailed reStart’s emergency housing and shelter services, spanning youth, older youth (ages 18–24), adults, and a newly opened family shelter on Main Street. Their services integrate mental health clinicians, substance recovery, court diversion programs, and specialized employment coaching.

Client Realities and the Caseworker Burden

Panelists highlighted the technological friction clients experience when attempting to access essential services and employment:

• The Mobile Device Barrier: Many clients rely exclusively on smartphones to complete complex benefit forms (such as Medicaid, SNAP, and child care subsidies) that lack mobile-optimized formatting. Furthermore, clients frequently lose or break their phone or have it stolen; because of two-factor authentication requirements, losing access to an email address or phone number has caused clients to lose critical housing placements.
• Foundational Skill Gaps: Frontline staff noted that basic tasks—such as converting files to PDF format, using Microsoft Office, or selecting an appropriate email address—often present significant hurdles. In addition, staff must educate clients on how to avoid increasingly sophisticated scams targeting vulnerable residents.
• Staff Capacity Constraints: Digital navigation is rarely built into formal caseworker job descriptions, yet caseworkers spend substantial appointment time triaging tech problems instead of focusing on core case management. Stephanie Ogle noted that CSL previously had a dedicated digital literacy coach, but the position ended when grant funding ran out.
• Balancing High-tech and High-touch: JFS shared lessons from piloting “PantrySoft” for online pantry booking, underscoring that organizations cannot simply “code their way out” of access hurdles. Maintaining a phone line alongside digital booking remains critical to ensuring services stay person-centered, accessible, and trauma-informed.

Funding, Capacity, and Collaborative Solutions

The discussion turned to practical ways organizations can advocate for digital equity and leverage community resources:

• Storytelling in Grant Proposals: Panelists stressed that organizations must track caseworker time spent on digital navigation and include digital access as a measurable objective in grant requests. Rachel Ohlhausen and Stephanie Ogle noted that storytelling helps funders realize that digital literacy is a core component of achieving long-term employment and housing outcomes.
• Cross-sector Partnerships: Panelists emphasized leaning on local partners rather than duplicating services. Key resources mentioned include PCs for People for low-cost computers, the KC Public Library for daytime hardware and Wi-Fi access, and Literacy KC for structured digital skills courses.
• Expanding Access Points: Attendees highlighted innovative ways to embed digital literacy across services, such as having volunteers on home meal deliveries assist homebound seniors, or offering drop-in paper application hours with manufacturing and trucking employers.

Community Announcements

• Free Career Training at CSL: Community Services League has funding available to provide free training in high-demand fields, including CNA, CDLA, Welding, and Transportation. Interested partners should contact Stephanie Ogle.
• Literacy KC Computer Courses: Mary Kay Morrow announced that Literacy KC offers year-round in-person and remote computer classes and 5- to 8-week boot camps covering AI Safety, online job applications, Google and Microsoft suites, and Canva.

Want to get involved? Visit digitalinclusionkc.org  to learn more, sign up for updates, or watch past meetings. Membership is free—just email Leslie Scott at lscott@kcdigitaldrive.org. Join us for the end of the year Happy Hour (date and location TBD). Look on KC Digital Drive’s event page for up-to-date information. 

Nov. 6, 2026 – The November 2026 meeting of the Kansas City Coalition for Digital Inclusion explored the intersections of digital navigation and case management, including challenges caseworkers face as essential safety-net programs increasingly move online. Featuring leaders from agencies including Terri George with Bishop Sullivan Center, Stephanie Ogles with Community Services League, Rachel Ohlhausen with Jewish Family Services, Lawrence Leek with Community LINC, and Katie Adams with reStart, Inc., the panel examined how frontline staff navigate device barriers, digital literacy gaps, and capacity constraints to ensure basic human needs are met.