NeighborAid

Inspiration

Our project idea was inspired by the challenges that people in need face when trying to access crucial community resources (food, housing, utilities, healthcare, mental health support, employment, and more). Many people often struggle to find the help they need because information is spread out across websites, eligibility requirements are confusing, and existing directories may not account for factors such as location and transportation. We wanted to create a website that brings all these community resources together in one place, making it easier, more accessible, and less stressful for those in need.

What it does

Users fill out a short questionnaire that filters out specific resources and programs that fit their needs. Alongside the filtered resources and programs, users will see an explanation, contact information, geographic location, and suggested next steps. Additionally, nonprofit organizations can add their own resources to be reviewed and published. This feature helps keep the website’s directory useful and up to date.

How we built it

NeighborAid was built in one DubHacks weekend, spec first, then one layer at a time. We started with an empty repo and wrote what the product should do: help someone in Seattle find food, housing, utilities, and similar programs. Search became checkboxes and a city or ZIP, not a free-text box for an LLM. Maegan researched all of the nonprofits — eligibility, service area, and official links — and wrote them into the spec: Afterschool Meals, Fresh Bucks, Mary's Place, ROOTS, Muslim Housing, UCEF, Utility Discount, and West Seattle Food Bank. That research is still the curated directory. The app does not invent listings. From there we stood up a Next.js + Supabase shell, then a ranked matcher, then a homepage that calls it. Nonprofit submit and admin review came next, then the green full-screen look, then a map and language switching. Official street pins were last, because the live database was empty. Sophia owned the repo and spec. Blaine started the spec and later hooked up Supabase. Saanvi drove matching, search, languages, and pins. Cursor did most of the implementation once someone named the next slice. What you can demo now: pick a need, get ranked official programs from that research, see pins when a site has an address, switch the UI language, and submit a new listing for review.

Challenges we ran into

A challenge we ran into was learning how to use and navigate github. We also had to learn how to adapt and problem solve when our code didn’t run in the way we expected, especially because we were working with limited time.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We accomplished a map feature that tells users where specific resources and programs are located in the Seattle area. Research has shown that having Limited English Proficiency (LEP) is associated with disparities in access to healthcare, employment, and other resources. So, we are proud of how our website can be used in not just English, but also in several different languages. Additionally, we love how the website connects nonprofit organizations to consumers.

What we learned

We learned how to effectively and efficiently communicate and collaborate as a team. We assigned roles and responsibilities, and helped each other when we ran into issues with the code. We also learned the importance of adaptability and problem solving when under a time constraint.

What's next for NeighborAid

The current web application holds a directory of community resources in the Seattle area. In the future, we would love for NeighborAid to expand to include directories for communities all over the state, country, and world. Furthermore, we would like to see nonprofit organizations add their resources to the current directory to help it expand and stay up to date.

Built With

• css
• java
• react
• springboot
• sql
• tailwind
• typescript
• vite