ResourceNYC

Inspiration

The 2025 NYC mayoral election put a spotlight on a problem hiding in plain sight. Nearly 50% of bus riders weren't paying fares, not out of defiance, but because they couldn't afford them. A program to help (Fair Fares NYC) already existed, yet 56% of eligible New Yorkers had never heard of it. Only one-third of those who qualify are actually enrolled.

Transit is just one example. Across food, healthcare, and housing, the pattern repeats: the programs exist, but the people who need them most don't know they're entitled to them.

Every person on our team has lived this. We come from multilingual households where navigating a government website meant finding someone to translate, or just giving up. We built ResourceNYC because the system wasn't built with us in mind.

Youtube link attached!

What It Does

Describe your situation in plain language, in any language, and ResourceNYC instantly matches you to real NYC programs you qualify for. No forms, no jargon, no English required.

How We Built It

Next.js, Supabase (NYC Open Data, 100+ programs), Claude API, Vercel

What's Next

Borough-specific resources, a map view, and real-time eligibility screening via the NYC Benefits API.

Built With

javascript
react
supabase

Submitted to

HunterHacks

Created by

I assisted in developing the frontend interface using JavaScript and React, building the user-facing components and overall layout of the application. I also worked with
Supabase with my teammates to handle user authentication and store client data securely, ensuring residents' information was managed reliably. I collaborated with others and worked on the backend to connect the UI to the API route and resource matching functionality, making sure the experience felt seamless from input to results.

Shameel Khandokar
I worked on the frontend development using Material UI, engineering a professional aesthetic that prioritizes accessibility. I helped in designing and implementing a multilingual interface supporting the top 10 languages spoken in NYC and developed the client-side flow for the document upload system, allowing users to submit materials for AI analysis. To ensure a cohesive product, I assisted in building the backend API routes connecting our Supabase database to the Claude AI API, and I assisted with the final deployment of the application to Vercel.

Aryan Seyam
Here's a revised version:

I assisted in designing and implementing the project's backend API route, connecting it to a Supabase database of 96 real NYC government programs and integrating the Claude AI API to intelligently match users to relevant resources based on their free-text input. I assisted in implementing file upload functionality, allowing users to submit documents like pay stubs and denial letters for AI analysis. I also assisted in integrating a multilingual interface supporting the top 10 languages spoken in NYC and contributed to the frontend design using Material UI with a NYC government-inspired aesthetic.

AJUNNYC Jun
Kendi Lleshi

Updates

Shameel Khandokar started this project — Apr 26, 2026 11:34 AM EDT

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