Summer Associate - B-MVP Community Impact Tech Initiative

Downtown Billings is a collection of multiple non-profit organizations who together advocate to create a downtown community that flourishes through the activation of its spaces, places, and people; a place that is welcoming, vibrant and ripe for economic and civic opportunities. Billings continues to experience high rates of behavioral health and substance use-related system involvement, particularly among low-income individuals who cycle between crisis response, emergency services, and justice system contact. Additionally, the 2025–2026 Yellowstone County Community Health Needs Assessment identifies Mental Health and Substance Use as the top two community health priorities. The community currently lacks a decision-ready data structure capable of identifying who is being served across partners, where referral drop-offs occur, which populations experience disparities in access, and which program components are associated with stabilization outcomes. Without standardized data alignment and shared reporting processes, partners cannot reliably identify service gaps, improve diversion efficiency, or implement sustainable system improvements that reduce repeated crises among low-income residents. With reliable data and a shared performance framework, the community can target resources more effectively, identify inequities in access, reduce repeated crisis episodes, and improve participant connection to benefits and ongoing care. This project will alleviate poverty by strengthening access to coordinated services that help participants stabilize health, connect to benefits, and reduce repeated crises that disrupt employment, housing, and income stability. By improving MAAP’s ability to identify barriers and close referral gaps, the community will increase successful linkage to care and supportive resources that are directly associated with improved self-sufficiency for people experiencing poverty.