A quarter of Americans still don’t have Internet access at home. Some of the communities with the most needs also have the lowest civic engagement. These are two problems confronted by Asher Novek, an employee of the City Comptroller, who developed the texting platform Heartgov while completing his Master’s degree at NYU, according to Tech President.
In March, Novek began testing HeartGov in parts of Brooklyn, primarily Crown Heights and Ditmas Park.
“I picked areas of Brooklyn where there are lower levels of community engagement but higher levels of community pressure,” Novek told techPresident.
Some of the officials and organizations participating in the experiment are Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, Community Board 14, Midwood Development Corporation, Flatbush Development Corporation, Flatbush Junction Business Improvement District, and Heights and Hills.
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