Case study / Government / Community resource navigation
Navigate Hamilton County: community resource navigation software for residents, navigators and providers
Navigate Hamilton County is community resource navigation software for residents of Hamilton County, Indiana. Logic Square built and hosts it: resource search, ZIP code and resource type filters, a request flow that connects residents to a live navigator, provider listing and approval, and content management. Residents find food, housing, behavioral health and other local support, with a person available when self service search is not enough.
- Client
- Hamilton County, Indiana (Navigate HC)
- Sector
- Government, community services
- Status
- In production at navigatehc.org, hosted by Logic Square
- Usage
- Founder’s estimate of about 2,000 to 5,000 monthly users
- In development
- Vector search for better resource matching
- Credentials
- HUBZone certified, SAM registered
01 / The Challenge
Help exists. Finding it is the problem.
A county’s community resources, food, housing, health and employment support, are spread across dozens of organizations and websites. The resident who needs them is often in the worst position to hunt for them: stressed, short on time, maybe on an old phone. And the providers who offer help need a practical way to be found.
The platform had to serve all three without making anyone learn how county services are organized.
02 / The Decision
Digital discovery, with a human path built in
A directory helps people identify options. It does not help the person whose need does not fit a search box. So the platform pairs self service discovery with an explicit route to a person, and gives providers their own way in. Simple navigation was a usability decision for a resident in a difficult moment, not an aesthetic one.
03 / What We Built
Three ways in: find help, get help, give help
Resident path
- 01
Choose a need. Food, housing, behavioral health and other support, filtered by resource type.
- 02
Filter. Narrow results by ZIP code.
- 03
View resources. Local options in one place.
Assisted path
- 01
Need guidance.
When a search is not enough.
- 02
Request a navigator.
The request and connection journey reaches a live navigator. Demand has at times required additional navigator support, including university students.
- 03
Next steps.
A person helps work out where to go.
Provider path
- 01
Local organization. A service provider in the county.
- 02
Join the database. Submit a listing.
- 03
Approval and discovery. Listings are reviewed and approved, then appear in the directory.
Scope
Logic Square implemented the resource search, ZIP code and resource type filtering, the navigator request and connection journey, provider listing, onboarding and approval, content management, and hosting.
What is next
A vector search upgrade is in development to match residents to relevant resources more accurately. It is not live yet.
04 / Engineering Notes
Public software that has to work for everyone
Built on the MERN stack: MongoDB, Express, React and Node.js, hosted by Logic Square. Plain navigation, a directory that has to stay current, and a path to a human, designed for residents who are not technical and may be on a slow connection.
05 / Results and public adoption
A county resource platform, in production
- Built for Hamilton County, Indiana, purchased by the county government, and in production at navigatehc.org.
- Listed by the county. The Hamilton County Health Department’s community resources page links to Navigate Hamilton County, as does the Parks and Recreation department’s community resources page.
- In use by thousands of residents. The founder estimates roughly 2,000 to 5,000 users a month.
- In the county’s plans. The county health department described the service in its 2025 newsletter, and the 2025 to 2028 Community Health Improvement Plan includes an objective to expand its reach.
Building a public resource or community services platform?
Book a Strategy Call06 / Who this pattern fits
Any organization whose job is connecting people to services they cannot easily find: county and city governments, human services agencies, nonprofit networks, universities running student support portals, employers running assistance programs.
A directory is not a service; making sure the stuck person reaches help is the whole job. More on how we approach software for government and public services.
FAQ
Common questions
What is community resource navigation software?
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The Information and Referral field also calls this resource navigation: software that helps people find local services by need and location, reach a human navigator when search is not enough, and lets providers join or update the resource network. Navigate Hamilton County is one, built and hosted by Logic Square for the county.
Who uses Navigate Hamilton County?
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Residents looking for help, navigators who guide them, and local organizations that want to be listed. The county links to it from its official community resources page.
How many people use it?
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Thousands of residents. The founder estimates roughly 2,000 to 5,000 users a month.
Does the platform give medical or legal advice?
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No. It helps residents find and reach local resources. Crisis support routes to 988.
Does Logic Square work with government?
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Yes. Logic Square is HUBZone certified and SAM registered, and Navigate HC is a county purchased platform in production.
