Applying for government benefits can be complicated. Between eligibility requirements, lengthy applications, and renewal deadlines, accessing assistance can be difficult for someone already managing financial or health challenges. Missing a single document or deadline can mean losing benefits they still qualify to receive. 

That’s where Maya Crystal, The Ark’s new Benefits Navigation Specialist, comes in. 

In this new role within Client Services, Maya helps clients identify government benefits they may qualify for, complete applications, and keep track of renewals. Her work also gives case managers more time to address the other challenges their clients face. 

From Volunteer to Staff Member 

Maya first came to The Ark in fall 2025 through Repair the World’s Service Corps, a program connecting young Jewish adults with local volunteer opportunities. 

She started by sorting food donations following the High Holidays. Soon after, she was given a different assignment: creating a guide to state and federal benefits that case managers could use with clients. 

Maya researched eligibility requirements, application processes, and renewal deadlines, compiling everything into a detailed resource. But as she worked, she began wondering whether there was a simpler way to organize and share that information. 

“There must be a better way to convey this information,” she remembers thinking. 

Months later, Maya came across The Ark’s posting for a Benefits Navigation Specialist in a volunteer newsletter. 

“This job is all these different things I enjoy rolled up into one,” she says. 

With a background in political science and informatics, along with experience in constituent services and public affairs, Maya saw a chance to combine her interests in technology, advocacy, and working directly with people. 

Making Benefits Easier to Access 

One of Maya’s first projects as a staff member was developing the software application she had imagined while volunteering. 

The program uses basic household information to identify more than 10 government benefit programs a client may qualify for, including SNAP, Medicaid, utility assistance, childcare support, and tax credits. It also helps identify potential property tax exemptions and provides a list of documents needed to apply. 

By organizing eligibility information in one place, the application makes it easier to identify possible programs and prepare the necessary documents without requiring clients to navigate another complicated system. 

Maya then meets with clients in person to work through the applications together. 

Her work can make a difference beyond simplifying paperwork. Access to benefits like SNAP and Medicaid can help clients manage the costs of groceries, healthcare, and other necessities, providing greater financial stability. 

Maya has already helped clients receive approval for SNAP food assistance and Medicaid coverage. She’s also helping clients access programs they may not have known were available to them. 

Recently, Maya helped a client enroll in Illinois’ Benefit Access Program, allowing him to renew his license plate sticker for $10 instead of $151. That $141 savings reduced an expense he would otherwise have had to manage. 

For another Ark client, Maya’s assistance made a difficult application process much easier. 

“Maya made an otherwise formidable series of applications entirely comprehensible and completable and I am so grateful to you for that.” — Ark Client 

Helping Clients Maintain Their Benefits 

Maya’s work doesn’t end when an application is submitted. Many government benefits require regular renewals, and missing a notice or deadline can interrupt assistance. 

She’s working with colleagues to improve how The Ark tracks benefits and renewal dates in Salesforce, making it easier to contact clients before their coverage or assistance lapses. 

Maya also follows policy changes and participates in advocacy efforts to help staff stay informed as government benefit programs evolve. 

Although the position is still new, Maya has a clear vision for what she hopes to accomplish. 

“My ideal vision is that one day all of The Ark’s clients will be receiving all of the benefits they are eligible for,” she says, “and that they will receive those benefits continuously.” 

What began as a volunteer assignment has become a new way for The Ark to help clients access financial assistance and maintain the benefits they rely on.