Meet the Filip app

The Filip program is divided into four categories and each of them addresses a different area in which people from excluded communities need help – housing, debt resolution, employment and financial goals. Each family involved in the Filip program received a mentor with whom they set goals for 2-3 years ahead. They meet with this mentor at least twice a month in order to set out on the path of fulfilling their goals or to solve an urgent situation. Every six months, they will then evaluate the progress made together. And here we come to the Filip application.

Filip for mentors

The Filip app is used by mentors (who are supported by two project managers) and they have the categories and their activities clearly divided in it. For example, the application contains card files with data on families and family members, their financial and employment situation. Through the app, mentors not only have access to all important information about family members, but they also monitor the progress achieved (or stagnation/regression) for a given period for each person who participates in the program.

Housing

The problem that immediately arose when dealing with households´ finances was housing. Almost every household needed to deal with something related to housing, for example with the completion of a bathroom, roof repair, replacement of windows or legalization of the house. This housing solution process is also divided into phases in the app (from bad conditions to determining the plan to fulfilled goals).

Debts and financial literacy

Debt is a sad part of the lives of these families that the mentors help. Financial literacy is not widespread in the settlements and it is known that many of their inhabitants have found themselves in an endless spiral of overpriced loans, non-payment of insurance or even usury which further sinks them into the mire of poverty. Cesta von therefore helps them gain knowledge about finances and teaches them how to manage their money and not fall for dubious practices. The Filip app allows mentors to map debts, it is integrated with the database of debtors, so mentors can easily find out how each member of the household is doing – where, to whom and how much he/she owes, whether he/she is subject to distrainment (the app also contains a database of distrainors and also lawyers who can help the family). In addition to the data from the debtor database, the mentors also add data to the app about other debts that family members provide them – for example, for unpaid loans to non-bank entities, telephones or electricity. The application also allows managing family finances, i.e. an overview of all income and expenses (for energy, food, debt repayment etc.). The debt solution is divided into five phases in the app, and for each debtor it is indicated which stage they are in (unknown debts, debt mapping, reducing the debt burden, in the process of debt relief, stabilization).

Employment and financial goals

Mentors also help families in contact with institutions (often a problematic relationship) and are also helpful in finding and maintaining a job. Data on the employment and income of each household member are listed in the application and the mentor thus has an overview of the situation of each family. The employment category is also divided into phases for each program member (from unemployment through job preparation and job search to legal work and its maintenance) and the same applies for the financial goal of each individual (from the absence of financial awareness to the creation of a plan and behavior change to financial stabilization).

Exchange of experiences

Through clear graphs, the mentors can track the progress of each family in improving their financial, debt or employment situation. In addition, mentors actively meet with each other and exchange experiences and tips which naturally improves the running of the program. They consult their work not only with project managers but also with experts – their contact list is directly in the app. They have been actively using the application since the summer, and according to people from the Cesta von, it has significantly simplified and accelerated the mentors' work.