Our Collaborative Commitment to Improving Access to Support: Ask Izzy’s Journey Since 2021
For someone facing financial hardship, homelessness or family violence, finding the right support can make a critical difference. But navigating a complex service system isn't always easy, particularly when someone is experiencing multiple challenges at once.
That's why Infoxchange continues to maintain and improve Ask Izzy, our free and anonymous website connecting people with housing, food relief, financial assistance, counselling and other essential services across Australia.
Since our last major update in 2021, we've worked alongside communities, researchers, government and corporate partners to make Ask Izzy more accessible, responsive and effective. From improvements shaped by lived experience to exploring how artificial intelligence (AI) can support better referrals, our commitment remains the same: making it easier for people to find the help they need, when they need it.
Improving Ask Izzy with the communities we serve
The people who use Ask Izzy are central to how we design and improve it.
In 2021, we established (what is now known as) the Community Advisory Group (CAG) bringing together people with diverse backgrounds and lived experiences to help shape the platform.
Their contributions have informed accessibility improvements, navigation testing and new features.
In September 2022, we introduced My Lists, allowing frontline workers and service providers to create and share tailored lists of relevant services with people seeking support.
These improvements reflect our belief that effective technology must be designed with the people who use it, not simply for them.
Reaching more people through partnerships
We've continued working with partners to ensure Ask Izzy reaches people who might otherwise struggle to find support.
Through our longstanding partnerships with Telstra and Vodafone, people can access Ask Izzy without phone credit or Wi-Fi on participating mobile networks.
Our partnership with oOh!media has enabled significant public awareness. What began as an outdoor advertising campaign across Melbourne in 2022 grew into a nationwide initiative, bringing Ask Izzy into public transport locations, retail precincts and communities across Australia.
In April 2023, HESTA partnered with Infoxchange to introduce a dedicated Ask Izzy referral pathway for members experiencing financial hardship or crisis. More than 3,500 HESTA members accessed Ask Izzy following its launch, exceeding initial expectations.
We've also supported corporate call centre workers, librarians and hardship assistance teams through the Ask Izzy Connect program, a training program designed to help staff recognise when customers are experiencing hardship and connect them with appropriate support.
In 2024, Ask Izzy participated in the Greater Melbourne Foundation (GMF) (formerly known as the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation) GIVE Melbourne campaign, raising awareness and funds for critical community needs during the cost-of-living crisis, and GMF continues to support improvements to the infrastructure.
Together, these partnerships are helping connect more people with support, often through organisations they already know and trust.
Exploring how AI can make finding support easier
We're also exploring how emerging technology could make Ask Izzy more responsive to people's individual circumstances.
With support from Google.org, we've collaborated with the University of New South Wales (UNSW), including Chief Scientist Professor Toby Walsh, alongside Data61 and CSIRO, to investigate how machine learning could improve service recommendations.
Someone escaping family violence, for example, might search for crisis accommodation without knowing that other services could help them access a phone, children's essentials or additional support.
Our research explores how patterns in previous searches could help identify relevant services that someone might not otherwise discover.
The initial algorithmic prototype provides a foundation for a working proof of concept within Ask Izzy, with testing informed by people with lived experience.
Importantly, we're examining privacy, fairness and potential bias throughout the process. Historical data can reflect existing inequalities, making careful testing and human oversight essential.
Alongside Telstra's Emerging Technology team, we've also been experimenting with ways to improve the experience for people who face digital barriers, including those with limited digital confidence, people who speak English as a second language and those experiencing literacy, vision or dexterity barriers.
Building a more connected homelessness response
In May 2025, our commitment to connecting people with support extended to Western Australia through the launch of Find My Way.
Developed for the WA Department of Communities alongside Anglicare WA, Third Story and Anthologie, Find My Way is a mobile-friendly portal helping people experiencing or at risk of homelessness find accommodation and support.
The platform integrates Ask Izzy and its underlying service directory infrastructure with Infoxchange's Specialist Homelessness Information Platform (SHIP), allowing people to search for services, securely store information and choose to share it with providers.
By reducing the need to repeatedly tell their story, Find My Way demonstrates how connected technology can support a more coordinated, person-centred service system.
The platform recorded nearly 10,000 searches within its first few months and received the Impact Partner of the Year award at the 2025 Shared Value Awards.
Continuing to improve access to support
From community-led design and new referral tools to research partnerships and more connected service systems, Ask Izzy has continued to evolve.
As demand for essential services grows, we'll keep working with our partners and the communities we serve to improve accessibility, strengthen referral pathways and explore responsible innovation.