Let’s say you know someone who has had a tough time of it during the Great Recession. It could be a neighbor, someone in the extended family or someone you’ve come across in the course of your daily business as a real estate broker.

That particular someone lost his job and, after hanging in there for the past couple of years, has finally depleted his savings. Now he and his family are in danger of losing their home. They are depressed and feeling stranded, not really knowing where they are going to be living next month.

You want to help, but don’t have a clue as to where to find the necessary aid. Everyone wants to know where they can turn for help.

The answer to this question will soon come from Aunt Bertha. Or, to be exact, www.auntbertha.com.

The brainchild of Erine Gray of Austin, Texas, Aunt Bertha is intended to be a kind of online social worker, where people can find services for those in need.

Specifically, the site collects all federal, state, county, city and charity program information on need-based services, making it all available to anyone with Internet access.

"Using information we learn about programs, and what we learn from the user, we match people with services," Gray says.

The site is for any need, whether it’s health or education. But during Aunt Bertha’s test phase, Gray saw a lot of people coming to the site for help finding shelter.

"We don’t focus on housing, but it has been a big part of what we do," Gray says. "Very early on, we had several people contact the site saying, ‘I’m facing foreclosure, what can I do about it?’ They were looking for housing programs and in some cases shelters."

The website was launched in June 2011 to serve the Austin area. It has since been rolled out across Texas. Currently, it’s collecting data from localities in Oklahoma, New Mexico and Arkansas. The intent is to roll Aunt Bertha out state by state.

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