Clearly someone already has had this good idea: Why not create a website that collects all of the local, state and government assistance programs? (Google.com doesn't count.)

If you're ever in a jam and need help for your family, you could go to this easy-to-use website, see what programs you qualify for and get an idea of how to apply and what you might receive instead of seeking out each program's website individually and filling out dozens of applications. It sounds like a no-brainer until Erine Gray, the founder of Aunt Bertha Inc., explains the very brainy challenges involved in pulling that kind of information together, making it user-friendly and getting the word out to agencies that are typically stretched thin on resources and struggling with limited budgets.

There's so much information from so many agencies spread across a maze of websites that it becomes an endurance test, he says.

"There's almost a paralysis of choice, there's so many choices," says Gray, a trim, young programmer who studied economics and computer science as an undergraduate and has a master's degree from the LBJ School of Public Affairs. "People just can't find stuff. They end up getting scared and intimidated. Agencies are bad at creating their own websites."

Gray is the rare person with programming skills who has actually worked in government. He was a City of Austin project manager and worked at Maximus Inc., which worked on big software projects for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission.

While there, he had the notion of creating something when he saw that he might be able to provide free information to the public, offer application processing to agencies at a lower cost than they currently spent doing it themselves and wrapping it all up in some current-generation web magic.

He says that health care reform changes and the growing number of people seeking out programs like food stamps are creating more strain on agencies unequipped to handle the workload.

"Because of my background working for the state processing those applications, I saw they spend a lot of money. It's a paper-based process. It's not a sustainable growth model," Gray said.

In June 2010, he began working on the site, trying to collect information from 143 Texas need-based programs. Aunt Bertha, he said, was a name he chose to make the site warmer and less bureacratic-sounding.

" ‘Benefits directory' is not really a sexy title," he said. Well, neither is "Aunt Bertha," but he says the name and the site's mascot (who could be mistaken for the late Molly Ivins in cartoon form) is meant to be a sassy, knowledgeable lady, the family member who knows it all and "tells you how it is and doesn't mind setting you straight," Gray said. "I wanted it to be the person people go to when they're in trouble and tell you there's nothing to be ashamed of."

So far, Aunt Bertha serves Central Texas, but is rapidly expanding to offer information for Houston, San Antonio and other major Texas cities with an eye toward expanding nationwide.

It lists about 700 food pantries throughout the state as well as education, housing, employment and health programs.

It can be used anonymously and can calculate benefits based on geographical location or factors like how many members there are in a user's family.

In a search for programs in my ZIP code (outside Austin), Aunt Bertha told me, "Great news, Sugar! There are 62 programs in your area."

That list included Web links, phone numbers, hours, maps and information on how to apply for each program.

Right now, Aunt Bertha consists of Gray, two part-time employees and the crowdsourced knowledge of users who can report incorrect information or add programs that aren't listed (which are then verified by Gray or a staffer). Currently, the site also offers live chats if someone is navigating the site and can't find what he's looking for, something Gray says he'll do for as long as he and his small staff are able as the site grows.

Gray has tried to get the word out to agencies, giving out buttons and cards to organizations like Caritas of Austin and trying to make caseworkers aware of the site's features.

Aunt Bertha isn't a nonprofit. Instead it's a certified "B Corporation," a classification for for-profit businesses whose goals include engaging in social good. Gray says he hopes the site will make money matching up website visitors with job search services and offering application processing to state agencies.

To do that, he says, "I need to get a lot of users. State agencies are typically late adopters. But if we can go to them and say, ‘We recommended 10,000 people to your WIC program last month,' it increases the likelihood we'll get them as customers."

Gray is also working to offer the site in Spanish and, eventually, there will be more mobile-friendly features for those who use cell phones for Internet access instead of computers.

He says the site has become even timelier with the current Occupy Wall Street and Occupy Austin movements.

"It heightens our sense of urgency," Gray said.

"There's more anxiety about the future and we hope to at the very least be a resource to educate people. People can spend less time worrying and more time being proactive before they're in a crisis," he said.

ogallaga@statesman.com; 445-3672