Success Stories
New Case Management Module Gets High Marks
“We honestly don’t know how we ever lived without it,” laughed Jill Shoemaker, Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) coordinator for Oakland County. She was talking about the Case Management Module within the HMIS system. “We were actually one of the first to implement the system and have been using it for about a year now. A lot of the other service providers are just now starting to use it.”
Shoemaker is very clear that the system not only works; it works very well. She said Oakland County’s Community Housing Network began using the Case Plans Module within the HMIS software as a way to consistently enter client case plans, case notes, service transactions, and referrals. “All of our field staff can immediately enter their case notes, even when they are meeting with a client. This makes it easier for everyone involved – including our clients.”
Now the system houses complete case information and can be accessed very quickly with the web-based software. “Using a single point of entry for clients in our permanent supportive housing programs has allowed staff members to complete case management tasks from virtually anywhere. We can also gain access to crucial documents with the touch of a button,” said Shoemaker. “That’s something that would often take days with the old system.”
She wants everyone in the Campaign to End Homelessness to know the system works. It also saves Shoemaker’s department time and money. “This paperless system has made client interaction run so much more smoothly. It has made data entry more accurate, cutting intake time in half, which leaves more time for staff to effectively assist people with critical needs.” Using this new and efficient technology has indeed yielded a lot of measurable outcomes, such as reducing the time needed for lease signing from two hours to one. The time it takes for printing, copying and mailing important documents went from about one hour with the previous system down to 15 minutes. Shoemaker further commented, “All of this reduction in time just helps us more effectively manage every project.”
The system has increased the number of supervision monitoring performance initiatives from five per week to 15 per week, via virtual team meetings. In addition, case notes now can be updated in one hour, instead of 24.
Jill said there was some resistance to the system when the Community Housing Network committed to using it, but with a little training and practice, all reservations have completely disappeared. “All of our staff members who now use the system every day absolutely love it!”
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