This post is a summary of the linked case study about Connected Communities of WinnCompanies implementation of Bonterra Impact Management (fka Apricot by Social Solutions Global, Inc.). Sidekick Solutions was the contractor for initial implementation and continues to support Connected Communities of WinnCompanies expansion of the solution.

Background

Connected Communities is a national leader in affordable and mixed-income housing-based supportive services, working with local, regional, state and national service partners to help create lasting change in communities around the country. It functions as the social impact arm of WinnCompanies, one of the nation’s largest operators and developers of affordable, mixed-income and market-rate housing.

Seeking and securing affordable housing is traditionally very rigid. Beyond the housing itself, barriers to accessing resources, programs and support to help individuals and families are often burdensome as well. Connected Communities seeks to address this problem by connecting members of the communities it serves with high-touch wraparound support services in six targeted areas: Housing Stability, Education, Employment, Community Engagement, Health and Economic Mobility through a large and growing network of partnerships with community-based organizations (CBOs).

The team began leveraging a case management tool to store and analyze the data it was
collecting, but there were still many hurdles that limited real-time understanding of service and program outcomes. It was essential to integrate property management, case management and program management tools internally to maximize service delivery. Additionally, Connected Communities’ initial case management tool was structured in a way that enforced a lot of question asking but not a lot of response on an individual level. They needed a solution that was manageable and allowed them to organize their days efficiently, putting their staff in the driver’s seat so that information led to thoughtful decision making when working with individual residents.

Solution

Connected Communities selected Bonterra Impact Management (fka Apricot). Sidekick Solutions was the contractor responsible for initial implementation and configuration of the Bonterra Impact Management (fka Apricot) platform.

Implementation of Bonterra Impact Management streamlined data storage, data entry, analysis and reporting, restoring the integrity of its data so that it could gain the momentum needed to improve trust with residents and communities. Staff use the tool not only for data entry but as a method of coordinating their days in a way that is manageable, efficient and organized.

Connected Communities utilizes Bonterra Impact Management to show “links in the chain” to its partners—demonstrating how, for example, increased enrollment in early education and after-school programs removes a barrier to employment for families while greatly benefiting educational outcomes for children. Furthermore, the data and reporting features of Bonterra Impact Management are versatile. The dashboards illustrate indicator and outcome changes for specific groups of people, the gaps and service needs that should be addressed and by when, allowing the organization to move the needle on specific outcomes more effectively because they can understand what is working in real time and what isn’t.

Additionally, the solution has achieved the following features:

• Resident Dashboard
  • Developed a T2 form within the T1 Resident’s documents folder to track indicator status over time
  • Dashboards created quarterly for all head-of-household residents with an import/export procedure that rolls over the previous dashboard’s data
  • Data stored on the dashboards is updated periodically with Zapier automations, mapping data from the T1 Resident Information Page, T2 Annual Resident Profiles, and T2 Service Activities
  • Enables Connected Communities to track specific indicators (e.g., rent, healthcare, and employment status) and how this data changes over time
• Impact Report
  • Comprehensive (i.e., “one report to rule them all” style) report delivered with Results Reporting
  • Impact data from Resident Dashboards is visualized using charts to highlight improvements over time and exported as a PDF for reach property Connected Communities supports
  • Reports in aggregate service activities, progress towards annual service plans, “Our Shared Impact”, and performance measures (e.g., residents who received request follow-up within 15 days; percent of positive service activity outcomes)
• HUD SfS Report
  • For 2022 and 2023 reporting cycles, Results Reporting enabled Connected Communities to export a .csv file for uploading the required data for HUD Standards for Success (SfS)
    PowerBI with DWS
• Connected Communities partnered with Sidekick Solutions to implement its Data Warehouse offering (DWS) for Bonterra Impact Management
  • Enables Connected Communities end users to report on their data with PowerBI
  • Solution is in progress, with deployment targeted for 2024

The flexibility of Bonterra Impact Management software played a key role in the successful and seamless integration with WinnCompanies’ property management platform RealPage. With the integration, Connected Communities’ field team of community coordinators can now easily organize and store electronic records and other digital compliance documents for its residents as well as automate service requests and manage asset conditions straight from the solution dashboard.

Outcomes

• Developed an intuitive user experience based on the workflow of its team members; the platform changes based on the evolution of the staff’s most pertinent needs
• Improved data integrity with all case information, planning and delivery in one easily accessible system, including demographic information (e.g., income, language, education)
• Efficiently identify gaps in programming, locate opportunities for engagement, articulate programs that are working better than others and help build trust with partners
• Integration of RealPage and Bonterra Impact Management eliminates interruption of the provision of services and assures consistency of information
• Enable staff to make referrals directly through Bonterra Impact Management and follow up with individuals and partners to ensure every touchpoint is supported; led to faster response times with individuals and a deeper level of trust with residents

As it thinks ahead, Connected Communities plans to utilize Bonterra Impact Management to develop a way for a core network of affiliates and partners to collaborate with one another and share information on affordable housing and related support services.