Maybe you've experienced this before: it's Friday night at the office, and you're trying to make it to your friend's 40th birthday party. However, your client's child had an IEP, you had two case conferences, and you've been driving across town all day for various appointments. You need to finish writing your case notes and uploading them into the system, but your manual workarounds from the outdated software make every task take so long.
60% of case managers complain about their case management systems. If caseworkers aren't consulted before using a new platform, then they can't figure out where important forms and information are. This can waste entire days, leaving your staff pulling their hair out.
There is a better way: user-friendly case management software like PlanStreet was created with social workers in mind. Some organizations require HMIS reporting features, while others simply need an uncomplicated platform to track their client's services. In this article, we'll touch on why case management systems are critical, the challenges faced, and how your nonprofit can choose the right one for your employees.
Why Supportive Housing Organizations Need a User-Friendly Case Management System
Supportive housing organizations need a user-friendly case management system because they have to manage a variety of different services, clients, and nonprofit stakeholders on any given day. They have to track the specific services for their residents, which include:
- Rental assistance to ensure they're able to pay their bills monthly.
- Housing location services to get clients into stable housing as fast as possible.
- Job training to help clients earn a living wage.
- Money management and budgeting skills to help clients build a savings account, equity, and more.
- Transportation assistance to ensure clients reach their doctor's appointments, job interviews, and other critical meetings.
Social workers must track these services for the client's sake to ensure they receive the care they need. Additionally, they must do so for compliance and reporting needs set by local, state, and federal jurisdictions. HMIS has strict reporting guidelines for data collection for nonprofits receiving government funding. Nonprofits with grant funding usually need to keep a log of services and how money was spent on each for annual reports.
Additionally, every social worker has to do more with less. Housing caseworker software can help them handle large caseloads efficiently by streamlining time-consuming administrative tasks, such as filing paperwork.
However, case management software can easily hinder as much as it helps. Outdated, complicated interfaces make it difficult for social workers to find the correct client files, schedule a meeting on a calendar, or see all their important deadlines at a glance.
Common Challenges with Traditional Case Management Software
Traditional case management software has been fraught with challenges, with interfaces that are difficult to learn, compliance risks, limited integrations that keep data scattered across different systems. Newer software makes these time-consuming processes with automation.
Your case workers work hard enough--don't make them work harder with systems that require a steep learning curve. Plus, they may have had bad experiences with software, making them reluctant to try something new.
Outdated software creates something called a data silo, which is when data is stored and managed in different isolated platforms or departments, making it inaccessible. This can lead to inaccurate decision-making, which can be detrimental for nonprofits working in human services. Additionally, it makes it difficult to use reporting tools that can better assess the data.
Out of all of these issues, the most concerning is compliance risks. If case worker documentation contains errors, like accidentally adding an extra zero to the number of clients serviced in a year or failing to meet record-keeping requirements, the nonprofit could be penalized. Funding could be removed, or they could be subject to legal action.
What to Look for in an Easy-to-Use Case Management System
43% of organizations lack processes to make UX decisions based on user feedback. This is certainly true in the nonprofit sector--case workers don't have time for trial and error. A case management system for housing organizations should have all of the following.
A Clear-to-Understand Dashboard
The dashboard appears on opening when a case worker starts case management software. The following should be easy to see and use:
- How to switch between different features.
- A comprehensive overview of important metrics, including active cases, overdue tasks, and pending reports.
- Current updates on case progress.
- Customization so that each employee can make their dashboard fit their needs.
PlanStreet's simple yet powerful dashboard includes a case board that outlines each need area for a client and what services are currently offered to them. You can enroll and track their attendance, making it easy to see what's working and what's not.
Automation and Workflows
Automation has been a game changer for workers in the knowledge industry (think physicians, pharmacists, architects, engineers, etc.). 66% of them have seen an increase in productivity with automation tools. Case managers can benefit from social services case management software with automation features, reducing manual case tracking and reporting work. Some of these features include:
- Automated task management: Prioritizes tasks based on previously set rules, so that case managers can assess their workload and make changes to deadlines if needed.
- Real-time notifications: Case managers can receive alerts for critical workday tasks, including due invoices, task completion, and inventory updates.
- Customizable workflows: Case managers can customize the case management process to meet their needs and re-use templates to speed up assigning which team members are in charge of which task.
Mobile Accessibility
91% of Americans own a smartphone. Meet your employees where they're at with case management software that works on their cell phones. This allows them to update records onsite with a client, rather than drive back to the office and do everything manually.
Seamless Integrations
Housing caseworker software sometimes requires specific integrations to comply with data security rules. Here are a few of the common ones that you'll see:
- HMIS: Ensures your nonprofit remains compliant with HUD.
- Funding Sources: Nonprofits can accept donations through digital platforms like Stripe, Paypal, and Square.
- QuickBooks: This makes it easy to track your budgets with critical information from your case management software. Automations like emails into action items simplify administrative work for your team.
Double-check that the case management software offers strict data protection standards, whether you work with HUD or not. Specifications to look for include HIPAA compliance and FedRAMP compliance.
Does Your Organization Need HMIS Integration?
Your organization needs HMIS software if you receive HUD funding. An HMIS integration ensures that you maintain compliance with extensive HUD requirements. The right integration should do the following:
- Meet HMIS Data Standards: Universal data elements, program-specific data elements, and metadata elements are all required.
- Automate HUD Reporting: This is required to collect information from projects, which creates the basis for need analysis and funding priorities.
- Minimize Duplicate Data Entry: HMIS software can flag when a client has been enrolled, preventing duplicate record creation.
- Simplify Grant Compliance: Grant management tools allow your team to easily disperse money from a grant at a micro-level to keep tight control of the budget.
Of course, HMIS integration is not required for nonprofits that rely exclusively on private grants or donations. An easy-to-use case management software is still beneficial for tracking your services, maintaining detailed client records, and creating better staff workflows. And there is always the chance that your nonprofit may secure HMIS funding in the future. Choosing an option now with the integration ensures you're prepared for any funding scenario.
How to Choose the Best Case Management System for Your Organization
The best way to choose a case management system for your organization is to make a list of questions based on your nonprofit's needs. Some examples include:
- Does it integrate with HMIS?
- Is it easy to use?
- Does it reduce paperwork and automate tasks?
- Does it offer the right security and compliance features?
- Can the interface be customized per user?
- Can the software be used remotely from cell phones?
- Is there online or ongoing training available?
- What is the cost of the plan?
Once your question list is complete, schedule demos with your top five choices. This gives you the opportunity to ask software experts questions and see the software in action, giving you a sense of its usability.
Try PlanStreet's Stress-Free Case Management Software
Housing and homelessness case managers shouldn't be wasting their time on administrative tasks. PlanStreet's HMIS software for supportive housing allows social workers to focus on what matters most: planning services and caring for their clients.
With PlanStreet, your team receives:
- A customizable interface for easy adoption.
- HUD reporting and customizable reporting tools for data-driven decision-making.
- A form builder with time-saving data validation and conditionality features.
- Coordinated entry that can be customized to match your continuum's model.
- Automated data entry to minimize errors.
Schedule a live demo with our team today to see our customers say our software exceeds their expectations for supportive housing case management.