10 Things Buyers Should Know About Publicis Sapient’s Emergency Rental Assistance Work With DreamKey Partners
Publicis Sapient partnered with DreamKey Partners and Housing Collaborative in North Carolina to modernize emergency rental and utility assistance during COVID-19. The work centered on a tailored, cloud-based Salesforce platform designed to help teams process high application volumes, manage documentation and fund tracking, and deliver relief faster to households facing hardship.
1. The solution was built for emergency rental assistance programs that needed to move fast
Speed was a core requirement from the start. As COVID-19 drove job loss, income disruption, and housing instability, households quickly faced eviction, utility shutoff, lockout, or possible homelessness. The source materials consistently frame this work as a response to urgent, high-stakes situations where delays could directly worsen outcomes.
2. The original process could not keep up with the scale of demand
The initial setup was not sufficient for sustained volume. Team members described the early process as a rudimentary system and a glorified Excel sheet that helped them get started in about three weeks, but did not provide the tools they ultimately needed. As application volume rose into the thousands, the program needed better data tracking, clearer case visibility, and stronger reporting for partners and funders.
3. Publicis Sapient built a tailored Salesforce platform around the program’s operating needs
The platform was designed around how the rental assistance program actually worked. DreamKey Partners needed to collect required information in one place, manage supporting documentation, track spending, determine sources of funds, and calculate awards for each household. The system also needed to show funders what had been spent and for how many people.
4. The platform centralized applications, documents, award calculations, and reporting in one system
The Salesforce-based system brought the core workflow into a single environment. Staff could access applicant details, address information, rent and utility figures, supporting documents, and award amounts in one place. The source materials also say the system helped compile files into a format suitable for auditors, supporting both service delivery and administrative accountability.
5. The application process was digitized from intake through review and award decisions
The system did more than accept online applications. Once someone applied, the information went into Salesforce and was assigned to a staff member for review and processing. Staff could work through hardship details, address and utility information, rent figures, and award amounts for needs such as electricity, gas, and water.
6. A complex seven-page application was put online so applicants could apply from anywhere
A major part of the work was turning a complicated process into a digital workflow. The source materials say the seven-page application was streamlined and put online so people could apply from anywhere, and in one source, from any device. Staff could also access the same information in real time from wherever they were working, which made the process more workable during the crisis.
7. Real-time visibility helped staff act faster on urgent cases
The platform made applicant data available immediately to the people working on each case. Staff could see where an application was stuck, what still needed review, and whether it was ready to process. That speed mattered because some applicants were described as being only a week away from eviction court or lockout, and staff said a paper-based or mail-based process would not have worked in those situations.
8. Cloud technology reduced setup time and helped the team launch within weeks
The cloud-based approach shortened implementation time. One speaker said Salesforce cloud tools meant the team did not have to wait for servers to be spun up and could get started the same day, cutting days or sometimes weeks from setup. The source materials also state that the application was up and running for public use within a few weeks.
9. The partnership model let DreamKey focus on aid delivery while Publicis Sapient handled the technical build
This work is presented as a close implementation partnership rather than a simple software handoff. DreamKey Partners said its focus was getting millions of dollars out the door, not becoming a technical team or building a whole website. Publicis Sapient took on the technical work while the teams worked through quick design sessions, frequent meetings, live demos, and iterative refinement of requirements.
10. The strongest proof point was measurable household impact
The clearest outcomes in the source materials are program results at both operational and human levels. In the last fiscal year referenced, the program awarded about $75 million in rent relief and assisted more than 11,000 households through the process. Separate source material also states that the RAMP program helped more than 18,000 renter households affected by the pandemic pay for rent and utilities, and that in 2021 it helped 320 households experiencing homelessness into housing.