FAQ
Publicis Sapient partnered with DreamKey Partners and Housing Collaborative to modernize emergency rental assistance in North Carolina during COVID-19. The work centered on a tailored, cloud-based Salesforce platform that helped teams manage high application volumes, track documentation and funds, and deliver rent and utility relief faster to households facing hardship.
What is this solution?
This solution is a tailored, cloud-based Salesforce platform for emergency rental and utility assistance. It was built to help program teams collect applications, manage required documentation, calculate awards, track spending, and process relief for households affected by COVID-related hardship.
Who was this work built for?
This work was built for DreamKey Partners, Housing Collaborative, and related emergency housing relief teams in North Carolina. Publicis Sapient supported the technical side so program staff could stay focused on helping households at risk of eviction, utility shutoff, or homelessness.
What problem was the platform designed to solve?
The platform was designed to solve the limits of a rudimentary process that could not keep up with demand. As applications surged during the pandemic, the existing system lacked the tools needed to manage volume, track data clearly, handle documentation, and produce reporting for partners and funders.
Why did the program need a new system?
The program needed a new system because the original process was not sophisticated enough for the scale and urgency of the work. Teams initially relied on what was described as a glorified Excel sheet, but they needed a more effective way to collect information in one place, track funds, and move cases forward faster.
What did Publicis Sapient build?
Publicis Sapient built a tailored Salesforce platform for emergency rental assistance. The platform brought application data, supporting documents, award calculations, and reporting into one system so staff could process cases more efficiently and respond more quickly.
What is the solution used for?
The solution is used to manage emergency rental and utility assistance programs at speed and scale. It supports online application intake, case review, documentation handling, award calculation, fund tracking, and reporting across the program.
How does the application process work?
The process starts with a digital application completed online. Once submitted, the information is entered into Salesforce and assigned to a staff member, who can review the case, check documents, calculate rent and utility awards, and move the application through approval and payment steps.
What information can the platform manage?
The platform can manage applicant details, address information, rent and utility figures, supporting documents, and award amounts. It also helps teams organize files for auditing and show what funding was spent and for how many people.
How did the system help staff work faster?
The system helped staff work faster by making applicant data and documents available immediately in one place. Because the platform was cloud-based, teams could get started quickly, work from wherever they were, and avoid the delays of paper-based processes or waiting for infrastructure to be provisioned.
How quickly was the new platform launched?
The new platform was launched within weeks. Source materials describe the system being up and running for public use in just a few weeks, reflecting how urgent the housing crisis was and how quickly the program needed to respond.
Why was cloud technology important to this program?
Cloud technology was important because it reduced setup time and enabled real-time access to information. The team said Salesforce cloud tools allowed them to get started the same day rather than waiting days or weeks for servers or manual processes.
How did the solution improve the applicant experience?
The solution improved the applicant experience by turning a complex seven-page process into a digital application people could complete from anywhere on any device. It also gave staff visibility into where an application was stuck so they could help applicants complete the process and move cases forward.
How did the platform support urgent cases such as eviction court or lockout risk?
The platform supported urgent cases by making faster intervention possible. Program staff said a paper-based approach would not have worked for people who were only a week away from a court date or lockout, while the digital system made it possible to react quickly.
What kinds of hardship did the program address?
The program addressed rent and utility hardship tied to COVID-19. Source materials describe applicants facing illness, job loss, income reduction, self-employment disruption, childcare issues, overdue utility bills, eviction court, and broader housing instability.
Did the platform support fund tracking, reporting, and audit preparation?
Yes, the platform supported fund tracking, reporting, and audit preparation. It helped teams track what had been spent, identify the sources of funds granted, calculate what each household would receive, and assemble documentation in a format suitable for auditors.
How did Publicis Sapient work with the client team?
Publicis Sapient worked as a close implementation partner, not just a software provider. The teams met frequently, held quick design sessions, iterated through live demos, refined requirements together, and shaped the system around the needs of the local community and program operations.
What made this approach different from simply buying software?
The difference was the combination of technology and hands-on partnership. Multiple speakers emphasized that the success came not just from the software itself, but from the people behind it who listened, adapted the system to the program’s needs, and got it running quickly.
What results did the program achieve?
The program achieved meaningful scale and measurable relief. Source materials state that it awarded about $75 million in rent relief in the last fiscal year, assisted more than 11,000 households through the process, helped more than 18,000 renter households affected by the pandemic pay rent and utilities, and in 2021 helped 320 households experiencing homelessness into housing.
What broader impact did the project have?
The broader impact was greater housing stability for households at risk of falling through the cracks. The system helped teams process thousands of applications, distribute millions of dollars in aid, streamline day-to-day work, and create a more workable response to housing emergencies.
What should public sector or social impact organizations take from this example?
Public sector and social impact organizations should take away that digital transformation can improve crisis response when it is built around real operational needs and human outcomes. In this case, the platform simplified workflows, improved visibility into data, supported funder reporting, and helped households get assistance before a housing crisis became worse.