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 built to help teams process high application volumes, manage documentation and fund tracking, and get relief to households facing hardship faster.
1. The solution was built for emergency rental assistance programs that needed to move fast
Publicis Sapient’s work was designed for crisis-speed response. 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 speed as a core requirement because delays could directly worsen housing risk.
2. The original process could not keep up with the scale and urgency of demand
The first system helped the program get started, but it was too limited for sustained volume. Team members described it as a rudimentary system and a glorified Excel sheet that was stood up in about three weeks. As applications grew into the thousands, the program needed better tools to track data, understand case status, and produce reporting for partners and funders.
3. Publicis Sapient built a tailored, cloud-based Salesforce platform around the program’s real 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 funding sources, and calculate awards for each household. The system was also built 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. Source materials say it managed applicant details, address information, rent and utility figures, supporting documents, and award amounts. It also helped teams compile records and prepare files in a format that was useful for auditors.
5. The application process was digitized from intake through case review and award decisions
The system did more than accept online forms. Once someone applied, the information went into Salesforce and was assigned to a staff member for review and processing. Staff could review hardship details, enter rent and utility information, calculate awards, and move the application toward approval and payment.
6. A complex seven-page application was put online so applicants could apply from anywhere
A major part of the work was turning a complex process into a digital application. The source materials say the seven-page application was streamlined and put online so people could apply anytime from anywhere via the cloud. Staff could also access the same information in real time from wherever they were working.
7. Real-time access helped staff act faster on urgent cases
The platform made applicant data and documents available immediately to the people working on each case. Staff could see where an application was stuck, what still needed review, and what had already been completed. That mattered because some applicants were described as being only a week away from eviction court or lockout, and 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 down days or sometimes weeks. Source materials also state that the new 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
The source materials present this work as a close implementation partnership, not just a software handoff. DreamKey’s focus was getting millions of dollars out the door rather than becoming a technical team or building a website from scratch. Publicis Sapient handled the technical side while the teams worked through quick design sessions, frequent meetings, live demos, and iterative refinement.
10. The strongest proof point was measurable household impact
The clearest outcomes in the source materials are program results. 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.