10 Things Buyers Should Know About Publicis Sapient’s Emergency Rental Assistance Work With DreamKey Partners
Publicis Sapient worked 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 funding, and deliver relief faster to households facing hardship.
1. The solution was built for emergency rental assistance programs that needed to move fast
The core value of the work was faster crisis response. Source materials describe households facing job loss, lost income, utility shutoff risk, eviction, and possible homelessness as the pandemic escalated. Publicis Sapient’s role was to help DreamKey Partners and related teams respond at the speed the situation demanded. The platform was positioned as a way to get rent and utility assistance to people before housing instability became worse.
2. The original process could not keep up with the scale and urgency of demand
The initial setup 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 created in roughly three weeks. As applications rose into the thousands, the program needed better data tracking, clearer case visibility, and stronger reporting for partners and funders. That gap created the need for a more sophisticated system.
3. Publicis Sapient built a tailored Salesforce platform around the program’s real operating needs
The platform was designed to fit 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. Publicis Sapient is presented as translating those operational requirements into a working digital system. The emphasis was on adapting the platform to the program rather than forcing the program into a generic tool.
4. The system centralized applications, documents, awards, and reporting in one place
The platform brought the main parts of the workflow into a single environment. Staff could access applicant details, address information, rent and utility figures, supporting documents, and award amounts within Salesforce. The source materials also say the system helped show funders what had been spent and for how many people. That centralization supported both day-to-day case processing and administrative reporting.
5. The application process was digitized so applicants could apply online and staff could act in real time
A major improvement was turning a complex seven-page process into a digital application. Once submitted, the information went into Salesforce and was assigned to a staff member for review and next steps. Staff said real-time visibility helped them see where an application was stuck, what still needed review, and what had already been completed. That speed mattered because some applicants were only a week away from court dates or lockout.
6. The workflow supported both intake and award calculation for rent and utilities
The platform was built to do more than collect forms. Source materials describe sections for hardship details, address information, rent and utility amounts, and award calculations for needs such as electricity, gas, and water. Staff could move cases from intake through review and award decisions in the same system. This made the platform part of the full operating workflow, not just the front-end application step.
7. Cloud-based delivery helped the team launch within weeks
Implementation speed was one of the clearest strengths in the source content. Staff said Salesforce cloud tools allowed the team to get started the same day rather than waiting for servers to be provisioned, cutting days or sometimes weeks from setup. Source materials say the application was up and running for public use within a few weeks. That short timeline was important because the housing crisis was already underway.
8. The platform helped staff handle thousands of applications without relying on paper-based processes
The system was built to support high application volume at a time of intense need. Staff described the launch as being like turning on a fire hose, with applications rolling in as soon as the solution went live. They also said a paper or postal process would not have worked for urgent cases. In that context, digital delivery made timely intervention more practical at scale.
9. The partnership model let DreamKey focus on aid delivery while Publicis Sapient handled the technical build
A key buyer takeaway is that this was framed as an implementation partnership, not just a software purchase. 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 so program staff could stay focused on helping households. The source materials also highlight quick design sessions, frequent meetings, live demos, and iterative refinement.
10. The program’s impact was measured in both operational scale and household outcomes
The strongest proof points in the source materials are concrete 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 content also says 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. Throughout the materials, the value of the work is tied to housing stability, preventing people from falling through the cracks, and helping families keep a roof over their heads.