Eccovia had the opportunity to attend the National Human Services Data Consortium (NHSDC) Fall Conference in Portland, Oregon. The NHSDC conference theme was “Harvesting Connections,” focusing on building robust data alliances to better serve our most vulnerable populations.
A number of Eccovia’s awesome clients presented at the conference, highlighting how they are leading the way with innovative solutions and creating significant changes in human services, as well as the importance of collaboration and data-driven methods in solving community challenges. Among these awesome clients were Topeka/Shawnee County Continuum of Care (CoC) and the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, who showcased groundbreaking projects that improve care coordination and help individuals experiencing homelessness. It was an honor to share in their achievements and support their hard work by attending their sessions.
Enhanced Care Coordination Through Collaboration
The Topeka/Shawnee County CoC presented “Harvesting Harmony: Strengthening the Partnerships Within,” showcasing the innovative collaboration between Topeka’s local Police Department’s Behavioral Health Unit (BHU) and the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS). At its core, this collaboration showcases the larger picture of enhanced care coordination with a specific emphasis on the homeless community.
In this session, speakers Carrie Higgins, Officer Razo, and Hilery Lopez-Foster discussed how the collaboration produced a mobile dashboard through the HMIS that enables efficient communication between the BHU and homeless outreach teams.
The Nitty Gritty: Mobile Readiness Build-Out
Topeka dived into their unique HMIS build-out. Core to their Mobile Readiness needs were:
- Client Tracking
- Outreach Safety
- Protecting Sensitive Client Information
- Kansas Open Records Act (KORA)
Topeka’s Mobile Readiness helps them deliver needed services to the homeless community, particularly where they have congregated in homeless encampments. By looping in law enforcement to provide support in an assistive manner, they were able to build trust between the police’s Behavioral Health Unit outreach members and the people experiencing homelessness, and help figure out where they would be so they could bring the services directly to them.
This effort expands the reach of community programs, enabled by their unique ClientTrack build, which enables them to collect specific data and individual needs, improve quality of data, find out camp locations and track their movements, and improve communication among partners.
Additionally, this initiative has had two major impacts:
- Improvements to Encampment Management. Topeka is better able to locate unsheltered individuals, track camp and individual movement, provide safety notices for outreach workers, and provide superior collaboration among outreach teams.
- Cost Savings. As the old adage says, time is money. Topeka can more effectively manage resources, avoid workload duplication, and provide deconfliction.
For those communities looking to implement similar solutions, check out our webinar with the City of Topeka: Collaboration for Change: A Co-Responders and CoC Care Coordination Model.
| Meet the Speakers | To Learn More |
| Carrie Higgins, City of Topeka Housing Services Division & CoC Lead. Carrie has over 15 years of experience working with families in crisis, motivated by her deep-rooted passion for community service. Rob E. Razo, Topeka Police Department Behavioral Health Unit and Homeless Outreach Officer. Officer Razo has 22 years of service and is attached to the Behavioral Health Unit for the Topeka Police Department. Hilery Lopez-Foster, EAS Program Coordinator and CoC Lead. The Equity Access Shelter Program Coordinator, Hilery, brings her background in advocacy and her dedication to lifting the voices of the unsheltered in Topeka. | To learn more about how the City of Topeka is humanizing the homeless with a co-responder model in our case study. Communities across the United States are piloting new models of community response teams to de-escalate nonviolent behavioral health incidents and coordinate services. Learn more about community response teams. |
Successful Onboarding: A Key to HMIS Implementation
Jeanette Pollock, HMIS Lead Manager of Georgia Department of Community Affairs, accompanied by two Eccovians (Jon Magee and Jesús DeLeón-Serratos), presented “Planting The Seeds to an Optimal Harvest — Onboarding That Leads to Success.”
Streamlining New Agency Onboarding
The process of onboarding new agencies involves a streamlined and efficient method that minimizes unnecessary back and forth, involving key stakeholders from the start. By engaging the CoC admin early on, they gain a comprehensive view of the organizations and can identify potential issues before the setup process begins. This empowers them to confirm or deny requests, effectively minimizing the lead’s involvement until a request is fully validated and ready for execution.
They identified three key areas of streamlining agency onboarding:
- The process for onboarding new agencies and agency participation agreements
- Project set-up request
- Onboarding end users
Implementing Support Framework
One way to elevate your learning experience within your agency or CoC is using a learning management system (LMS). An LMS is like having a super-organized teacher who never misses a beat—if you ever used Blackboard or Canvas or something similar at college, you’ve already used an LMS! An LMS provides consistent training, ensuring everyone learns the right material at the right time. It tracks your progress, ensuring everyone is on the right path. LMS adjusts to new training needs and is a scalable approach to providing knowledge organization-wide.
Additionally, establishing agency admins streamlines the onboarding process for new users and projects by providing a dedicated point of contact for each agency. This role not only ensures a consistent “One Source of Truth,” but also frees up time and responsibilities for directors and system admins by handling tasks like password resets and issue tickets. It empowers agencies to take ownership, effectively managing user access and monitoring setup data.
Agency admin responsibilities include:
- Submitting Requests. Handle new projects, inventory, and services efficiently.
- Managing New Users. Initiate the onboarding process for new users joining the system.
- Password Management. Oversee password changes within the agency to maintain security.
- Disabling Users. Manage the removal of user access as needed.
Successful HMIS implementation relies on streamlined onboarding, involving key stakeholders early to address potential issues efficiently. Using a learning management system and establishing agency admins ensures consistent training, effective user management, and frees up time for essential personnel, leading to a seamless integration process.
| Meet the Speakers | To Learn More |
| Jeanette Pollock, HMIS Lead Manager, Georgia Department of Community Affairs. Jeanette is the HMIS Lead Manager at the Georgia Department of Community Affairs. Her focus is turning data into a powerful story to influence program management and support leaders in making data-driven decisions. Jon Magee, HMIS Administrator, Eccovia. With years of experience as an HMIS admin, Jon is passionate about data and the stories it represents, bringing his expertise to ensure the seamless onboarding and integration of HMIS systems. Jesús DeLeón-Serratos, HMIS Administrator, Eccovia. Bringing a wealth of experience in media, communications, and social work, Jesús applies his diverse skills as a Georgia HMIS Administrator to enhance data-driven service delivery and community engagement. | Learn more about how our ClientTrack HMIS Administrator Services bring efficiency and turn-key ease to managing your HMIS platform, allowing you to focus on your community the way you want to. |
Looking Forward
We are proud to be part of these success stories, reflecting our dedication to supporting our clients in paving the path forward to delivering successful and sustainable human services. The NHSDC 2024 Fall Conference was a great opportunity for us to witness the exceptional work of our clients and other communities reinforcing Eccovia’s commitment to advancing collaboration through a flexible case management solution.
As we reflect on the knowledge and connections harvested at NHSDC Fall 2024, we’re excited to continue building partnerships that enhance our community’s capacity to provide crucial services. Thank you to all conference participants and organizers for hosting an enriching event that paves the way for even greater achievements in human services.
