This year’s Foothold Impact Prize Winners went above and beyond in using AWARDS technology to bring the best care possible to their communities. Read their stories of how they used their creativity and passion to improve their agencies’ quality of care:
Catholic Charities of Steuben
Catholic Charities of Steuben has made tremendous strides in inspiring their staff to make client care more holistic. They have been able to track changes in address to identify individuals experiencing chronic homelessness, and then use that information to assist people in finding sustainable homes. With the Charts feature, they were also able to collect information on an individual’s lifestyle to better address the social determinants of health. They have leveraged data visualization through AWARDS to develop their agency’s unique value proposition, which has helped open doors to new funding opportunities.
New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency
NJHMFA has helped countless underserved people in areas where homelessness was previously hidden or unseen. Many suburban and rural areas of New Jersey do not necessarily present with an obvious population of unsheltered homeless. With AWARDS, the agency was able to create a clear picture of housing insecurity in multiple suburban counties of the state. Using the Coordinated Entry function, they also developed waiting lists to keep track of clients and funnel them to the best programs. AWARDS helps their case managers learn about each client’s background before meeting with them in person, allowing them to provide more holistic care.
The Bridge, Inc.
The Bridge, Inc. has been using AWARDS for over a decade, and is still finding new ways to use the software. The agency launched a Change Team model that brought together leadership and staff to create a centralized intake center over the course of 6 months. By tracking all clients and appointments within AWARDS, they were able to provide a high quality experience to clients and referrals calling into the agency. The creation of the intake center has also helped them assess their staffing patterns and ensure adherence to regulations.
Department for Persons with Disabilities
Department for Persons with Disabilities has completely revolutionized the way they do their work. Using the Internal Audits feature, reports of due and overdue items are sent to the appropriate supervisors to action. Additionally, by developing frameworks to help supervisors prioritize work while seeing the big picture, the agency was able to make their daily tasks more effective and strategic. To measure the outcomes of these changes, they use ReportBuilder to analyze their results and identify future improvements.