End Street Sleeping Collaborations’ app brings NSW one step closer to reducing street sleeping by 50%

Barhead Solutions, together with the End Street Sleeping Collaboration (ESSC), developed the Microsoft Power App named BNL (“By-Name List”) 2.0, a real-time app to help street sleepers in Australia

Homelessness is heartbreakingly complex; it is a systemic, social and serious problem that government alone cannot solve. Tackling this multifaceted and systemic issue will require collaborative efforts from different sectors as well as a sophisticated technological approach.

The ESSC is a collective impact project of the NSW Government, Institute of Global Homelessness and leading not-for-profit (NFP) organisations to reduce street sleeping by 50% across NSW by 2025 and eliminate it in the state. Initially scoped for the City of Sydney in conjunction with the NSW Premier’s Challenge, the initiative was expanded to the whole of NSW – the only larger-scale implementation in the world.

According to the ESSC’s community report, 240 people were sleeping rough in NSW in November 2022.

Microsoft and Barhead Solutions were tapped to explore solutions that could use technology to help solve the growing problem of street sleeping.

Removing silos and system gaps

With 128 local government areas in NSW, it can be challenging for the ESSC to monitor and implement the methodology across multiple, diverse communities – making it harder to help society’s most vulnerable people. A key component of approaching this issue on a wider scale is understanding the profile, background and circumstances of each person who is street sleeping.

Microsoft and Barhead wanted to use data to help service providers create better outcomes for people street sleeping. Together they built the BNL 2.0 app to capture the data required to understand each person’s story and get them the support they need. It acts as a service coordination and collaboration tool that allows homeless services to have a single view of each person, ensuring  their immediate needs are met – BNL 2.0 is a window into each person’s situation that can help them get the help they need.

“We’re collecting a richer type of information, and it’s a way for us to encourage collaboration across not-for-profit organisations. “ – Stephen Wigney, Technology Lead of the End Street Sleeping Collaboration

On-ground methodology and technology set-up

Frontline staff in homeless services collect information about an individual’s vulnerability and housing needs using the Vulnerability Index & Service Prioritization Decision Assistance Tool (VI-SPDAT). The tool is used when interviewing homeless individuals to understand their housing and support needs. “The BNL 2.0 app, with the VI-SPDAT survey at its heart, helps caseworkers assess a person’s vulnerability,” Wigney noted.

Data security is a key feature of BNL 2.0, and is complemented by the ESSC’s consent process for institutions that are part of the database platform.

Service providers can access homeless individuals’ records in a single app, and update them in real-time; a critical time-saver for volunteers and caseworkers on the ground.

Barhead built BNL 2.0 using the Microsoft technology stack, particularly Dynamics 365, Power Automate and Power BI. Given the ESSC’s emphasis on data confidentiality and the vulnerability of their clients, partnering with Microsoft was an easy choice. With Dynamics 365, the approval process for the records and data gathered on individuals is done securely and efficiently.

“Along with the app, we’ve integrated Microsoft Power Automate with signNow for our onboarding and forms collection process. We’ve used Microsoft Forms for data gathering and collecting confidentiality agreements that go through Power Automate, which then creates users in the Azure Active Directory,” – Stephen Wigney, Technology Lead of the End Street Sleeping Collaboration

Power BI was also embedded into the ESSC’s website; de-identified data drawn from the BNL 2.0 app generates insights on trends – how many people are street sleeping, temporarily housed, etc. – allowing organisations to employ a coordinated approach to housing.

Barhead’s expertise was critical when it came to setting up the initial data structures. Wigney says, “We’ve evolved data and dashboards – they’re really effective. Internally, we can use a greater level of detail to unlock insights and collaborate better.’”

‘“BNL 2.0 is the only real time, multi-agency, multi-sector collaboration and coordination tool in the world. If implemented more broadly, it can empower the not-for-profit sector to mount a coordinated response to tackle homelessness.” – Graham West, CEO of the ESSC

Making the most of the Microsoft ecosystem

Microsoft has long been a great supporter of the ESSC, and Barhead, a multi-award winning Microsoft partner, was selected because of their strong NFP credentials. Thanks to Barhead’s hybrid onshore-offshore delivery model and strong project leadership, the first iteration of the BNL app was delivered within a short period. This partnership has worked wonders for the ESSC in terms of coordinated service delivery and sophisticated technology.

“Dynamics 365 comes with a lot of capabilities and lets you to deliver great functionality, very quickly. Microsoft has been so generous to us, and we can now run a sophisticated system for a very reasonable sum, and Barhead stands out as one of the best partners I’ve ever worked with.“

What’s next for the ESSC?

So far, BNL 2.0 has recorded the stories of around 1,600 people. Given BNL 2.0 is essentially a service and coordination tool, the next step would be to widen the engagement to other organisations. Wigney believes that, if implemented broadly, BNL 2.0 could help the NFP sector coordinate efforts to address homelessness and help the ESSC achieve its goal of eliminating street sleeping across Australia.

“Nonprofits play a key role in addressing complex challenges… Microsoft remains committed to supporting nonprofits such as the ESSC and helping them increase their impact in communities through meaningful, collaborative technology partnerships.” – Erin Burchfield, Global Director, Nonprofit Sector Partnerships, Microsoft Philanthropies – Tech for Social Impact