{"id":2815,"date":"2017-11-02T07:29:29","date_gmt":"2017-11-02T14:29:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/industry\/blog\/uncategorized\/how-cceh-combats-homelessness-with-cloud-technology\/"},"modified":"2019-10-16T02:22:04","modified_gmt":"2019-10-16T02:22:04","slug":"how-cceh-combats-homelessness-with-cloud-technology","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/industry\/microsoft-in-business\/customer-experience\/2017\/11\/02\/how-cceh-combats-homelessness-with-cloud-technology\/","title":{"rendered":"How CCEH Combats Homelessness with Cloud Technology"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n
<\/a><\/td>\nFocus on: Engage Customers, Transform Products
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It\u2019s January 2016 in Connecticut, and it\u2019s cold. It\u2019s the kind of cold that leaves the state\u2019s population of 4,500 homeless people in a tough position. But that doesn\u2019t stop the volunteers and employees at the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness (CCEH) from conducting the Point-in-Time Count, an annual survey that takes place during one specific week of the year that aims to understand homelessness throughout the country.<\/p>\n

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Volunteers are hitting the streets with clipboards in hand to administer paper surveys to the state\u2019s homeless population in hopes of finding clear paths to get them help. However, some of them have trouble getting answers to the questions. The paper survey feels too much like a test or quiz, and contains sensitive questions regarding drug abuse and mental health, which can be intimidating.<\/p>\n

Paper surveys cause a number of security concerns as well. Hard copies have to be carried with volunteers as they navigate streets and shelters to get the data. Once the surveys are filled out they go back to be entered into the system by hand. The process is slow and demanding, and they have a tight deadline to meet.<\/p>\n

Collecting accurate data is critical for CCEH. It allows them to report information to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) so they can get the resources needed to carry on with their mission of eradicating homelessness. This means they need better tools to drive data collection. They need something user friendly, secure, and adaptable. They need a digital solution.<\/p>\n

Fast forward to January 2017 and something truly innovative is happening to help solve the homeless crisis.<\/p>\n

Collecting data for a brighter future <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

After years of collecting data through paper surveys, CCEH partnered with Microsoft to go digital and create the We Count app. The app allows volunteers to fill out surveys from their mobile device to transfer and store data in-real-time on a secure server. This makes the tight deadline of one week to complete the Point-in-Time Count not only more achievable, but more impactful.<\/p>\n

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By partnering with Microsoft, CCEH leveraged Xamarin, a platform that facilitates application development for mobile devices, and Azure, to digitize its data collection, and give workers a modern approach to data collection.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have been really successful this year in using technology to our benefit. It\u2019s 2017 now; we don\u2019t need to walk around with clipboards anymore,\u201d says Brian Roccapriore, Director of Homeless Management Information Systems and Strategic Analysis at CCEH.<\/p>\n

Modern data collection has given CCEH increased capabilities to achieve their goals of showing the true scope of the homeless problem, and take steps to solve it. It has also provided the organization a stronger capacity to connect homeless populations to critical services, as well as unify more homeless youth with their families.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really the success stories at the end of this. It\u2019s youth who got connected to that housing program, the youth who was able to reunite with their family, the one who got the help they needed to get back on track \u2013 that\u2019s really what matters,\u201d says Brian.<\/p>\n

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Watch the video below to learn more about CCEH\u2019s digital transformation and fight to alleviate homelessness.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=_eQE8Q3bn5k&feature=youtu.be<\/a><\/p>\n

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