IT Governance Business Case
Background
The City of Durham's Community Safety Department (DCSD), through its Continuum of Care (CoC) program, coordinates local homeless services to prevent and end homelessness through collaboration, service alignment, and strategic investment.
DCSD utilizes a Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) to track client intake and assessments, manage coordinated entry processes, record services provided (shelter, outreach, housing placement, etc.), track housing outcomes and program performance, and to generate required Continuum of Care reports. Local municipalities that receive funding from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) are required to maintain standardized reporting. This ensures:
• Compliance with federal funding rules
• Measurement of outcomes (e.g., time to housing)
• De-duplication of client records
• Community-wide data visibility
It is important to note that HMIS is a client record documentation platform. It is not an ERP, financial administration platform, or fund monitoring platform.
Current Business Problem
DCSD currently relies on manual outreach to partner agencies to manage funding availability. Fragmented systems, privacy limitations, and limited real-time visibility into housing funding and funding utilization reduce operational efficiency and hinder timely decision-making. Additionally, the absence of a standardized landlord payment process results in inconsistent experiences and periodic payment delays.
As a result, landlord participation declines due to uncertainty and lack of confidence in the process. This limits housing supply, constrains the City’s ability to optimize resources, increases compliance risk, and makes it difficult to demonstrate measurable outcomes to stakeholders and the public.
Finally, system fragmentation and limited technology mean that staff spend inordinate time ensuring that financial records are accurate. Shifting to a different platform would allow the City (and homelessness providers) to regain staff time and alleviate staff burden.
Current Pain Points
• Fragmented Data Across Agencies
• Privacy & Data Sensitivity (HIPAA / Data Sharing Limits)
• Poor Real-Time Visibility of Funding Availability
• Complex Grant Funding Tracking
• Inability to efficiently pay rents, utilities, move-in fees, and other landlord services
• Inability to embed HUD compliance criteria in technology platforms
• High staff burden in ensuring accuracy of financial records
Future State Benefits
• Unified, Practical Data Ecosystem
• Secure, Role-Based Data Governance
• Live Funding Capacity & Placement Management
• Streamlined Grant Funding Tracking
• Ease of Payments to Landlords and Related Services
• Ease of Compliance with HUD Regulations
• Reduced Staff Burden in Ensuring Accuracy of Financial Records
Strategic Alignment
Analysis and Recommended Solution
Analysis of Proposed Solution:
DCSD needs a housing financial administration solution designed to help homeless services organizations manage the full lifecycle of their housing assistance programs. It should support workflows from eligibility and subsidy calculations to inspections, payments, compliance, financial tracking, and performance reporting. We are looking for a service that provides end-to-end administration and analytics for multiple program models and funding sources.
DCSD currently uses Padmission Connect, a web-based housing search and property management platform that helps the City connect individuals experiencing homelessness with housing opportunities. The City is considering Padmission Journey, a housing financial administration platform offered by Padmission. This solution meets the City’s requirements and would allow for a smoother transition by remaining within the Padmission ecosystem.
Recommended Solution: Identify and implement a financial administration platform for homeless services
Description
Continue the selection process to identify and implement a financial administration platform for homeless services to streamline DCSD's operations.
Pros
• Unified, Practical Data Ecosystem
• Secure, Role-Based Data Governance
• Live Capacity & Placement Management
• Streamlined Grant Funding Tracking
Cons
• N/A
TS Architecture Review
The identified solution will undergo the standard Architecture Review once a vendor is selected.
Cybersecurity Review
The identified solution will undergo the standard Cybersecurity Review once a vendor is selected.
Recommended Solution - Project Financial Estimate
Risk Identification
Mitigation Risk (Costs)
• N/A
Contingency Risk (Costs)
• N/A
Our ask
We are asking the IT Governance Steering Committee to approve and score the business case to implement a Financial Administration Platform for Community Safety. If approved, the business case will be scored, ranked and submitted to the City Manager for final approval.