Project
Streamlining BC Rent Bank’s Infrastructure
A project of the Vancity Community Foundation, the BC Rent Bank program was started in 2019 and is scaling to provide services across BC. In order to effectively do so, the program needed a software system to manage applications, case and client records, and details of the loan statuses.
We were fortunate to team up again with the Foundation on these back-end systems, allowing the Rent Banks to be able to focus on what is most important: getting their clients loans and helping to prevent homelessness
A rent bank is a short-term or temporary homelessness prevention tool that helps to provide housing stability for low-to moderate-income renters who are unable to pay rent or utilities due to episodes or emergencies that compromise their ability to pay.
Client
Sector
Civil Society
Foundations
Non-profit
Social Justice
Project Highlights
Development of a case and client management platform that replaces manual intake systems and allows for collaboration between Rent Bank offices
Early rapid prototyping to ensure that the systems are easy to use
Visibility for project leads into statistics and transfers across the Rent Bank network
Services
Rapid prototyping
Web Development
Information Architecture
User Experience Planning
Technologies
Case Management Systems
Content permissions
Drupal
Leveraging technology to support what matters most
For BC Rent Bank to effectively scale and for a reduction in administrative time for staff, software was needed to standardise applications, manage cases and client records, and maintain details of loan statuses. The system we built replaced numerous disparate forms and tools used by individual Rent Banks and put them under one umbrella.
Starting with the application process, we focused on designing and implementing the intake forms for loan applicants - the most important element of the application used by the public. Our rapid prototyping allowed us to test our work early and collect valuable feedback from Rent Bank employees, ensuring the final product fit their exact needs.
Creating a robust system to do the work, freeing BC Rent Bank Coordinators to help people maintain their housing
The software we developed ultimately standardizes the application and case management process across all Rent Banks. It also provides client records, application status tracking, and capacity to add manual logs of client contacts.
Most importantly, it frees up time for Rent Bank Coordinators to be able to focus on their vital work providing loans to help people maintain their housing.
This system will make my work so much easier. I can’t wait to stop using spreadsheets.
- Rent Bank Case Manager
Other Projects We've Done With
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