Technology Makes a Difference in the Fight to End Chronic Homelessness in Atlanta
Gateway Center
By Danielle Duclos, Acculynk

The Challenge
Vince Smith, Director of the Gateway Center, a 24-hour homeless services center in Downtown Atlanta, likes to think of himself and his staff as “case solvers.” Instead of just putting a band-aid on the problem of homelessness with a shower, a meal and a place to sleep, the Center’s mission is to end chronic homelessness by connecting individuals with the specific services they need to move toward self-sufficiency. These services include outreach, intake and assessment, referrals for housing and jobs, counseling, and assistance in accessing mainstream benefits.

Since opening its doors in July 2005, the Gateway Center has served more than 16,000 homeless individuals and statistically, the Center is one of the largest providers of homeless services in the State of Georgia. The Center strives to end chronic homelessness by placing individuals in permanent housing, transitional housing with supportive services, programs with housing connected to it, or re-uniting individuals with their families.

The Center has come a long way since first opening. “Day one, we had no computers, no air conditioning and the elevators did not work properly,” said Smith. In September 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit and the Center was flooded with hundreds of evacuees. The staff went to work, doing intake forms by hand and making calls on behalf of evacuees to other nonprofits and government agencies. “Suddenly we had this community asset that I like to describe as a swift-boat rather than a battleship,” said Smith. “Battleships are huge – they make decisions in a slow style. The Gateway Center, in its infancy, ran up the river and could turn swiftly, but it always knew its ultimate purpose.”

The great influx of homeless individuals so early in the Center’s existence left no doubt that the services and support the organization was founded to provide were sorely needed by the community – and that such need would only continue. Smith knew that to fulfill the Gateway Center’s mission, they would require a streamlined process for taking in and assessing individuals, and a more sophisticated system to leverage in-house and community resources – tools that would help the Center fight the battle of chronic homelessness.

The Solution
The Gateway Center engaged TechBridge to develop and implement a comprehensive 3-year technology plan that would serve as the cornerstone of the Center’s IT system. The immediate task was to install specialized nonprofit software that would allow the Gateway Center to efficiently handle the massive quantity of data generated by the intake and assessment each individual receives upon entering the Center. Over the course of 3 years, TechBridge has helped the Gateway Center further refine and maintain their IT system, and has become their sole source for IT support through:
• Keeping the file servers, connections, email system and website up and running
• Maintaining the system’s security through regular updates and patches
• Creation of new web services, including a Microsoft SharePoint portal for the Center’s board members
• Migration of older IT assets to newer hardware and computers
• Advising Gateway staff on how to most effectively use their IT system
• Twice weekly site visits to the Gateway Center and a 24/7 help desk

TechBridge provides more than just ongoing support, Smith says. TechBridge “brought their relationships to the table” and has helped the Center acquire donated hardware, even assisting the Gateway Center write a grant proposal to IBM for racks and servers.

“What’s great about TechBridge is that they have a powerhouse of resources in the agency that can help us drill down more quickly, efficiently and effectively, and it gives me a sense of peace,” said Smith. Future plans include leveraging TechBridge’s services and the Center’s IT system to facilitate placements among other nonprofit agencies; for example, the Center would be notified in real-time when a bed in another agency became available, and if the individual qualified for placement in that agency.

The Impact
In the current economic crisis, the need for organizations like the Gateway Center is magnified, as more people find themselves out of a job and ultimately, out of a home, for the first time in their lives. Thanks to TechBridge, the Gateway Center has continued operating as a swift-boat – agile enough to respond to changing economic conditions and greater need, but with a solid IT system backing their every move. TechBridge has allowed Smith and his staff to become better “case solvers” and get one step closer to ending the problem of chronic homelessness in Atlanta:

• Just by simply pulling up an intake and assessment form stored on their IT system, the Center was able to locate a 72-year old homeless man from Tennessee and reunite him with his family.

• At the click of a computer mouse, the Center was able to immediately connect a woman and her three children with housing and unemployment services – even a new school – when they were turned out on the street after their landlord failed to pay the mortgage.

• Using their technology platform and TechBridge’s assistance, the Center entered the world of social networking by putting up a Facebook page, which has resulted in $15,000 worth of donated furniture and over 250 members.

“TechBridge is our partner in the IT journey,” said Smith. “They understand our vision and help us maximize the world of technology to accomplish that vision. In five years, I hope that we as a community will have eliminated chronic homelessness. If a good technology system can put us out of work, then so be it.”