By Katie Kitchin and Kim Keaton
Welcome to the inaugural post of the new CSH Tech Corner Series! Through this series, we will regularly share news, product features, interviews, and case studies that highlight the impact of technology on the supportive housing field. We hope you find it useful and welcome your ideas as we continue to build out this series.
We Held an Exploratory Convening on Technology and Supportive Housing
Technological innovations, especially those powered with Artificial Intelligence (AI), are advancing so rapidly that it can be challenging for the supportive housing field to thoughtfully evaluate, test, and adopt them. While adopting new technology can be challenging, providers can use these tools to enhance the tenant experience in supportive housing and make it easier for program staff to do their work. Implementing strong data governance policies to protect both client and staff health and personal information can increase staff confidence in using these tools.
In response to the rapid transformation of technology, CSH recently convened a couple dozen supportive housing and homeless system partners who are leaders and/or knowledgeable about the technology and software systems used in the field. These tools include Homeless Management Information Systems (HMIS) and other platforms that help with housing placement, case management, and more. From these conversations, we synthesized key learnings to share with the field.
Top Use Cases to Consider Prioritizing
- Benefits Counseling and Activation: A common barrier to tenant employment is concern about losing disability benefits, especially health insurance. Tools that automate benefits counseling and enrollment could support continuous eligibility and help tenants pursue employment goals. This is especially important as federal support for these programs declines.
- Digital Tools and Client-Facing Portals: There is movement toward consumer-facing digital solutions, but success depends on offering low-tech options and ensuring accessibility for populations with varying digital skills. For example, some clients do not have access to digital devices, email accounts, mobile devices, or regular internet access.
- Documentation and Workforce Productivity: Technology-enabled documentation tools can reduce administrative burden, increase productivity, and help mitigate staff burnout. The overarching goal for implementing AI should be to alleviate administrative workloads, especially documentation. However, due to capacity issues there are challenges adoption and workflow integration.
- Text-Based Support and Telehealth Adjuncts: Providers are increasingly using automated texting services (e.g., appointment reminders, check-ins, and support), especially for crisis intervention (such as local 24/7 call-in lines or the centralized 988 hotline). However, concerns about platform privacy and security need further consideration.
- Automated and Streamlined Consent Processes: Automating care coordination consent, through standardized Releases of Information across partner agencies, can help bridge communication and legal barriers.
- Client Access to Accurate Information: Ensuring clients receive precise and relevant healthcare information remains a priority, with an emphasis on solutions tailored to their specific needs. There is ongoing discussion about how tenants feel regarding the use of AI for documentation, underscoring the importance of transparency and trust. Providers should also be aware of each client’s digital usage, comfort, and literacy and incorporate organization-wide guidelines for technology adoption and change management. Not all populations are technology savvy, so providers should consider solutions that align technology literacy with innovation.
- Data Quality Tools: AI can be used to improve data quality at the point of entry by flagging duplicates, identifying overlapping enrollments, and adding context.
- Decision Support Tools: AI can be used for tenant matching and prioritization, as well as decision support.
- Interoperability: Interoperable digital health platforms that securely exchange information across health, justice, and housing systems will be important for improving health and housing outcomes.
Testing and Evaluating Emerging Digital Tools
CSH is reviewing and evaluating a range of digital tools to better understand their impact on supportive housing. These include tools that screen, assess, and prioritize tenants for housing, as well as tools that support service documentation.
Examples include:
HMIS platforms that offer built-in or customizable tools for supportive housing, such as Caseworthy, ClientTrack, Bitfocus’ Clarity, and WellSky Community Services.
Housing screening tools, such as the Housing Assessment Screening Tool (HAST), inspired by a New Zealand model.
Machine learning approaches used by Utah and Allegheny County, Pennsylvania to prioritize tenants using justice, child welfare, health, and other public system usage data.
Case notes tools and platforms, including CARA, Elios AI, and Ambient AI for notetaking
Leasing tools, such as Padmission, which enables grant administration, referrals and lease-up, compliance, inspection, and other operational functions.
Further reading:
- Why Administering Housing Programs Has Become So Difficult — and What Needs to Change
- Why Continuums of Care Should Centralize Rental Assistance Administration
Electronic health records for claims and service provision, as well as other digital health monitoring tools. While promising, integration, user adoption, and interoperability are still big challenges.
Ongoing support and external funding are critical for bridging these gaps.
Opportunities to Enhance and Improve the Built Environment Through Technology
Technology also presents opportunities to enhance the physical and operational aspects of supportive housing:
- HUD now allows Wi-Fi as an eligible supportive services expense if requested by an owner through the 202 PRAC program, which could open the door to designating Wi-Fi as a utility in other HUD programs.
- Most supportive housing tenants have broadband, and in some cases, health plans provide devices for clients (phones or tablets) that support telehealth use.
- Affordable housing developers are using AI and cameras to capture reporting information required during the construction phase.
- Asset managers increasingly rely on precise, automated reports to track the financial performance of a building, including utility consumption, insurance claims, replacement dates, etc.
- AI-powered leasing agents are becoming more commonly used in the sector.
Key Issues Requiring Ongoing Attention
- Legal and Privacy Barriers: Sharing Protected Health Information (PHI) across organizations remains a significant challenge due to varying requirements and complex release-of-information processes, especially for clients with multiple service providers.
- Staff Concerns and Job Security: Staff have expressed fears about the use of AI, including worries about its broader impact and the possibility of job displacement.
- Data Governance: The need for clear data governance policies came up in different contexts, such as AI use and cross-system data sharing. Partners pointed to a helpful resources from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement on AI governance.
Where Do We Go From Here?
Participants expressed the need for local or statewide systems to commit resources and attention to promoting adoption of technology tools that would improve the supportive housing environment—for both residents and program staff.
The convening group also requested that CSH identify and share best practices for data and AI governance with the field.
In response to these needs, CSH is releasing a Request for Proposals to help advance adoption and learning related to technology tools in supportive housing.
Acknowledgements
CSH extends its thanks to the following individuals who participated in our technology convening:
| Mike Shore and Kevin McKee, Padmission | Michelle Norris, Nsights |
| Jennifer Wilson, ShopWorks | Gaither Stephens, Gaither Dynamics |
| Thomas Garda and Courtney Battle, Housing& | Sarah Scholle, Leavitt Partners |
| Ryan Hertz, Lighthouse | David Lewis, Caseworthy |
| Lars Benson, HKS Government Performance Lab | David Eberbach, Institute for Community Alliances |
| Jeff Ugai, Jim Sullivan and Sarah Dougherty, Bitfocus | Brian Paul and Jennifer Disbro, Adult and Child Health |
| Hannah Olson and Andrea Shields, National Church Residences | Joy Moses and Nicole DuBois, NAEH |
| Emma Beers, The Eviction Project | Adam Ruege, Community Solutions |
