Virginia Nonprofit Streamlines Fair Housing Enforcement With New Case Management System

Housing Opportunities Made Equal of Virginia, Inc. (HOME of VA) is a nonprofit, HUD-approved housing counseling agency. HOME of VA was founded to enforce the Fair Housing Act in Virginia, and it tackles systemically discriminatory housing practices through fair housing enforcement, research, advocacy, and statewide policy work. The organization also assists first-time homebuyers and those facing foreclosure.

HOME of VA’s multi-faceted approach to advancing fair housing in Virginia depends on connecting data across programs to keep the office organized and on track. Quick, easy access to that data is essential — not just for managing daily operations, but for reporting to funders such as HUD.

Before implementing LegalServer, simple tasks often took an excessive amount of time because HOME of VA had no case management system. Data was scattered across email, spreadsheets, and an Access database. Reports lacked necessary information and took hours of manual work to assemble — and once built, they were nearly impossible to modify. With LegalServer, reports can now be modified in minutes and generated in seconds.

“Easily connecting data across the office to have more visibility into what’s going on is huge for us in managing work and making decisions faster,” said Abigail George, HOME of VA’s Director of Enforcement and Investigations. “We’re now able to tell a much better story to our funders and donors.”

LegalServer’s automation and organization have also improved the timeliness of client service. Through LegalServer’s Online Intake, applicants fill out a customized form on HOME of VA’s website, significantly reducing data entry for intake staff. Because many agencies across Virginia use LegalServer, the Electronic Case Transfer module allows partner agencies to easily transfer fair housing cases to HOME of VA. A dashboard of incomplete intakes gives staff visibility to ensure client requests have the proper information before assignment.

The communication necessary to track housing enforcement outcomes is another efficiency improvement with the system. With LegalServer having a unique email address automatically created when the case is opened, Home of VA can better track the progress of filed complaints by forwarding email updates and documents directly to the case. Communication amongst the team is also enhanced by relating cases with each other, which allows HOME of VA to track and report broad systemic outcomes across multiple cases.

Having a better handle on our work and being more efficient in delivering on our mission feels really good. The quality of our service delivery is greatly enhanced by having our data all in one place.

With a system that lets HOME of VA independently make site changes, the organization now controls its own case management setup and no longer has to rely on outside help.

With LegalServer freeing up staff time once spent on manual data work, HOME of VA can focus more of its energy where it matters most — enforcing fair housing law and serving Virginia families in need.

To see how bold technology can empower your housing counseling agency book a demo today.