In FY 1994-95, City Council authorized the purchase and implementation of the Automatic Case Management Systems (ACMS) CaseWatch computer software for tracking clients using homeless services funded by the City. This system made it possible for the City to count, for the first time, the number of unduplicated homeless individuals served through the many programs it funded as well as track the clients= outcomes (e.g., job placement, school enrollment, permanent housing). This ability in turn reduces the duplication of services provided to the same client. It also reduces the client and case manager=s need to re-register client information at any subsequent service provider once the individual is registered in the system. The system also provides for greater coordination of services, as each service provider can see each client=s case plan (with the client=s consent) and determine the services being provided by each agency. The system=s standardized case management tools have required a high level of accountability from programs providing services and, thus, have improved the quality of case management throughout the system. At the time the system was purchased, ACMS was the only vendor which provided software capable of tracking clients over a Wide Area Network (WAN), which was a necessary specification for linking the variety of homeless service programs which the City funded. Since November 1996, a grant through HUD=s Supportive Housing Program has funded the installation and maintenance of the ACMS system.

While the current ACMS software met the City=s needs in 1994, there has been a need to upgrade the system. Most significant are the following: (1) reports have not attained 100% accuracy due to programming difficulties; (2) the system is written in an antiquated database language no longer used in the computer industry which slows report generation; (3) the system is DOS-based (keyboard-driven, rather than mouse-driven) and has thus presented obstacles for staff; (4) the amount of training time and level of technical support needed has been high; and (5) the current version of CaseWatch is not Windows-compatible, and a Windows version of the ACMS software has been indefinitely postponed. Finally, a survey of agency staff who use the CaseWatch system identified dissatisfaction with the system because it is difficult to learn and lacks sufficient tools to manipulate and report data in a meaningful format.

On October 31, 1999, the City=s contract with ACMS to provide maintenance and support services ends, although the City=s HUD Supportive Housing Program grant was renewed for an additional two years (from November 1, 1999 to October 31, 2001). The renewal funding includes support for a computerized case management system at the same level of funding as the final year of the previous HUD grant. City staff has reviewed the growing field of computerized case management systems and views the end of the current contract with ACMS as an opportunity to switch to a more modern, accurate, user-friendly and cost-effective system. After extensive analysis of five competitive systems, City staff, in consultation with City-funded CaseWatch users, has identified ClientTrack, a product of Data Systems International (DSI), to best meet the needs of the City and City-funded homeless services providers.

The preference for ClientTrack is based on several factors. (1) The system is Windows-based and user-friendly; (2) it operates via the Internet, eliminating the need for an expensive dedicated network; and (3) it includes a variety of features which case managers found appealing, such as the ability to scan documents into the system, several levels of confidentiality built in, and the ability to customize screens within each agency without having to rely on programmers. An additional point of interest is that over forty Private Industry Councils (PIC=s) in Los Angeles County have switched to ClientTrack, which will help link the employment sector with homeless services agencies. ClientTrack has been selected to track employment services in Ventura, Orange, San Diego, Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. The City of Long Beach has also just selected ClientTrack to manage their homeless services. Finally, the ongoing maintenance costs considerably less than ACMS=s projected charges.

The cost of purchasing and installing ClientTrack, including training and ongoing maintenance, is fully covered by HUD funding under the current Supportive Housing Program grant and its two-year renewal. City staff anticipates that future training needs will be significantly reduced due to the simplicity of learning and managing the system. DSI maintenance and support will remain under $8,000 annually. In addition, the program will require a contract System Administrator for approximately $55,000 per year, which the HUD renewal grant will fund. Current HUD funds allocated toward the City=s administrative costs have been approved by HUD for the purchase of state-of-the-art computers to replace the current antiquated hardware currently in use. Therefore, staff foresees no need to secure additional funding to make this conversion and, in fact, anticipates reduced maintenance and support costs in the future.