By John Gee, HIV Edmonton Operations Coordinator
We had received word that the HOMES database was about to be shut down. We, along with many other social service agencies in Edmonton and throughout Canada, had been using HOMES to track outcome data. This is information used to answer questions such as:
• How many clients have we served this year?
• How much time did we spend with them?
• What difference did our efforts make in their lives?
Without HOMES, we would be unable to report to our funders with the information they require, and our continued existence could be in jeopardy.
I set out on a search for a new database. This was not an easy task. The measurement of outcomes in human services is still a new field. Until 10 or 15 years ago, funders were more interested in accounting for money spent than in the human effect of that spending. At the same time, information technology has been changing so quickly that people in all fields have been scrambling to keep up. There are few programs available that capture the right information and are also reliable and easy to use.
The program we finally settled on was ETO Software, produced by the American company Social Solutions. By the time we signed the contract it was November, and HOMES was due to go offline at the end of March. We were left with a very tight time frame for implementation. A generic database like ETO requires a considerable amount of custom programming and training to tailor it to a specific organization’s programs.
However, with the support of Social Solutions and the dedication of HIV Edmonton’s great staff, we got it done. We are now using ETO and getting better information that is already making a difference in our work.
We had received word that the HOMES database was about to be shut down. We, along with many other social service agencies in Edmonton and throughout Canada, had been using HOMES to track outcome data. This is information used to answer questions such as:
• How many clients have we served this year?
• How much time did we spend with them?
• What difference did our efforts make in their lives?
Without HOMES, we would be unable to report to our funders with the information they require, and our continued existence could be in jeopardy.
I set out on a search for a new database. This was not an easy task. The measurement of outcomes in human services is still a new field. Until 10 or 15 years ago, funders were more interested in accounting for money spent than in the human effect of that spending. At the same time, information technology has been changing so quickly that people in all fields have been scrambling to keep up. There are few programs available that capture the right information and are also reliable and easy to use.
The program we finally settled on was ETO Software, produced by the American company Social Solutions. By the time we signed the contract it was November, and HOMES was due to go offline at the end of March. We were left with a very tight time frame for implementation. A generic database like ETO requires a considerable amount of custom programming and training to tailor it to a specific organization’s programs.
However, with the support of Social Solutions and the dedication of HIV Edmonton’s great staff, we got it done. We are now using ETO and getting better information that is already making a difference in our work.
