Calgary Drop In & Rehab Centre brochure – March 2019

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DIGITALLY TRANSFORMING LIVES


FROM E-MAIL ROLLOUTS TO BIOMETRIC SCANNERS:

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TECHNOLOGY TRANSFORMATION AT THE CALGARY DROP-IN CENTRE We talk to Helen Knight, Director of IT, and Paul Twigg of Sierra Systems/NTT DATA Services, exploring their technological transformation of the Calgary Drop-In Centre to better the lives of its staff, volunteers and the city’s homeless community WRIT TEN BY

HARRY MENE AR PRODUCED BY

ARRON R A MPLING


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H

elen Wetherley Knight, Director of Information Technology (IT) at the Calgary Drop-In Centre (The DI), has

always been excited by computers. “My parents met through computer dating,” she mentions, “so I’m the product of that technology from the early 70’s. I started programming when I was nine and I was very interested in technology, however, in high school, I learned that ‘tech was for boys’, so I backed away for a few years. Now, I am a pretty loud advocate for keeping women engaged in technology.” Knight has worked in IT for over 20 years, spending 12 of those years at Suncor 04

Energy while also running her own consulting business, Helen Knight Consulting Inc. During that time, she was also a regular volunteer at the Calgary Drop-In Centre in the city’s downtown. Serving over 10,000 people a year, the DI provides essential care, health services, employment training and housing support to those in need. In 2018, the DI provided Calgary’s homeless population with over 100,000 pieces of clothing, served over 400,000 meals in its dining hall, and provided 420,000 individual nights of shelter. When, in 2016, the DI began searching for a new IT Director, Knight’s volunteering record put her at the top of the list. “There was a focus on having someone with non-profit experience. I was lucky to be considered because I had been a volunteer.” She explains: “That speaks to one of


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the opportunities at non-profits: there’s

profits, her current and future plans to

so much emphasis placed on non-profit

use cutting-edge biometric technology

expertise, and there are so few people

to increase efficiency and security, as

that have technical backgrounds with

well as putting confidential personal

non-profit experience, that the

data back into the hands of Calgary’s

technical needs of non-profits have

homeless population. In addition, Paul

gone underserved for years.”

Twigg, VP of Technology at Sierra

With the support of the DI Board,

Systems, an NTT DATA Services

Knight is effecting a four-year complete

company, serves as the centre’s

technology transformation at the

strategic partner and plays a large

Calgary Drop-In. She was keen to

role in helping Knight implement her

discuss how her team is approaching

ambitious technology transformation.

organizational change management

“I’m lucky that I walked in with years

across one of Calgary’s largest non-

of experience and a Master’s Degree in


CLICK TO WATCH : ‘FUELLED BY KINDNESS’ 07

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IT strategy, because there was a lot of

they liked and trusted.”

low hanging fruit,” explains Knight,

Knight admits: “I had a lot to learn

acknowledging that in the non-profit

about appropriately engaging this

sector, technology is difficult to invest

compassionate, service-focused

in without donor support. When she

audience with technology.” However, the

arrived at the DI only 70 of 270 staff

first steps of her technology transfor-

had email addresses, so the first task

mation quickly yielded fruit. By

was to roll out Office365 across the

calculating the opportunity cost of

organization. She notes, “I made a mis-

wasted time due to the DI using

take by just sending out videos on how

multiple free and donated tools and

to use the new tools – it took me about

databases, Knight was able to prove a

four months to realize that I would be

return on investment of US$1.5mn per

more successful supporting this user

year, and return 20 hours per week

group in a room with a human being

per person that could be spent manag-


“ IT’S A LABOR OF LOVE, BECAUSE I BELIEVE THESE TOOLS WILL EFFECTIVELY IMPROVE EVERY ASPECT OF THE STAFF’S LIVES” — Helen Knight CIO/Director of Technology Calgary Drop-In and Rehab Centre

ing relationships. “We went from our volunteer and donor department using five different calendars, answering the phone full-time and carrying the burden of disparate systems, to having a push system where the donors and volunteers engage directly by registering on a website, being onboarded by a system, and signing up for the shifts that they wanted, so the staff were able to focus on relationship building,” she recounts. “There was significant change management and it was a really careful process, but it’s a labor

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Helen Wetherley Knight, MBA Fighting poverty with technology, Helen is the Director of IT for the Calgary Drop-In Centre, the most effective Homeless Shelter in Canada. Leading an IT Transformation that will deliver annual savings of $1.5 Million USD, Helen is driving meaningful change for vulnerable Calgarians. Helen is also a passionate advocate for increasing gender diversity in IT, serves on two non-profit boards and was a Canadian CIO of the year finalist for 2018.

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Rooted in Community

We are proud to support The Calgary Drop-In Centre with innovative technology solutions that help make a positive emotional impact in the community, and in people’s lives.

sierrasystems.com

of love,” Knight insists, “because I

thing to do,” she reflects. “I fully accept

believe that all of these tools will

that my skill-set ends at the technology,

effectively improve the staff’s lives.”

and that the front-line workers are the

Knight stresses that the essence of her technological transformation at the

experts in client care” Twigg, who has been working along-

Drop-In is the empowerment of its staff

side Knight and her team to bring

and volunteers. “I’m not here to replace

Sierra Systems’ expertise to bear on

anybody,” she insists. “I’m here to take

the challenges of technological trans-

away busy work and pain. I think tech-

formation at the Drop-In, agrees. “It’s

nologists get into a lot of trouble when

not about cool tech. It’s about giving

they feel so confident that they reach

a person experiencing homelessness

past their level of expertise and start

a bed, a sandwich, a laundry service

making policy decisions, or feel that

and everything else that comes with it,”

just because they can prove something

he emphasizes. “All non-profits require

with data, that it’s the right and humane

technology. They just haven’t been


“ IT’S NOT ABOUT COOL TECH. IT’S ABOUT GIVING A HOMELESS PERSON A BED, A SANDWICH, A LAUNDRY SERVICE AND EVERYTHING ELSE THAT COMES WITH IT” — Paul Twigg VP of Technology Sierra Systems/NTT DATA Services

able to invest in it because the charity funding model makes it difficult to put money into technology even though it will save money down the line.”: Sierra Systems, an NTT DATA Services company, specializes in IT consulting in order to provide its clients with innovative, forward-thinking solutions. The process of choosing a strategic partner was fairly unconventional. “We spent six months figuring out what the exact problems were that we wanted to solve instead of running to a bunch 11

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Paul Twigg Paul Twigg is the National VP of Technology for Sierra Systems an NTT DATA Services Company. He is an award winning IT business leader with executive and hands-on experience in delivering leading edge cloud, data and innovation services. He is a recognized speaker and thought leader in the technology field driving innovation and digital transformation ideas. Paul is security cleared (Canadian Secret Level) and has vast experience creating technology strategy to develop creative and innovative data centric services tailored towards increasing efficiencies and reducing costs within an organization. He is a motivational leader who enjoys building successful and productive teams.

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of vendors and doing multiple demonstrations,” Knight explains. “It’s the opposite of how teams engage vendors normally.” This approach helped Knight choose a company that would offer a complete service. “We were really looking at solving the entire problem,” she says. “The finance, the HR, the IT, the client relationship, the client service; the entire problem, instead of discrete solutions.” This is where Sierra Systems, a company already involved in donating and 12

volunteering at the DI, came into play. After identifying Microsoft Dynamics as a customer relationship management system that could cater to the Drop-In’s needs, Knight considered two companies. “One brought me standard pricing, and Sierra, with evidence of being donors and volunteers, brought me their proposal at half price,” says Knight. “I knew they were in it with us. Sierra had the imagination that we needed.” Since then, the relationship has evolved from client-vendor to much more. In addition to back office initiatives to improve efficiency and foster digital engagement within the DI’s staff, Twigg


1.2mn Meals served in total

100,000+ Items of clothing distributed

420,000+ Individual nights of shelter provided

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and his team have worked with Knight to bring one of their more cutting-edge initiatives towards maturity. For 10 years, the Calgary Drop-In has used fingerprint scanners in order to identify and admit its clients. “It took anywhere from about seven to 30 seconds to let an individual in,” says Twigg. “Considering that, since 2 February, it’s been about -30ºF every day here in Calgary, when you’ve got several hundred

“ GLOBALLY, ONE BILLION PEOPLE ARE WITHOUT ID, INCLUDING PEOPLE WHO NEED EMERGENCY SERVICES” — Helen Knight, CIO/Director of Technology Calgary Drop-in & Rehab Centre

people coming and going every day, upgrading the intake systems will make 14

entering the facility much more efficient.” To solve this problem, Knight is turning

unique needs.” At the heart of the new

to more modern forms of biometric

biometric identification system the DI is

technology with higher accuracy rates,

trialing is the desire to not only improve

reducing admission times to around

the quality of patient care, but also to

three seconds.

“put the client in charge of their data”.

In addition, the nature of the DI’s

“There are 43 conflicting legislations

work requires it to keep client records.

and ethical agreements governing

“One billion people in the world don’t

client data,” Knight explains. “I’m

have ID, including people who need

a co-chair of a collaborative work group

emergency services, are victims of

trying to improve communication

crime, have been evicted, are human

between homeless-serving agencies

trafficking victims - maybe they’re

in the City of Calgary, and when we

using drugs or have mental health

tried to create a decision guide to

issues. Regardless of the client’s

navigate them, there was no way to

history, we need to know who they are

figure it out; they all conflict and there’s

so we can ensure we are meeting their

no way to prioritize the disparate


15 agreements.” By putting the decision

a solution. “We are designing an arch-

to share personal data back into the

itecture that implements blockchain to

hands of Calgary’s homeless popula-

allow a client’s health information to

tion, Twigg and Knight believe that

remain encrypted and afford the client

agencies serving vulnerable people

the ability to share that information as

across the city can improve communi-

they move between agencies, or

cation and build a shared database to

decide what can and can’t be shared.”

better serve their community.

In addition, the biometric data record-

Ensuring the potential for privacy

ed by the DI’s new systems, Knight

and control remains in the hands of the

explains, is anonymous by design.

client, however, is a top priority for the

Another place where Knight wants to

venture. “There’s a lot of personal

deploy biometrics down the line is in

identifiable information that can’t be

the way clients at the shelter supply

shared between agencies,” says Twigg,

personal information, as well as book

whose team has been collaborating

medical and other appointments. “I’m

with Knight and the working group on

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“THE CLIENT OWNS THE KEY, AND THE DATA IS ANONYMOUS WITHOUT THEM BEING THERE” 16

— Helen Knight CIO/Director of Technology Calgary Drop-in and Rehab Centre

a system than a person,” she admits. “On 3 January, we put a client selfserve kiosk in the dining hall of the Calgary Drop-In Centre. The feedback from the clients has been very positive. Wedesigned this kiosk with our wood shop, where our clients learn woodworking skills, added a touchscreen monitor, and a donated PC. We built it so that you could use a wheelchair or a chair, so we didn’t have to move the screens around to account for height differences. All it does right now is two things: it plays a video on data sharing, why we want your data, and that it is safe and secure; and it presents a form where you can tell us what your barriers are to finding housing.” The form asks questions used to identify the client’s barriers to housing: “For example, are you comfortable talking to a landlord?” says Knight. “Some people can be afraid of authority and may not be comfortable speaking to a landlord. If we identify that is a barrier, we’ll go with them.” Knight notes that a client’s mistrust for human authority may result in a reluctance to reveal the information that would result in them receiving help – but the kiosk


CLICK TO WATCH : ‘ROOTED IN COMMUNITY, SUPPORTED IN THE CLOUD - CALGARY DROP-IN CENTER AND SIERRA SYSTEMS’ 17

has built in anonymity and lacks a human

biometrics in the kiosks, so clients can

element. “Through a touchscreen com-

choose to opt in and receive personal-

puter, we’re reaching a vulnerable

ized services: book things like laundry

clientele and are serving them in a new

and medical appointments, find out

way,” she says. Knight has now ordered

when they’re meeting a landlord - they

two more kiosks based on this success.

would have a portal to their lives.”

“We are fulfilling an unmet need for some

Clients would also be able to opt out of

clients and finding new ways to build

the biometric customization. “We put in

relationships,” she adds.

this fabric flap,” she says, “so clients

Knight and Sierra Systems’ plan to

know for a fact that they’re not being

use biometric identification in the DI

recorded, and still have access to

also extends to the kiosks. “Once we

helpful information, opening hours,

finish a comprehensive privacy impact

times and maps.”

assessment,” Knight says, “we can put

Knight’s plans for the DI are extenw w w.c a l ga r ydrop in . ca


I N F O R M AT I O N

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The Calgary Drop-In Centre (the DI) is more than an emergency shelter. They provide essential care as well as health services, employment training, and housing supports to people who need help. Their programs and services connect people to permanent housing that meets their individual needs. To donate to support this project please visit calgarydropin.ca/tech

sive and ambitious, but she and Twigg are eager, excited and optimistic. Knight is working with the University of Calgary and the University of Taiwan to test biometrics with the potential to detect sepsis and necrotic wounds, as well as planning on using the proposed transformation of the DI’s HR system, in conjunction with weather and environmental data, to predict workload. “Helen’s a fantastic advocate, not just for the Calgary Drop-In Centre, but for the homeless community across


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Canada,” says Twigg. “It would be our

over other agencies in Canada. “Non-

dream if Helen was at the Calgary DI

profit, especially the homeless-serving

for the next 10 years, because we

sector, is ripe for disruption, transfor-

believe we could solve amazing

mation and return-on-investment,” she

problems together. She understands

says. “I see nothing but opportunity.”

how to solve big problems, and we believe we can match those ideas with the technology and the thought leaders that we have at Sierra Systems and NTT DATA Services.” Knight makes it clear that the technology transformation she’s bringing to the DI isn’t about giving the DI ‘competitive advantage’ w w w.c a l ga r ydrop in . ca


Calgary Drop-In Centre 1 Dermot Baldwin Way Calgary Canada AB T2G 0P8 T +1 403-263-5707 www.calgarydropin.ca


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