Fun with Custom Tables: Landlord Engagement

In HIFIS, every action typically needs to be attached to a Client. For example: you do a referral for a Client; you do a SPDAT with a Client; you make case notes about a Client. Most of the time, this isn't a problem, except when it is. 

What if you have someone in your system whose job is to liaise with landlords? Perhaps a significant portion of their day is spent reaching out to landlords to negotiate for allocating some empty units (in general, not specific units) for some Housing First Clients (in general, not specific clients). They will be wanting to track their work, or keep notes, and since other parts of their job are recorded in HIFIS, it would be ideal if it could all be in one place, right? 

Enter Custom Tables. 

Landlords List 

Before we get to the juicy Custom Table, we need to cover the Landlords List. Did you know that you can keep a list of landlords in HIFIS, along with their contact information? 

Landlords List in HIFIS 4 

Landlords are added through the People Module, and are People with the Landlord Role. When you specify that someone is a Landlord, they can then be selected when you're adding a Housing Unit. 

Landlord Field on Housing Unit 

But because a Landlord is a Person in the Person module, they have their own Person file. You can use this to record the Landlord's contact information, address, and so on. 

Landlord Engagement Custom Table 

As discussed in a previous post, Custom Tables aren't loved by all. But they have their advantages! 

A Custom Table can be attached to a Person file. You could use this opportunity to create a table for your Landlord liaison staff to record notes about their interactions with the Landlord that don't directly have to do with a particular Client, or a particular Housing Unit. 

Conclusion 

More than one community has asked about how to log their Landlord Liaison's activities in HIFIS. 

This isn't the only solution, but it is a good one that solves the problem that every action in HIFIS must link to a Client file. (It could also be possible to use the Group Activities module!) 

As always, when you're using Custom Tables, you run the risk of requiring additional custom reporting to be able to draw out the data that you're putting in. But if you're willing to deal with that problem, you're set!