CLIENT SUCCESS STORY

Georgia Department of Community Affairs

The Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) is a state agency whose mission is to help build strong, vibrant communities. Through its Housing Choice Voucher program and other statewide initiatives, DCA supports families across urban and rural regions alike.

    double-quotes_icon_blue

    Yardi helped us properly and accurately prepare and report on each program type across our portfolio, which was essential for an implementation as complex as ours.

    Ryan Smith

    Director of Program Governance & Client Relations, Georgia Department of Community Affairs

The benefits

A tailored implementation with Yardi helped DCA improve statewide access, reduce administrative burden and lower costs across its housing programs.

The company

The Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) is a state agency whose mission is to help build strong, vibrant communities. Through its Housing Choice Voucher program and other statewide initiatives, DCA supports families across urban and rural regions alike. 

The challenge

Implementing software without disrupting statewide operations

DCA needed to replace outdated software that slowed down daily operations and required staff to navigate multiple steps to complete tasks. The agency also faced a unique challenge: implementing a system that could support service across a large geographic footprint while accommodating local income limits, payment standards and reporting requirements.

The solution

A customized Yardi implementation plan

DCA chose Yardi during the RFP process largely due to its ability to support statewide access through a secure, cloud-based platform. Rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach, the implementation was tailored to accommodate DCA’s structure and operational needs across all

The story

Here’s what made DCA’s Yardi implementation a success:

Custom designed for statewide access

From the start of the RFP process, DCA knew they needed a system that could work remotely across all 149 counties, not just from a central office. Thanks to Yardi’s tailored implementation plan, DCA can now successfully reach people in all corners of the state.

DCA’s implementation team brought the program knowledge, while the Yardi team provided technical support and guidance. Together, the collaboration led to a near perfect conversion with one of the lowest error rates reported.

Training built around their workflow

Training was a key component of DCA’s implementation strategy. Yardi provided role-specific training that aligned with staff job duties, rather than generic system overviews.

DCA credited Yardi’s support team for its ability to provide reliable answers to questions, whereas the agency previously had to wait days, sometimes weeks, for technical assistance.

Tailored configuration

During the implementation, Yardi worked closely with DCA to configure the system based on income limits, payment standards and reporting requirements across jurisdictions. With expert program knowledge, DCA successfully assisted in the design of an environment that fit the needs of their unique circumstances.

Addressing these nuances during implementation, rather than after the fact, helped protect data integrity and set the agency up for continued success.

Support that continued beyond go-live

After implementation, DCA continued working with Yardi’s support team to address questions and refine processes as needed. Reliable support helped the agency maintain momentum and avoid the slowdowns that often follow large system rollouts.

This ongoing partnership ensured the implementation remained sustainable as the agency’s needs evolved.

Dynamic team that helped with implementation

Large implementations are never easy, but DCA approached this with a clear plan and the right team for the challenge. Leadership defined clear goals, assigned responsibilities and made time for the necessary training.

While much of the team did not have prior experience with Yardi, they adapted quickly and experienced immediate improvements in their workday. They effectively absorbed and retained all necessary information to serve as a resource post conversion.

 

Results post implementation

After implementation, DCA saw positive results almost immediately after. The time required to complete recertifications dropped by 50%, giving staff more capacity to focus on higher-priority work.

The implementation also reduced reliance on paper-based processes, lowering mail volume and office foot traffic. The introduction of online portals contributed to a 20% reduction in postage costs, directly tying implementation choices to operational savings.

DCA has received positive feedback from its constituent, as the improved accessibility and ease of use continue to build trust and confidence in the services they provide.