TABLE OF CONTENTS
With an Outreach Worker role in Outreach Grid, your role is an extended version of a First Responder. It includes all the features and tools that a First Responder user has and more.
You will receive notifications of new incidents created by other users, contributors (volunteers), or self-reporting applicants in your region through email, the web app, and the iOS User app. Incidents are sightings of potential homeless individuals or encampments that can be responded to by outreach workers. They are generally reported by First Responders such as police officers as a way to initially make contact with a client experiencing homelessness.
To view all incidents in your Outreach Grid Network, navigate to the Incidents tab on the navigation bar (message bubble icon) and click on Incident Reports.
The Incident Reports page will feature a map of all reported incidents and their locations that need responding to.
You can click on one of the incidents to view some information about the incident. You can also access a more detailed view the incident by clicking on “View Incident”.
The Incident Reports also includes filterable types of incidents, which include:
- Mentions - features incidents where you were tagged in by other users in the Incident Chatbox or incidents that are directly assigned to you
- Encampment - features encampment incidents
- Contributed Client - features incidents submitted by Contributors (general public) in your Network
- Client - features the location of potential clients and whether or not they want to receive services
- Service Request - features requests created by Applicants (individuals experiencing or about to experience homelessness), which includes their location and any information about themselves
- Dispatch Client - features incidents that are in need of an outreach worker to be dispatched to and respond to the situation
Responding to Incidents
There are three ways to respond to an incident that you are assigned to or mentioned in:
1. Responding through Notifications: Click on the yellow bell at the top right corner of your window to view your notifications.
2. Responding through My Incidents: Click on the Incidents icon, and select “My Incidents”
3. Responding through Incident Reports: From the Incident Reports page, you can select the Mentions tab to view your incidents and click on the incident.
On the Incident’s Status page, there are two tabs — Info and Chat. In the Info tab you will see:
- Incident Status Bar - displays the progress of the incident and lets other users know that another user on the Network is responding to it
- Info - information regarding the incident, based on the fields that the user has filled out
- Dispatch - a dropdown to dispatch yourself or another user; once a user is selected for dispatch, it cannot be changed unless you are the designated Dispatch Manager
- Incident Response - ability to update the incident’s status as a user is responding to the incident (Acknowledge, Start, In Progress, Close Incident)
In the Chat tab, you’ll see a chatroom where you can tag users and chat with them within this incident where you and other users will be notified of any new changes to the incident.
In the Chat tab, you’ll see a chatroom where you can tag users and chat with them within this incident where you and other users will be notified of any new changes to the incident.
As an assigned user to an incident, you can claim and acknowledge the incident in the Info tab to let other users know that you will respond to the incident.
Once you’re ready to respond to the incident, you can select “Start” to mark the incident as in progress.
And once you’ve gone to location, use the dropdown to mark the incident as “Visited client or location” or “Could not find client or location“ and close the incident. After an incident is closed, its marker will be removed from the incidents map.
Client and Client Encounters
Clients are individuals experiencing homelessness and are in need of help. Creating a client in Outreach Grid allows service agencies to work together to help an individual improve their situation. A client may or may not be the client that has been assigned to you; it represents the total population of individuals who are or have experienced homelessness.
Client tools are provided in "Client Management," the second tab on the navigation bar. There are three subsections: Clients, My Clients, and Client Encounters.
- Clients: The Clients tab allows you to view an overview of all clients in the system. This is where you can also search for a client by name, birthdate, or last four digits of their SSN.
- My Clients: The My Clients tab allows you to view an overview of clients that you’re assigned as case manager to.
- Client Encounters: The Client Encounters tab shows a page of filterable locations of which clients were encountered in.
Searching for a Client
On the Clients page, you will see a search bar along with two tabs underneath it, “Unclaimed Public Clients” and “Unclaimed Clients Assigned to [Your Agency]”.
Unclaimed Public Clients are clients created by users from agencies other than your own. A Public Profile exists for this client, but a Private Profile of the client has not yet been created for your agency. An Unclaimed Client that is assigned to your agency has both a Public and Private profile, but has not been assigned a case manager from your agency.
Search for your client by typing in their first name, last name, alias, date of birth (YYYY-MM-DD), or the last four digits of their Social Security number.
Please note that search queries for a client will only work for one type of query. Do not mix queries together (ex: “John Doe 1992-04-01“) as this will cause the search engine to look for the client with the name ”John Doe 1992-04-01“.
If there were no client profiles found with the query, you can go ahead and create a new client profile for the client on Outreach Grid.
Creating a Client
To create a new client, click the blue "Create Client" button located in the upper right corner of the "Clients" page.
Before creating a new client, search for the client again to ensure that no duplicate entries are created. If no results matching your client are found, click the "Create New Client" button near the bottom of the page.
You will be redirected to fill out the Universal Identifier Elements form for the new client.
Users will be prompted Data Quality questions and should gather and enter information as accurately as possible.
For these Data Quality questions, please select the appropriate response — whether the full information is reported, approximate information is reported, client doesn’t know, client refused, or the data was not collected. The distinction is important for reporting purposes.
At the end of the Universal Identifier Elements intake, there will be a Release of Information Waiver(s) available for the client to review and sign. Click on the title of each waiver to read them.
If the client is physically unable to sign but provides Verbal Consent, you may check the verbal consent box to indicate that you will be signing on behalf of the client.
Review each waiver with the client and check the appropriate waiver checkbox that they consent upon.
Signatures can be signed using the mouse on the computer or by finger or stylus if using the web app or mobile app on a touchscreen device (phone, ipad, tablet, etc).
After the signature has been entered, the "Accept Signature" button must be clicked, and then a green "Submit" button will appear.
Depending on the permission waivers that were selected, a Public and/or Private Profile will be created for the client.
If the Client is concerned about signing at the current time, you can collect the client’s signature at a later time. Click on the “Client concerned about signatures” bar below the signature area. A “Submit and Sign Later” button will appear.
Note: When creating a client profile without their signature, you will be unable to view, edit, create client assessments for the client until they have provided their signature.
Once you've clicked the green "Submit" button, you will be redirected to the client's new public profile.
Public and Private Profiles
A client’s Public Profile shares public information that is viewable to all users in the Network. Information collected on the Public Profile includes geolocational information, last known location, the Universal Identifier Elements, and any work or service that was done and collected for the client.
Outreach Grid also provides client tools for agency-specific case management .In a client’s private profile, information and modules related to the private profile are shared only within your agency.
Learn more about the Client's Private Profile in the Case Manager section.
Timeline
The Timeline captures all actions and work done by users for the client. It allows users from different agencies to understand what service is being provided to the client and which agencies are working on the same client.
The Timeline, sorted by recency, is updated automatically whenever things are recorded on behalf of a client.
Locations
To track encounters with a client, navigate to the location tab to view recent encounters at camps or other locations that other users on the network have noted.
Here, you’ll be able to view who encountered the client, where they encountered, and the date and time during which the encounter took place.
You can choose whether your encounter is at an encampment or not.
If your encounter is at an encampment, select the appropriate encampment you are at. The map will automatically find your closest location and locate the camps that are around you. If the camp does not exist, please make one before making an encounter.
If your encounter is not at an encampment, the map will automatically put a point at your location to indicate that your encounter with the client was at that location.
After an encounter has been made, you have the option to complete an assessment.
It is strongly recommended that you make encounters in real-time as you encounter the client.
All Client Encounters recorded in your region can be viewed in your Navigation Bar under the Client Management Tools labeled “Client Encounters”.
Click on the city that you would like to view and you will see all clients that were encountered in that city.
Notes
If you want to add additional information about the client, you can do so in the Notes section.
The Notes section is also where you can view any signed/missing ROI waivers for the client, any observational hazards and comments made for the client, and who their assigned case managers are.
As the Notes feature is part of the client’s Public Profile, any notes or observations made by you is viewable to other users in the Network.
For client profiles created without a client signature, the Notes tab is where you’ll be able to collect their signature at a later time.
Click on the View Client Permissions to view and sign any outstanding agreements.
Note: When creating a client profile without their signature, you will be unable to view, edit, create client assessments for the client until they have provided their signature.
To log a potential hazard, click on the red Add Hazard button, and a module will appear. Hazards are customizable. If you need any customizations for taking note of hazards, please contact support@outreachgrid.com to let us know!
For additional comments, tap on the freeform text box under Add New Comments.
Referrals
Referrals are requests for work for camps and clients made to other users or agencies on the Outreach Grid Network. When you make a referral, you are alerting selected users about work that needs to be followed up for a camp or client.
To make a new referral, type in a subject and description of the work and tag the appropriate individuals or groups you want to follow up on the work. Adding a due date is optional.
A notification and email will be sent to the individuals or groups you tagged, and as they progress in the work request, you will receive updates via notifications and emails.
Media
The “Media” tab is where media including images of the client and PDFs related to the client and their cases can be uploaded.
To upload a file, either drag a file into the gray box under “Add Media,” or click the gray box and choose the appropriate file from your device’s library.
A thumbnail of the media file will then appear in the gray area with a status bar and will indicate that the upload is complete when the status bar is full and a check mark appears. Then refresh your page and you’ll see the client’s new profile picture.
Files Checklist
Any files required for the client's case management can be uploaded to the "Files Checklist" tab. Under this tab, you can quickly see the total number of files to be collected, and how many have been submitted so far.
For each file type, if you have the file scanned or saved on your device, you can submit it by first clicking "Choose File" and locating and selecting the file from your library. Click the green "Submit File" button to then upload the file to the Client's Profile.
Chat
In the “Chat” tab, outreach workers and service providers can exchange information about a client here in real-time.
Assessments
After a client has been created, you have the option to conduct new assessments through the client's public or private profile.
Assessments completed on the public profile will be available for all agencies to view on your Outreach Grid Network, but assessments completed on the client's private profile can only be viewed by users from your agency. Any edits to the client's profile made on the "Edit Client" page will be visible to all agencies in your region.
Click "Add Assessment" in the upper right corner of the Client's Public (or Private) Profile. You will be navigated to a list of assessments and previously conducted assessments.
The assessments available are dependent upon the agency jurisdiction to which you belong. Find the appropriate assessment in the list, and click on "Start Assessment" to start a new assessment.
Previously completed assessments can be viewed and will be marked with a green checkmark.
Once an assessment has been completed, it will be saved onto the client’s profile and can be viewed on the client’s timeline.
Shelter Reservations
Requesting A Bed Reservation and Extending Confirmed Reservations
On Outreach Grid Networks where there are participating navigation centers or shelters, users from eligible agencies can create reservations for shelter beds.
To create a reservation for a shelter, you must first complete the Shelter Preference assessment on the client’s public profile, if existing. Head to “Add Assessment” and complete the Shelter Preference assessment.
To create a reservation, go to the client’s public profile and hit “Reserve Beds”.
Below the client’s profile, you will find the inventories that you are eligible to reserve against.
You can see the shelter’s current availabilities. The system will generate a recommendation. Based on the client’s preferences and the shelter’s availabilities, select the appropriate shelter and hit “Request Reservation for Client". You can view whether you are reserving during the shelter’s operating hours. If you are reserving outside of operating hours, the reservation will automatically be extended until the shelter’s operating hours.
Once you have selected the shelter, the system will tell you whether it is a good match. You can then request the reservation. The shelter has a certain amount of time to respond to the request; this is dependent on the agency’s set response time.
Once your request for reservation has been approved, you will receive a notification to arrange transportation for your client to the location. The reservation will be open for a certain amount of time. Once the time expires, the bed will be available for reservation again.
If you require an extension on your time for the confirmed reservation, you can create extensions in increments from the client’s timeline on their Reservation Card.
Shelter operators are also able to extend confirmed reservations on their Inventory page.
If your request has been denied, you will need to find another shelter to make a reservation.
Once your client has been checked in, the reservation ends and their stay at the shelter begins.
Cancelling A Bed Reservation Request
Shelter operators and referring users are able to cancel existing reservation requests for clients.
Referring Users:
To cancel an existing bed reservation request, head on over to your client’s timeline. You will see that there is a current reservation log for the client.
Log the reason for cancelling the reservation request and tap “Cancel”. The client’s timeline will update with the cancelled reservation request, noting that it was cancelled by the referring user.
