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Web-Based Virtual Collaboration Environment for Post-Purchase
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Information About Innovation:
  Title:  Web-Based Virtual Collaboration Environment for Post-Purchase
  Contest Category:  Innovative post-purchase strategies for consumers - 2008
  Summary:  Hope for Tomorrow Housing Center implemented the use of a web-based virtual collaboration environment tool to increase productivity in the number of clients served in educating post-purchase clients more effectively and efficiently.
  Description:  Hope for Tomorrow Housing Center provides quality education and counseling in the areas of pre-purchase, post-purchase, financial literacy, and foreclosure/mortgage default assistance in the Memphis, Tennessee metropolitan area. Hope For Tomorrow as assisted more than 3,000 home buyers and home owners through empowerment and education.

Hope For Tomorrow Housing Center serves a high volume of customers: approximately 500+ households receive some form of homebuyer education and one on one counseling per year. By Fall 2007, the volume of clients, limited staff counselors, and trainers made it very difficult for us to reach post-purchase clients after they obtained their dream of homeownership.

In late Fall 2007, Hope for Tomorrow Housing Center began using a web-based virtual collaboration environment tool to aid post-purchase clients in keeping and maintaining successful homeownership. The Webinar is a type of web conferencing tool used to conduct meetings and presentations over the internet for our clients. Each participant sits at his or her own computer from the comfort of their home or work and is connected via the internet. The housing counselor is the key speaker with the capabilities of participants listening via conference call as well as interaction through live chat discussion while viewing visual Powerpoint presentation covering the post-purchase curriculum. Reminders are emailed out to the participants one week prior, one day before, and the day of the actual webinar. We also utilize the option of polling and surveying our participants after the sessions are completed. A post attendance thank you email is sent to each attendee along with a survey of the class. And for those who could not attend, an email is shipped automatically asking them to contact us for our next scheduled meeting.

This new tool allows Hope For Tomorrow Housing Center to reach more people in the comfort of their new homes at a fraction of the cost of classroom overhead and operations. It is also more convenient and cost effective to our clients who have to travel a distance to the scheduled classes in person. It is also more convenient for clients who work nights and weekends and can not attend the regularly schedule in person classes. Ultimately, we reach a higher number of clients who need our services.

Hope For Tomorrow Housing Center hopes that other Housing Agencies will adopt this new innovative way to reach our communities in their greatest time of need. It is financial beneficial to all agencies as well as more cost effective and convenient for our clients.
Projected Annual Operating Cost:
   Hope for Tomorrow Housing Center is currently using GoToWebinar through www.gotomeeting.com annual rate. They offer low cost monthly and annual subscription options for unlimited usage. Hope for Tomorrow Housing Center compared the amount of monies spent to utilize a facility, refreshments, staff time, presentation setup, gas spent for counselors and clients, and time wasted for clients who did not show up compared to the webinar version where the only real cost is the subscription and phone conferencing option.
Specific Outcomes or Results in Calender Year 2008:
   We have a 60% increase of participants with the Webinar model vs. the In Person model in our post-purchase division.
  Web Site (optional):  http://www.beginwithhope.org
Information About Organization:
  Name:  Hope For Tomorrow, Inc. Housing Center
  Address 1:  3115 Park Avenue
  City, State, Zip:  Memphis, TN  38111
  501c3 Non-Profit:  yes
  Contact Name:  Felicia Tate
  Contact E-Mail:  hopefortomorrowinc@gmail.com
  Contact Phone:  901/414-3308
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