Building Family Link

Building Family Link: A Nimble, Field-Tested Solution to Empower Case Managers and Transform Family Support

For years, Family Promise Affiliates had been asking for a case management solution that could better support their work with families at risk of or experiencing homelessness. The national office had been deeply committed to finding a solution, and for the last two-plus years, the national team has been exploring various options, including off-the-shelf solutions like CaseWorthy and PlanStreet, as well as the possibility of a fully custom build. However, the breakthrough came when the national team discovered an Affiliate using a custom-built, scalable solution that met their needs at an affordable price.

This prototype solution—later named Family Link—was developed in 2023 by a Family Promise Affiliate looking to improve their ability to manage caseloads, track trends in services, and focus more on the families they serve. What began as an innovative approach to case management quickly evolved into a robust, scalable solution that is now poised to transform how Family Promise supports families across the nation. Family Link’s success in the field has laid the foundation for expanding this tool, ensuring it can help Affiliates across the country manage their work more efficiently while delivering an even greater impact.

In the early stages, the Affiliate Family Link team focused on building a lightweight, practical tool that could address immediate needs. Using Google Sheets and AppSheet—simple, accessible tools—a prototype was quickly developed to manage contacts, enroll families into programs, track case notes, and process forms. This early version of Family Link was intentionally designed to be flexible and cost-effective, allowing it to be tested and refined based on feedback from case managers who would use it daily.

This nimble, iterative process—building quickly, gathering feedback, and continuously improving—proved to be a winning strategy. With each round of testing and input from the field, Family Link grew stronger and more aligned with the real-world needs of case managers. By focusing on solving immediate challenges in a fast, more affordable way, Family Link began to take shape as a practical solution that could streamline workflows and make case management more efficient.

Fast forward to today, and the Family Promise National team has taken the next big step to invest in scaling Family Link. A dedicated digital product development team has been working to rebuild and expand the prototype, transitioning it onto the Google Cloud Platform. This new version will leverage the same scalable technologies used in the prototype, ensuring that Family Link is ready to support nearly 200 Affiliates across the country.

Family Link is designed to simplify case management by streamlining existing processes, such as the National census, while providing real-time insights and tracking trends. Most importantly, it will allow Affiliates to spend more time with families and less time on administrative tasks, like data entry. Through this digital tool, we are empowering Affiliates, transforming lives, and amplifying results for families in need.

In February 2025, Family Link will launch its Pilot Program with 5-10 Affiliates. Following that, we will continue to roll it out in additional cohorts throughout the year, with a goal of reaching 50-75 Affiliates using Family Link as their primary case management and reporting platform by the end of 2025.

We are thrilled to bring this innovative, field-tested tool to Affiliates in the new year, and we can’t wait to see how it will help strengthen our collective efforts to support families across the country.

If you’d like to know more about Family Link, check out our frequently asked questions.