Dennis Acosta, Solution Architect
Colleen Murray, Associate Business Analyst
Todd Hutchinson, Associate Help Desk Technician
Brigette Stash, Human Resources Assistant

View the entire Northwoods team

Today, Delaware County joined JFS agencies in Hancock, Knox, Marion, Morrow, Sandusky, and Wood Counties in the full implementation of Collabor8, which allows all seven counties to share resources and staff through an integrated call center and document management process.

A notable benefit for Ohioans is that people living in any of the seven counties can apply for service through one call center via a toll-free number, instead of applying at the respective county agency in person. This will streamline the application process for both the agencies and the people they serve, saving time and resources.

Collabor8 selected Northwoods to provide the work process and software solution to help the seven counties, in partnership with the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS), consolidate processes, improve the flow of information, and enhance service levels.

Intrigued by the concept? Join the conversation about Collabor8 by following the hashtag #Collabor8 or by following @OhioJFS or @TeamNorthwoods on Twitter.

Quotes about Collabor8 from the field:

“By working with Northwoods to both enhance and leverage existing technology, our agencies will be able to substantially increase productivity.”

- Dave Wigent, Collabor8 Project Manager and Director, Wood County JFS

“The team of professionals at Northwoods has an in-depth knowledge of our business and helps us improve how we do our work, not just the systems and software we use.”

- Roxane Somerlot, Director, Marion County JFS

“This is one of the many projects we are involved in that increases collaboration and efficiency in the delivery of these important services to citizens of Ohio and around the country.”

- Gary Heinze, President and CEO, Northwoods

If you are planning to attend ISM this year, there’s more than just one way to connect with us – both on and off site.

We hope to see you there!

Exhibitor Hall

Stop by our exhibit during exhibit hours. In addition to the suite of Compass® software, we have a fantastic new product for tablets to show you - Compass CoPilot™!

Twitter

Follow Northwoods (@TeamNorthwoods) or ISM (@ISM_Connect) on Twitter  to keep up with all the ISM happenings.

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If you are attending, please join us at the President’s Reception April 1 from 6 – 7:30 p.m. or stop by our exhibit during exhibit hours to learn how Compass® software can help your agency save money and improve efficiency.

A new report of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP — formerly the Food Stamp Program) underscores the struggle case managers face every day – the influx of eligible SNAP beneficiaries means serving more clients with the same or fewer resources. Highlights of the report include:

• SNAP enrollment is at an all-time high, as poverty has increased from 12.5% in 2007 to 15.1% in 2010.
• Caseloads have increased in every state, with some, such as Nevada, hit harder than others.
• More than one in five workers who had been unemployed for over six months received SNAP in 2010.
• SNAP payment error rates hit an all-time low at 3.81% in fiscal year 2010.

The Center of Budget and Policy Practices, a non-partisan research and policy institute, concludes that despite the spike in SNAP beneficiaries, the program is effective and efficient, noting that SNAP has provided timely food assistance while maintaining strong program integrity and payment accuracy in recent years.

Northwoods applauds the hard work and dedication of case managers and agencies to ensure that low-income families still have healthy meals on their tables despite their personal financial obstacles. We are proud to support the nearly 100 human services agencies using our Compass® software to provide SNAP and other benefits as efficiently as possible to those who need it the most.