Calgary Drop-in Centre looks to improve client services with Dynamics 365 CE and facial recognition

The Calgary Drop-In & Rehab Centre (the DI) provides emergency shelter, health services, community resources and housing supports, to people either experiencing or at risk of homelessness. On any given night, the DI provides warm beds for as many as 1,000 individuals, many of whom don’t have government-issued identification. As such, it's critical that the DI know exactly who is entering and leaving the facility.

"Some DI clients are victims of crime, victims of domestic violence, or may have addiction issues," says Helen Knight, director of IT and CIO at the Calgary Drop-In Centre.  She said that many clients do not have ID, but Calgary DI needs to be able to keep track of who it is letting in to safeguard everyone seeking its service.

Together with Sierra Systems, the DI team has worked to overcome chaotic databases with Microsoft Dynamics 365 and are working to implement a proof-of-concept facial recognition system developed with Azure Cognitive Services.

D365 CE helps the DI save millions

When Knight started working at the DI two years ago, she did an assessment of all the technology throughout the building, and interviewed one person from every role in the building.