Guthrie Housing Authority: Simplified Systems, Smart Solutions
Just the Facts
Organization: Guthrie Housing Authority
Units Managed: 159 Public Housing Units + 28 Multifamily Units
Location: Guthrie, Oklahoma
Legacy System: Simply Computer
Housing Operations Manager: Kanice Freeman
Kanso Representatives: Zach Lenart, Dakota Koontz
Annual Time Reclaimed: 1,138 hours
Verified Cost Savings: $7,750
Key Performance Improvements
Efficiency Gains
Inspections: 616 hours saved (✔ 91% faster)
Work Orders: 240 hours saved (✔ 40% faster)
Document Preparation: 144 hours saved (✔ 30% faster)
Recertifications: 84 hours saved (✔ 25% faster)
HOTMA Adjustments: 54 hours saved (✔ 90% faster)
Financial Impact
Printing & Postage: $2,400 annual savings through digital communication and electronic receipts
Inspection Contractor Costs: $1,350 annual savings by consolidating inspections to a single week
Executive Director PTO Liability: $4,000 annual reduction through remote accessibility
Challenge Assessment: Pre-Implementation Environment
When Kanice Freeman joined Guthrie Housing Authority, she encountered operational workflows characterized by divided systems, manual processes, and significant inefficiencies:
“We were spending 80 to 90 hours per week, across three staff members, just keeping things afloat — it wasn’t sustainable.” — Kanice Freeman.
Critical Operational Challenges:
System Disconnection: 26 discrete information sources required for daily operations
Document Management: 40 hours monthly dedicated to document preparation
Resident Services: Recertification appointments consumed 16 hours monthly, with an additional 8 hours managing missed appointments
Administrative Burden: Manual data entry for every transaction, adjustment, and maintenance request
Communication Limitations: Reliance on physical mail and in-person interactions for resident communications
The breaking point came when both maintenance staff members quit on the same day - the first citing burnout, and the second unwilling to handle the workload alone. This created an emergency situation where leadership had to personally respond to maintenance calls.
“Our Executive Director and her husband were plunging toilets at 2 AM — that was our breaking point.” — Kanice Freeman.
Without proper systems to support preventive maintenance, track work orders, or document completed tasks, the vicious cycle of reactive management had finally reached a crisis point. What they needed wasn’t just new staff but a complete overhaul of their operational approach.
Solution Development: Collaborative Transformation
Initial consultations revealed that Guthrie’s team wasn’t simply seeking software replacement; they required a comprehensive system aligned with their operational workflows.
Critical Requirements:
Cloud-based accessibility
Real-time collaborative capabilities
Centralized data architecture
Responsive technical support
Kanso provided customizable tools and a comprehensive platform that was adapted to meet the specific needs of the agency.
Implementation Strategy: Digital Integration
The implementation focused on the highest-impact areas first:
Document digitization eliminated 40-hour monthly preparation cycles
Appointment management tools reduced rescheduling requirements by nearly 50%
HOTMA adjustments transitioned from manual to automated processes
Mobile work order and inspection capabilities enhanced tracking and completion rates
Digital distribution replaced physical mail for receipts and communications
Remote access capabilities transformed staff flexibility, enabling proactive management and faster response times across the board.
Transformation Spotlight: Inspection Process Optimization
The most significant process improvement occurred in property inspections, reducing annual time requirements by 91%.
Inspection Transformation:
Inspection Completion: 14-15 units/month → 187 units in 7-8 days (✓ 91% reduction)
Efficiency: Manual process → 23-27 units/day (✓ 616 hours saved/year)
Contractor Use: Year-round work → 1-week schedule (✓ $1,350 saved/year)
With the new technological infrastructure, the contractor could now complete inspections with significantly improved efficiency, delivering accelerated results, enhanced documentation quality, and integrated compliance management.
Operational Efficiency Analysis: Comprehensive Time Savings
Kanso’s implementation substantially improved work order processing efficiency through mobile accessibility, real-time updates, and streamlined communication protocols.
Per-Request Processing Time:
Before: 12 minutes
After: 7 minutes
Improvement: 42% time reduction
Monthly volume: 200–300 work orders
The new system addressed previous documentation gaps that had sometimes created uncertainty about maintenance completion. By providing clear documentation of maintenance requests and completions, the system built trust between residents and staff.
“Residents are gonna be so much nicer to your staff... which plays into the morale of your entire company.” — Kanice Freeman.
Everyone gained visibility into the process - residents could see when work would be done, staff could verify completed tasks, and management could monitor performance. This accountability reduced misunderstandings and created a more positive environment for both staff and residents.
Efficiency gains were achieved across all major operational processes, resulting in substantial monthly time savings:
Strategic Outcomes: Operational Transformation
Organizational Approach: Transition from reactive to proactive operations
Process Modernization: Paper-based workflows replaced with digital systems
Emergency Response: Enhanced through centralized contact management
Compliance Management: 80% of the recent audit was completed through digital documentation
System Consolidation: Information sources reduced by 50% (from 26 to 13), with further integration in progress
The cloud-based accessibility of Kanso delivered unexpected benefits beyond just operational efficiency, including significant quality-of-life improvements for leadership:
“Now our Executive Director can actually take her leave. She can log in from home and help us without being stuck at the office 24/7 — that alone saves us an estimated $4,000 per year in unused leave payouts.” — Kanice Freeman.
This flexibility transformed leadership's work-life balance while generating tangible financial savings. More importantly, it created organizational resilience by shifting from repetitive emergency planning to proactive preparedness. The system enabled the team to anticipate and respond to challenges with confidence and agility.
“We’re not planning for the emergency plan anymore — we’re just ready.” — Kanice Freeman.
Conclusion
The transformation at Guthrie Housing Authority demonstrates how technology can streamline housing operations:
“The technology and availability to do things online just flows into a more effective process.” — Kanice Freeman.
With 1,138 hours reclaimed annually and $7,750 in verified cost savings, Kanso’s implementation provided more than software modernization; it delivered a comprehensive operational transformation that optimized time utilization, enhanced staff morale, and returned operational control to those serving the community.
“We’re not behind anymore — we’re ahead. And we’re not going back.” — Kanice Freeman.