For the Housing Authority of the Birmingham District (HABD), every payment made to a resident serves a larger purpose.
As the nation’s 17th largest public housing authority, HABD serves approximately 23,000 residents across the Birmingham area.
Yet, its mission extends beyond housing assistance. HABD is instrumental in helping families and individuals achieve greater stability, economic mobility and long-term success. A core part of that mission requires residents be able to rely on timely access to funds.
HABD leaders saw the need to modernize a payment process that had long relied on paper checks. The agency was issuing thousands of checks annually for utility subsidies, refunds and other resident payments. This reliance on traditional methods wasn’t just costly. It created challenges for both the organization and the residents it serves.
“Part of our broader strategy is modernizing processes for the agency and improving the resident experience,” said Denita Bearden, Chief Administrative Officer for HABD. “While cost savings are important, we want to make sure residents receive payments in a timely manner while being protected against fraudulent check cashing.”
Removing Barriers for Residents
According to Melanie Baker, HABD’s Chief Finance Officer, paper checks often created delays that could create inconveniences, even hardships, in the everyday lives of those the organization tries to serve. Some checks were returned because residents had moved or because of addressing issues.
“Even when checks arrived successfully, residents still faced additional hurdles, including depositing or cashing the check before paying utility bills or other expenses,” Baker said. “For households without a banking relationship, that involved transportation challenges and fees charged by third-party check-cashing services.”
Further, lost checks created additional complications, often requiring time-consuming replacement processes for both residents and agency staff. So, HABD wanted an answer that would eliminate those barriers while making payments faster, more convenient and more secure.
Finding the Right Solution
The search for a better way to manage resident payments brought together HABD and Mary Elizabeth Ford, commercial banking relationship manager at Regions Bank.
Ford recognized a growing need among public-sector clients for a more modern way to deliver payments. She worked across the bank and with Treasury Management specialists to identify a solution that addressed HABD’s goals while keeping resident needs at the center of every conversation.
“We always work to keep the client first,” Ford said. “The goal was to connect the client with the right solution.”
That solution was ReimbursePro powered by Dash Solutions, a digital disbursement platform that provides recipients with convenient options for receiving funds while reducing dependence on paper checks.
The platform enables organizations to streamline payment delivery, reduce administrative burdens and improve the recipient experience.
According to Baker, the impact for HABD was immediate.
“With ReimbursePro, they get the money on the first of the month and have the debit card number with which to pay their water, light or trash bill. Having the debit card means no late fees and not having to rely on transportation.”
The goal was to connect the client with the right solution.
Benefits Far Beyond Efficiency
While the resident experience remains the primary driver, HABD has also seen meaningful operational improvements.
Before implementing ReimbursePro, the agency incurred significant costs related to check stock, magnetic printer cartridges, postage and manual processing. Staff also spent considerable time managing returned checks, addressing delivery issues and handling replacement requests.
Today, many of those burdens have been reduced.
“As a result of ReimbursePro, we’re saving about eight hours daily across the staff,” Bearden said. “That’s an entire day of man hours we don’t spend running and dispersing checks.”
Equally important, the agency has reduced risks associated with paper checks, including fraud concerns, undelivered payments and uncashed checks.
A Commitment to Solving Problems
The result is HABD better serving residents while creating efficiencies across the organization.
For Thomas Morse, Regions Treasury Management relationship manager, the project demonstrates “the value of listening carefully, understanding a client’s needs and working collaboratively to find practical solutions. The result is HABD better serving residents while creating efficiencies across the organization.”
Bearden agreed that ReimbursePro offers a practical improvement in the everyday lives of HABD’s residents.
“By getting money instantly to tenants, we make their lives as easy as possible,” Bearden said. “And the better we improve our service to the tenant, the more we reduce barriers that might otherwise stand in the way of a more stable financial life.”
Regions Bank. Finding a way.
That focus on understanding challenges, and delivering meaningful solutions reflects the broader culture of Regions Bank. Through Treasury Management solutions, including ReimbursePro, Regions works alongside clients to solve problems, improve efficiency and support their financial goals.