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Investing in tech infrastructure now is helping governments unlock the time, data, and partnerships they’ll need for tomorrow’s policy environment.

Federal and state policy shifts are constantly placing new demands on local governments. At the same time, local governments are operating with tight staffing, aging systems, and the challenge of serving more residents with fewer resources. While some communities are scrambling to keep up, others are quietly building digital infrastructure that’s helping them stay ahead. Forward-thinking governments are recognizing that, to meet evolving policy expectations and demands, they need to invest in tools that free up staff time, eliminate silos, and generate actionable data.

As local governments navigate this changing landscape, many are discovering that targeted technology investments can meaningfully transform how they operate. With the right infrastructure in place, leaders can keep pace with changing demands through more efficient and effective delivery of services, stronger community partnerships, and greater adaptability and accountability.

In Government, ROI Is About More Than Cost

For many local governments, “doing more with less” has been the default operating model for years. But the traditional way of measuring return on investment (ROI)—through direct cost savings—misses an essential element: time.

Staff hours lost to manual documentation, redundant follow-ups, and uncoordinated care are more than operational headaches—they’re opportunity costs. They limit government leaders’ ability to adequately meet resident needs, apply for funding, submit reports, and collaborate across agencies.

Take the example of Gwinnett County, Georgia. By replacing its outdated, spreadsheet-based coordination system with a closed-loop referral and reporting platform from Unite Us, the county’s Health and Human Services Department reclaimed nearly 2,000 staff hours. That time could then be redirected to more direct customer service, follow-up, and strategic planning. The team connected over 4,300 residents to nearly 9,000 services, improving both access and efficiency. 

When technology is used to streamline care coordination, the ROI isn’t just dollars—it’s bandwidth. And as governments increasingly struggle with staffing gaps and high levels of burnout, bandwidth is key.

Cross-Sector Coordination Is a Workforce Strategy

In counties across the United States, the public sector workforce is shrinking. Longtime employees are retiring and replacements can be hard to recruit, especially in rural areas. For many local leaders, the focus is shifting from hiring more staff to better supporting existing caseworkers.

Technology that enables shared records, closed-loop referrals, and unified case documentation helps reduce duplication and guesswork. It also reduces the administrative burden that drives burnout in frontline roles.

Summit County, Ohio, has seen this dynamic in practice. With Unite Us serving as a coordination platform for its community partners, the county has improved outcomes while reducing duplications, delays, and miscommunications. Staff are able to see what services a resident has already accessed, collaborate in real-time across agencies, and avoid redundant referrals. That means fewer repeated intakes, clearer accountability, and a smoother experience for both the workforce and the people they serve.

Governments cannot afford to let limited staffing become a barrier to service. Coordination infrastructure is increasingly part of the solution.

Small Communities Are Spearheading Big Innovations

While large cities often get the spotlight, many of the most practical innovations in government technology are coming from rural counties—especially those investing in infrastructure that can scale across organizations of different sizes and technical capacities.

By implementing Unite Us, some rural governments have built care coordination systems that lower the barrier to entry for all partners. Small organizations that once relied on phone calls and paper forms can now be part of a shared ecosystem that is able to send and receive referrals, track outcomes, and access data in real-time.

This kind of investment is helping rural communities overcome historic disadvantages in connectivity and capacity. With the right infrastructure, they’re not just catching up—they’re setting the pace.

Policy Compliance and Grant Readiness Are Products of Smart Systems

One of the most resource-intensive challenges for local governments is keeping up with data and reporting requirements tied to funding. Proving impact with specificity and speed is a challenge for any organization. The most prepared governments aren’t responding to these requirements after the fact; they are building systems where compliance is baked into daily workflows.

In Gwinnett County, the Unite Us platform now powers monthly data reporting to county leadership. And in Summit County, Unite Us payments solutions ensure that the agency and its partners are operating in compliance. 

When infrastructure is designed to support everyday service delivery and coordination, it generates the kinds of insights that grant makers and policy makers want to see without increasing the burden on caseworkers.

There’s a growing consensus among government leaders that the right technology infrastructure is central to strategic planning. Whether you’re responding to a funding opportunity, adapting to a new mandate, or addressing a workforce shortage, your ability to act depends on how your systems work. Technology alone isn’t the answer, but shared infrastructure like Unite Us can be a force multiplier that gives governments the tools to serve constituents better, respond faster, and prepare for what’s next.

To learn more about how Unite Us can be transformational for local government, schedule a meeting today.