A bilingual iPad sign-in for your lobby. Your front desk sees who is waiting and why, and your board gets the numbers on the 1st of every month.
Start a free 60-day pilotThe line at the housing office window is older than any software. People come in about an application, a rent payment, a leak, a letter they got in the mail, and they wait.
Most offices still meet them with a clipboard. The names are hard to read, the reason for the visit is missing, and everyone who signs in can see who came before them.
At the end of the month the board asks how many people came in and why. Someone counts the sheets by hand, or nobody does.
HousingDesk replaces the clipboard with an iPad on a stand. It asks for a name and a reason, in English or Spanish, and nothing more. See it work
Everything you change here happens on the iPad beside it.
Visitors choose their language first.
Two large doors, English and Español. Every screen after that follows their choice, down to the confirmation.
They type their name, and only their name.
No Social Security number, no birth date, no address or phone. A first name and a last name is all it keeps about a person.
Then they tell you why they came.
Application status for Section 8 or CHAMP, rent, a repair, recertification, paperwork. You choose the list for your office.
Your front desk knows right away.
The reception computer chimes and shows who came in and why, so nobody sits in the lobby unnoticed. Staff mark people helped as they go.
When the Wi-Fi drops, nobody notices.
Sign-ins are kept on the iPad and sent the moment the connection is back. The visitor still sees “You’re signed in.”
Hello, Maria.
Your nameMaria Gonzalez
What brings you in today?
Today, Tuesday
Sample data
On the 1st of every month, last month’s numbers arrive by email with the full list attached. Any other period is two clicks away.
412 people signed in at the front desk in September.
| Application status, Section 8 | 92 |
|---|---|
| Application status, CHAMP | 42 |
| Pay rent | 98 |
| Repair request | 61 |
| Recertification | 57 |
| Drop off papers | 44 |
| Other | 18 |
| Total | 412 |
Attached: walk-ins-2026-09.csv
Sample numbers
January 1 to March 31, 2026
1,187 walk-ins this quarter.
Pick today, this week, last month, this year, or any dates you like.
Sample numbers
walk-ins-2026-09.csv
| Date | In | Name | Reason | Language | Wait |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 30 | 9:02 | Rosa Medina | Pay rent | Spanish | 4 min |
| Sep 30 | 9:15 | David Kim | Recertification | English | 9 min |
| Sep 30 | 9:31 | Joana Silva | Section 8 status | English | 12 min |
| Sep 30 | 9:48 | Carlos Ruiz | Repair request | Spanish | 7 min |
| Sep 30 | 10:06 | Linda Moore | Drop off papers | English | 3 min |
| Sep 30 | 10:20 | Yesenia Cruz | CHAMP status | Spanish | 15 min |
Opens in Excel. One row per visit, every column filled.
Sample rows
Every plan’s first year costs less than $10,000, under the small-purchase limit in Massachusetts (Chapter 30B), so most housing authorities can buy it without a formal bid.
What do we need to buy? An iPad and a stand for the lobby. Use one you already have, or add our kiosk bundle. The front desk uses the computer it already has.
Does our IT department install anything? No. It runs in the browser, saved to the iPad’s home screen like an app. There are no servers to look after.
What does it collect about people? First and last name, the reason for the visit, the language they chose, and the time. No Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses or phone numbers.
Who can see it? Only devices on your office’s internet connection, and staff you approve to sign in from their phones with their work email. Everyone else sees “Unauthorized.”
Can visitors see each other’s names? No. The sign-out list on the iPad shows a first name and last initial, and only for today.
What if the Wi-Fi goes down? Sign-ins are saved on the iPad and sent when the connection returns. Visitors never see an error.
Can we change the questions? Yes. The reasons, programs and buildings on the kiosk are set for your office, in English and Spanish.
What about other languages? English and Spanish are built in. If your lobby needs another language, tell us during the pilot.
How do the numbers reach our board? A summary email arrives on the 1st of every month with the spreadsheet attached. Staff can pull any other period from the dashboard.
How long does setup take? About a week. We set up your site, you place the iPad, and we train your front desk in an hour.
Is it easy to read? The kiosk uses Atkinson Hyperlegible, a typeface the Braille Institute designed for low-vision readers, with large buttons throughout.
How do we pay? One invoice a year, timed to your fiscal year. Check, ACH or purchase order.
We’ll email you within one business day to set up a 20-minute call.
Photographs: “A waiting room at a medical healthcare clinic” by Harrison Keely, CC BY 4.0 (source). “Doctor office waiting room” by Kurt Kaiser, CC0 (source). “Donner Lofts Affordable Housing, San Jose, California” by Will Buckner, CC BY 2.0 (source). “La Brea Affordable Housing” by Art Gray, CC BY 3.0 (source). All via Wikimedia Commons, cropped. The places pictured are not HousingDesk customers.
