Winter 2025 (Version 2.14) Release Notes
Table of Contents
2.14 is the latest version of HomeKeeper at this publishing. This is a mid sized update, with continued updates to the new Applicant Info component, some minor field adjustments, and major code overhaul allowing more access for Site Guest Users for purposes of building Experience Sites with external intake forms.
The below release notes include the newest HomeKeeper feature highlights, the link you'll use to upgrade, and how to complete relevant manual updates.
CAUTION: Permissions for new features, objects and fields
As part of version 2.9, we delivered Permission sets that contain all the security permissions necessary to operate HomeKeeper as a user to ensure smooth transitions to the newer security-reviewed version.
These permission sets are still relevant with each new release, including HomeKeeper version 2.14. Contact HomeKeeper support to coordinate the deployment of the most recent Permission Sets.
See Technical Updates section for details
NOTE: HomeKeeper Testing Group
Shout out to our testing group, including staff from State College Community Land Trust, CEDA, North Peak Solutions, Open Communities, Habitat for Humanity Rice County, OPAL CLT, and Neighborworks Home Partners! These users kindly volunteered their time to test and provide direct feedback. Email support@myhomekeeper.org if you're interested in joining in on pre-release testing and get early access to installing new features!
Access Link to Upgrade Here:
**How to Upgrade to Access New Features and Capabilities of Version 2.14
The HomeKeeper team will receive an automated notification when your Salesforce organization uses the upgrade link.
Want to schedule a push upgrade? We recently made it possible to schedule a push upgrade, where your HomeKeeper will be automatically updated. Please submit a support ticket to support@myhomekeeper.org, with at least 48 hours notice, and include a few times that would work for your organization to be upgraded to 2.12. We will confirm your upgrade window in our response.
Learn how to upgrade a new version of the HomeKeeper package in your Salesforce:
While logged into Salesforce where your HomeKeeper app is installed, click this link to upgrade to version 2.14 of HomeKeeper.
(Note: If you are installing into a sandbox organization, replace https://login.salesforce.com/ with http://test.salesforce.com)
2.14 New / Updated Features
These are new tools or features - sets of new fields, automation - that are intended to serve a specific purpose
Site Guest User Code Updates
With Salesforce building and release more capabilities when it comes to Flow & Screen Flow and the ability to publish those on Experience Cloud sites to allow for external data entry / intake applications, it's time for us to help take advantage. We are taking the first steps to enable organizations to better use this functionality in conjunction with the Site Guest User profile. Due to Field-level security requirements, Site Guest Users were not authorized to create anything in HomeKeeper. But after reviewing our scenarios with the Salesforce team and seeing how they were able to "exempt" the Site Guest User from these requirements, we are happy to announce we've made the necessary changes to allow Site Guest Users to create HomeKeeper records.
What does this mean? While we are still working on templates to help get Intake Applications started - Homeownership/Housing Counseling Intake, Group Session Registration - we are rolling out the ability first to exempt the Site Guest User from Field Level security requirements. You can now work with a consultant or develop on your own applications that leverage Site Guest User. In future releases, we will begin to build templates that are easier to work with to serve this purpose.
The Site Guest User is, however, a one way application. You can create an intake application that allows external data entry and record creation - but won't allow for searching, editing existing applications. Therefore, it is not suitable for a portal - that's what a full Experience Cloud Site could do.
Action Required: How do I turn it on? Go to Setup - Custom Settings. Find HomeKeeper Settings and click Manage.
Click New. Check the Box Grant Guest Users Update Access, and give it a name, like HomeKeeperSiteGuestUser. Click Save and you're ready to test!
Accompanying this Site Guest User Exemption is a permission set, HomeKeeper Guest Permissions. To obtain this permission set, contact support@myhomekeeper.org. Our development team will need System Administrator access for less than 1 hour, scheduled, to complete this deployment.
This functionality is just the beginning of the work that needs to be done to utilize Site Guest Users. In future builds, we plan to release template Screen Flows and Experience Sites for applicant intake purposes. In the meantime, advanced administrators and consultants can build these out with the following considerations:
- Any flows must run in System Mode ("System Context Without Sharing---Access All Data")
- Guest user needs Read access to Account (Lender lookup on Service File)
As more considerations arise during testing and deployment, we will add them here.
Applicant Info (Bug Fixes and Usability Enhancements)
Overview
Based on your feedback and diligent reporting in support, we've made updates to the Applicant Info component. These are primarily bug fixes and some default automation:
- No Action Required: We identified an issue when adding certain field types the Applicant or Co-applicant field set - namely Checkbox and Time related fields. We've tested all field types and all are able to be added as needed.
- No Action Required: We had a request to automatically check the Copy Address to Service File and now check it by default
- Action Required: Fields were missing from the Application Household Member (Ethnicity) and Income Source (Occupation). These have been added for future, but admins must add these manually. Keep in mind, the fields you edit Field Sets are in one column, but they go left to right to populate the 2-column layout.
New Fields
These are new fields that are added to collect new data or existing data in a different place
Primary Applicant Gender
Action Required: We've added a field on the Service File for 'Primary Applicant Gender'. This is to allow users to update it directly on the Service File, and enables us to include it in our HUD Helper Fields, and Enter HUD Fields button. We've also added additional choices for new installations that will need to be added manually in Setup, to promote additional inclusivity. These choices include Nonbinary and Chose not to respond, and need to be added:
- Service File: Primary Applicant Gender
- Application Household Member: Gender
- Contact: Gender
It's important to ensure each matches verbatim so automation can copy and sync data between the fields
You can update this field in the list view on the Service File level, or Follow this guide for step by step instructions to add it to the layout and edit it on the Service File page.
No Action Required: We've added 'Primary Applicant Gender' to our HUD Helper Fields (which identify missing HUD fields) and removed the duplicate entries (was appearing twice if Primary Applicant Gender was empty)
Term Field (Funding Source)
Action Required: Previous Term (in months) field was limited to 3 characters and did not fit Shared Equity's definition of Permanent/Lasting Affordability of the subsidies, of 99 years (1188). This has been expanded to 5 characters.
Census Tract Field (Property)
No Action Required: Previous Census Tract field was limited to 10 characters and did not fit tract numbers that include block groups. This has been expanded to 30 characters.
Housing Counseling - FY25 Updates
Action Required: Please add Activity Types as these changes are only for new installations going forward. Here is a guide.
HomeKeeper User Permission Set (Managed)
Due to Salesforce limitations on what Permission Sets can be packaged, we developed and delivered 2 permission sets - Managed (included in HomeKeeper Upgrades) and Unmanaged (must be deployed separately). We have found, based on user feedback, that it has been confusing to have the two. We have made updates to the HomeKeeper User Permission - Unmanaged to contain all permissions needed, and will begin to phase out the Managed permission set due to those limitations.
We have also removed access to Record Types for Service Files on the Permission Set - this is due to us giving access to all (Homeownership, 1-1 Counseling, Assistance, and Group Education Only) while organizations may not want their users to do so. As Managed sets cannot be edited and supersede Profiles, we decided to remove those assignments and allow customization at the profile level.
Action Required: Ensure you have the most up-to-date Unmanaged permission set (contact support@myhomekeeper.org for a fresh deployment, we require developer account access). Ensure your users have, at the profile level, access to the record types you'd like them to.
Other Interface Updates
These are simple renaming of fields, buttons or actions, additions to picklist values that affect new installations, and other minor updates.
No Action Required: We have not made any new interface-related updates not described above
No Action Required: We've added one new report to HomeKeeper:
- FY 2025 Control Report
NOTE: These are new templated reports we package that you can use and customize immediately.
Technical Updates & Bug Fixes
These are advanced updates responding to bugs reported by users through support or additional administrative control tools for Salesforce Administrators.
Action Required: We've updated Usage Reports - this is a process that analyzes your usage of HomeKeeper for purposes of improving the product and connecting with users. Based on a security update from Salesforce, email addresses are required to be verified in your system so the reports can be sent.
- In Setup, search for Scheduled Jobs.
- Click on Schedule Apex
- Job Name: HKUsage Metrics; Apex Class: UsageMetricsNotificationBatch; Frequency: Weekly; Monday at 12:00AM; Start (Today) End(next year)
- Go back to Setup, search for Organization-Wide Addresses
- A new Default No-Reply email is required. Click Add
- Enter any Display Name
- Enter your profile's email address
- Either Allow All Profiles or just select Profiles, Save
- Check your email and follow the link to verify the email address
No Action Required: We updated some code to be modernized with Salesforce's current security and sharing requirements, including changes to the FeeTriggerUtility, ContactTriggerUtility, PropertyTriggerUtility, AssetTriggerUtility, AMITriggerUtility