Panel on Metrics for Measuring Success Council on State Community Development Agencies Annual Training Conference September 19, 2017 Dr. Donald Burnes- Founder and Board Chair, Burnes Center on Poverty and Homelessness

Several Types of Metrics/Data Basic demographic data – e.g. Point-in-Time By-Name Data – Track individuals and target services Program data – Homeless Management Information System Client assessment data Evaluation data (Success) Program evaluation System Assessment

Why Do We Collect Data? The feds say we have to We want to insure that individuals receive services Our funders insist on it We want to know what’s going on with our programs We want to see how successful our programs are

How Do We Measure Success? What are we trying to accomplish? What would be good measures of success? How can we collect and analyze the data?

Three topics today Program evaluation – Don Tracking individuals – Melanie System assessment – Chris

Important Aspects of Logic Model Mission Statement Inputs Assumptions Program Components Activities Outputs Short-Term Outcomes Long-Term Outcomes

Outputs vs. Outcomes Outcomes = Impact of Services O Outputs = Units of service Outcomes = Impact of Services

Denver’s Road Home as Example # of housing units built # of outreach contacts # of people using medical clinic # of people getting jobs # of guests in a shelter All these are outputs – important, but not outcomes

Outcomes How many housing units filled and how long did people stay? How many outreach contacts ended up with people in services and what was the impact of those services? Did the health/mental health/behavioral health of the persons visiting the clinic improve? Did the guests at the shelter move into permanent housing and/or employment? How many jobs were full time, are they still in jobs, was there an increase in pay? Did service recipients think their lives had improved; did they feel happier about themselves? These are the real outcomes of those services.

If the purpose of services is to improve the lives of those we are serving, don’t we want to know if in fact their lives were improved?

Evaluation of the day shelter at the St. Francis Center What were the services? Who were the guests that receive them? What did the guests find most/least useful? Why were the services important to the guests? In what ways did the services improve their lives---coping with their daily lives, getting jobs, finding housing? How did the guests feel about the staff? How did the guests feel about themselves?

System Assessment (Type of Evaluation) Look at all programs and organizations in a geographical area as part of a single system of services. Examine nature of intended recipients of services. Identify available services and gaps in services. Is total system operating efficiently an effectively without duplication of effort?

Example of System Assessment B Example of System Assessment Burnes Center assessment of homeless services in Adams County (suburb of Denver). Examined housing, services, and shelter for the entire county and looked at them all in terms of a single system of services. Made recommendations for improvements in the system- 1 -2 years; 3-5 years; 5-10 years Prepared report and presented findings to County study session. County is already starting to implement immediate recommendations.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CONSIDERATION OVER ONE TO THREE YEARS The following seven recommendations, will take some time, probably 1-3 years. However, given the immediacy of the winter months, we encourage the County to move quickly to start considering them as soon as possible. Recommendation #1: The County should convene a group to develop a 10 Year Plan to address homelessness. Recommendation: #2: The County should develop a plan to evaluate its efforts to address homelessness. Recommendation #3: The County should approach future efforts to address homelessness as a seamless system of services rather than as a series of individual services and agencies. Recommendation #4: The County should hire a homelessness services coordinator.

Recommendation#5: The County should improve and expand its communication and coordination between county government offices and its network of housing providers including the Adams County Housing Authority. Recommendation #6: The County should provide dedicated alternative safe, secure, dignified, habitable space for persons not willing to go to shelters. Recommendation #7: The County should provide some assistance to the Sheriff and Deputy Sheriffs that patrol the encampments.  

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CONSIDERATION OVER THREE TO FIVE YEARS The following four recommendations are listed in the 3-5 year time frame because complete enactment of them will take at least that long. However, we strongly encourage decision makers to begin to think through enactment strategies long before the third year. Recommendation #8: The County should provide more available shelter space for families and for single adults. Recommendation #9: The County should explore creating service jobs for those in the encampments and for others experiencing homelessness similar to the Denver Day Works program. Recommendation #10: The County should pay much more attention to homelessness prevention. Recommendation #11: The County should develop strategies to locate services where the people are, rather than providing services in a central location.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CONSIDERATION OVER FIVE OR MORE YEARS It will likely take five to ten years to adequately address the affordable housing crisis, at a minimum. However, we think Adams County should start addressing the issues of affordable and attainable housing earlier than five years from now. Recommendation #12: The County should create more affordable/attainable housing for its poorest residents. Recommendation #13: The County should form partnerships with surrounding county governments, city governments and service providers to develop a true regional approach to address homelessness.

CHASE Project Assessment of services for those without homes in Colorado Identify needs across the state Identify existing services Identify gaps in services Develop plans to fill gaps, by county or by region