Prove It: Using Performance Measurement Systems to Show Success Tom Albanese, L.S.W. Community Shelter Board Presented at The National Conference on Ending Family Homelessness February 9, 2007 Washington, DC Sponsored by the National Alliance to Ends Homelessness

Overview CSB Overview Family System HMIS Performance Measurement Reporting & Evaluation Impact of Performance Measurement Systems

Community Shelter Board The Community Shelter Board was created in 1986 to respond to the growing needs of homelessness in Franklin County. Non-profit intermediary  Funder – shelter, supportive housing, and related services  Planning – Continuum of Care, system, funder collaborative  Coordination of services "It is unacceptable for anyone in our community to go without food or shelter for even one night." Mel Schottenstein, CSB Founder

System Framework Prevention Diversion Minimize shelter stay Move to appropriate housing quickly Create permanent supportive housing Measures results and manage for outcomes

System Design Characteristics Extensive housing partnerships, including subsidized housing Access to short-term rental assistance Highly collaborative  Regular system meetings  MOA’s among agencies  Shared resources

System Design Characteristics (cont.) High accountability among shelters due to transparency  Shared HMIS  Daily bedlist  Quarterly indicators  Annual program evaluations

Franklin County Family System First contact between YWCA Family Center and family:  Triage  Referral  Assessment  Services  Guidance Permanent housing, usually with Transition assistance (CSB) Referral to direct housing: Family Housing Collaborative (Salvation Army, CSB) Diversion: Helping families stay in the housing they’re in, with support from community programs, social service agencies, family and friends, and other community agencies. Welcome to the Family Center Referral to Tier II shelter (Homeless Families Foundation, Volunteers of America) Referral to transitional housing (Amethyst) Referral to permanent supportive housing (2 years - permanent) (Community Housing Network, Amethyst, Volunteers of America) Permanent housing Treatment programs for severe issues (ADAMH agencies)

Front Door Shelter Single point of entry to family system – toll free number; 24/7 access. Supply of shelter beds expands to meet demand – no family turned away due to lack of space.  50 family capacity at center  Overflow capacity as needed Triage before intake – call or walk in clients Housing First philosophy – assertive and quick housing placement Coordinated with Tier II shelters, direct housing, supportive housing, subsidized housing and other housing resources

CSB HMIS Since 1990, CSB has collected data on persons accessing shelter – characteristics and utilization Current:  16 agencies, 47 programs  Coverage: 95% of all shelter beds; All supportive housing developed in last 6 years  33 required data elements: varies by program type HMIS expansion to include all HUD funded homeless programs HMIS upgrade

HMIS Data Quality Assurance Program data required to meet QA standards:  Timeliness All required data elements by 4 th working day of month  Completeness 95% of all clients for each required data element (<5% not reported/null)  Accuracy Congruent with program type, population served, capacity, etc. Matches agency client record (e.g. entry/exit dates match)  Consistency Consistent with past program performance/outcomes

Performance Measures Benchmarks set by CSB Board of Trustees Annual Program Outcomes Plan (POP)  Negotiated with agencies during annual RFP process for each funded program  Attached to annual contract  Includes quarterly, semi-annual, annual goals

Performance Measures PreventionOutreachEmergency Shelter Resource Specialists Direct HousingPermanent Supportive Housing Number Served  Successful Housing Outcomes  Average Length of Stay  Average Length of Participation  Recidivism  Successful Income Outcomes  (Tier II only)  (Long-term DH only) Direct Client Assistance Utilization  Occupancy  (Tier II only)  Housing Stability  Housing Retention 

Outcome Measure Methodology: Example Successful Housing Outcome: Tier 1 Family Shelter Purpose: Indicates program’s success in linking household to appropriate next step housing which includes Tier 2 shelter, transitional and permanent housing. Definition: The number of distinct households that exit (i.e., latest exit for clients with multiple stays during period) to successful housing as defined in Table 1 and the percentage this represents of total distinct households served. Goal-setting methodology: Meet or exceed CSB Board Ends Policy or prior performance. Number of outcomes equals rate times number of exits. Reporting methodology: Calculate the total number of exits and the total number of destinations that are considered successful housing outcomes. Divide the number of successful housing outcomes by the number of total exits.

Program Outcomes Plan: Example Tier I Family Shelter Measure Semi-Annual Goal: 7/1/06-12/31/06 Households Served - #400 Average Length of Stay per Household20 days Successful Housing Outcomes #245 Successful Housing Outcomes %70% Recidivism - %<10% Access to resources to avoid shelter admission and stabilize housing Pass certification Basic needs met in secure, decent environmentPass certification Ongoing engagement with the neighborhoodPass certification Efficient use of a pool of community resources CSB costs per household consistent with CSB budget

Reporting and Evaluation Daily shelter utilization monitoring Quarterly performance monitoring Annual performance evaluation Strategic planning Community Reports

Quarterly System & Program Indicator Reports Key performance measures: system & program Issued to CSB Board of Trustees & Continuum of Care Steering Committee Posted to

Annual Program Evaluation Completed based on first half of FY for use in following FY funding determination Program outcomes compared to planned outcomes Data mostly derived from HMIS Programs are scored as:  High: no less than one not achieved  Medium: half or more achieved  Low: less than half achieved Long-standing, unresolved issues could also lower rating Issued to CSB Board of Trustees, funders Posted to

Strategic Planning Example: Rebuilding Lives Initiative 1997 Community “charge” to assess homeless services for single men impacted by downtown economic development Data sources  Analysis of CSB MIS data  Comprehensive Community Needs Assessment  Analysis of best practices  Review of national model programs Rebuilding Lives Updated Strategy

Community Reports CSB Annual Report Rebuilding Lives Updates Annual Community Report on Homelessness  Annual and trend data  Point-in-time count data

Impact of Performance Measurement System Communicates more accurate description of population (vs. individual, anecdotal needs) Creates higher level of understanding of community problem (builds community support) Informs resource allocation (annual funding) Informs program development/improvement (CQI) Informs policy options (more shelter vs. housing)

Tom Albanese, L.S.W. Director of Programs & Planning Community Shelter Board 115 West Main Street, LL Columbus, Ohio P F