1. Setting the Foundation – Systems Planning Approach.
Provincial Housing & Homelessness Conference
April 24, 2018
Gander, NL
Jaime Rogers MSW, RSW

2. Homeless-Serving System
Local or regional system for serving those who are homeless or at imminent risk of homelessness. 1.
Method of organizing and delivering homeless services appropriate to client needs. 2.
Tangible metrics to determine program and system success, and examine how funds are expended. 5.
Organizations working together towards the same goal of ending homelessness. 3.
Ensuring individual programs contribute to system success. 4.

3. Foundational Concepts1
System planning response focuses on both ending homelessness and preventing future homelessness.
Uses the concept of functional zero as the measurement for ending homelessness which means that homelessness is prevented whenever possible, and that experiences of homelessness are rare, brief, and non-recurring. 2 3
Ending and preventing homelessness require renewed leadership & accountability across stakeholders and investment in what works. 4
Critical need to increase permanent supportive and affordable housing supply, and a greater focus on prevention and diversion, including longer term supports where appropriate.

4. System Planning in Brief
Cross-sectoral leadership & engagement across stakeholders. 1.
Highly coordinated homeless-serving system planning. 2.
Clarity on governance model & lead System Planner Organization for Plan. 3.
Coordinated funding to advance common Plan objectives. 4.
Information system & performance management across homeless-serving system 5.
Research, evaluation and data embedded in & refine efforts in real time. 6.
Housing First program responses to address chronic & episodic homelessness. 7.
Housing-focused outreach for rough sleeping. 8.
Diverse housing options, including Permanent Supportive Housing, Affordable Housing, Rent Subsidies, Short-term Supportive Housing. 9.
Tailored intervention to priority groups, inc. Indigenous people, youth, families, most vulnerable, etc.
10.
Targeted prevention intervention for those at highest risk of homelessness.
11.

5. System Planner Organization
Recognized model across North America homeless-serving system operations. 1
Supported by extensive consultation in community through advisory boards, lived experience councils, etc. 5 2
Emerged through local/provincial/federal collaboration over last 8 years & outlined in legal agreements.
Strategically situated in particular organizations in independent non-profits or municipality. 4 3
Distinct system planning, Collective Impact backbone supports, services delivery & funding functions merged in nimble model.

6. System Planner Organization - Roles
Lead development and implementation of Plans to End Homelessness;
Design and coordinate homeless-serving system;
Develop and implement Homelessness Management Information System (HMIS);
Engage key stakeholders, including people with lived experience, throughout Plan activities;
Manage and coordinate diverse funding streams towards common ending homelessness objectives and local needs;
Ensure comprehensive performance management, service standards, quality assurance and investment monitoring;
Advance Housing First and other innovative, evidence-based supports and housing approaches tailored to local contexts;
Support best practice learnings for agencies, policy makers, and peers by sharing learnings, providing technical assistance and training;
Champion homelessness issues locally, provincially and nationally.

7. Transitionally homeless Episodically homeless
Designing the System
80%
Transitionally homeless
10-15%
Episodically homeless
640 from
5-10%
Chronically homeless

8. Acuity & Homelessness Rapid Rehousing, Affordable Housing, Prevention
Lower Acuity
ICM, Transitional Housing
Moderate Acuity
Note:
Permanent Supportive Housing, ACT
Higher Acuity
Organizational Performance - HR Ctee Feb

9. Indigenous Cultural Supports
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER IN THE
HOMELESS-SERVING SYSTEM
HOMELESSNESS
INFORMATION
MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
GOVERNMENT SERVICES
HOUSING OPTIONS
COMMUNITY SUPPORTS
RAPID
REHOUSING
INTENSIVE
CASE
MANAGEMENT
AFFORDABLE
HOUSING
PERMANENT
SUPPORTIVE
HOUSING
TRANSITIONAL
HOUSING
Services Ahead
HOUSING RESOURCES
Household Amenities Warehouse
Landlord Amenities Engagement
Indigenous Cultural Supports
EMERGENCY
SHELTERS
Streets
Shelters
Services Ahead
Systems
People Experiencing
Homelessness
Youth
Indigenous
Chronic/Episodic
Families
Prevention
Diversion
COORDINATED ACCESS
Outreach & Engagement
Assessment & Referral
System Entry Points

10. System Processes 1 2 Referral processes Eligibility criteria 6 3
Agreed upon standards, policies and protocols to guide program and system operations including: 1 2
Referral processes
Eligibility criteria 6 3
Safety, etc.
Service standards 5 4
Privacy
Client engagement

11. Performance Management
Empowers clients through participation in quality assurance activities at program and system level.
Evaluates system’s impact on target populations.
Performance expectations at the program and system levels aligned and monitored to drive Plan targets.
Illustrates the level of performance expected of everyone.
Promote service integration across sector and with mainstream systems.
Articulates what the system aims to achieve.

12. HMIS: Beyond the Basics
HMIS allows communities to implement and undertake system planning using real time data.
Agencies can track progress at client level, while funder can assess system performance.
Allows for unduplicated count of shelter population longitudinally to assess program gaps.
Fundamental infrastructure to track how clients move through homeless serving system.

13. Coordinated Access & Assessment
Common processes to ensure appropriate program matching, consistent prioritization, and streamlined flow of clients across Homeless-Serving System.
Coordinated process for people to access supports.
Provides information, screening, referral, and intake through one or multiple sites.
Assessment supports appropriate matching of client to programs.

14. Integration Strategies
Successful integration achieved when particular strategies applied across systems.
Common policies and protocols, shared information 1
Adopting and using an interagency management information system 7 2
Coordinated service delivery and training 6 3
Co-locating mainstream services within homeless-serving agencies and programs
Having staff with the responsibility to promote systems/service integration 5 4
Centralized authority for homeless-serving system planning & system coordination
Creating a local interagency coordinating body

15. Break Time

16. Group Discussion Questions
What are your concerns and frustrations with how the sytem(s) are currently operating? 1
Group Discussion
Questions
Why are things not operating optimally in your community/region? 2
What is working well in your community/region? 3
How do we do more of what is working well? 4