Countywide Homeless System Performance Winston-Salem/Forsyth County CoC

prepared for

North Carolina Coalition to End Homelessness

Megan Kurteff Schatz

Emily Halcon

August 26, 2013

www.focusstrategies.net

FocusStrategies.net

ABOUT FOCUS STRATEGIES

We believe the HEARTH Act and Opening Doors lead the way to finally ending homelessness.  

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GOALNo one is homeless more than 30 days

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HISTORYHonoring community, collaboration, and service

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Overview

• Winston-Salem/Forsyth County, NC• Current outcomes• Data driven systems change• Context for the Calculator• Demonstration – current and projected• Discussion

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Right Sizing Progress

Parallel tracks in Winston-Salem– Use of national research to aggressively move toward right sizing

– Focus Strategies outcomes analysis– Statewide HMIS data quality efforts

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Right Sizing Progress

Future efforts for Winston-Salem– Coordinated Intake Center– Projecting impacts of system alignment efforts, continuous improvement & adjustments

– CHIN moving towards outcome reporting

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System Dashboard Reports

• Data quality assessment• Homeless system performance • Program type performance • Program comparisons• Individual program performance

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Initial Assessment

• Direction for data cleaning –Monitoring data quality for HUD reports– Data quantity ≠ data quality

• Some programs had to change the way they were entering data

• Using data in a more meaningful way is a process

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Data Quality

• Income & employment at entry/exit – all programs• Disability data – all programs• 48% of system cases coming from housed situation• 30% of ES exit destinations = “DK” or “Refused”• Very few clients staying beyond expected max LOS

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System PerformanceUse Patterns

60%23%

9%

7%

System Wide use of Homeless Residential Programs, 3 Years

1 Stay2 Stays3 Stays4 + Stays

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System PerformanceEntry into Emergency Shelters

37%

17%

15%

14%

12% 3%2%

Friends/FamilyEmergency SheltersUnshelteredInstitutionsOther HousingUnknownTransitional Housing

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System PerformanceEntry into Transitional Housing

38%

34%

14%

5% 4%4%

2%

Emergency ShelterFriends/FamilyOther HousingInstitutionalUnshelteredUnknownTransitional Housing

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System PerformanceEntry into Rapid Re-Housing

58%

15%

10%

8% 7%1%

1%

Emergency ShelterFriends/FamilyTransitional HousingOther HousingUnshelteredInstitutionUnknown

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System PerformanceEntry into SSVF

43%

30%

13%

10%

3%

Other HousingEmergency ShelterFamily/FriendsTransitional HousingUnsheltered

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System PerformanceProgram Comparison

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System PerformanceProgram Comparison

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Performance Improvement Calculator

• Excel Tool developed by Focus for the National Alliance to End Homelessness

• Uses 3 years of local data – models strategies to increase the number of people who move from homelessness to permanent housing 

Three Acts, Again

• Trial run • Data clean up, re-run• Final improvements, public sharing

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Does the current set of components fit the need?

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Population Distribution

Unsheltered 13

Emergency Shelter222

Transitional Housing58

Winston-Salem/Forsyth Adults Only Household (N=293)

2013 PIT Count

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Population Distribution

Unsheltered Homeless0

Emergency Shelter18

Transitional Housing15

Winston-Salem/ForsythHouseholds with Adults and Children (N=33)

2013 PIT Count

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Elements of HEARTH Goals

• Length of stay• Exits to permanent housing• Returns to homelessness• Investments (underlying)

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System Outcomes Drivers

• Program rules • Program practices• Cost compared with alternatives

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PIC Demonstration

• Every system has idiosyncrasies• Presentation with Winston-Salem/Forsyth County data

• Winston-Salem/Forsyth’s idiosyncrasies: – Atypically high proportion of shelter to transitional housing

– Rapid Rehousing stays longer than average (2011)– Transitional housing stays shorter than average 

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Winston-Salem: System Changes

• Deeper understanding of system and how staff were using HMIS

• Shortened Length of Stays for Rapid Re-Housing• Using a “lighter touch” • Reallocated $ in FY2012 CoC app to Rapid Re-Housing • Changed from trying to end poverty to ending homelessness 

• Cut cost for RRH for families in half 

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Performance Improvement Calculator

Outcomes:– 2011– 2013 

Projecting:– 2015 – 2016

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Q & A