Countywide Homeless System Performance Winston-Salem/Forsyth County CoC

prepared for North Carolina Coalition to End Homelessness

Megan Kurteff SchatzEmily Halcon

August 26, 2013

www.focusstrategies.net

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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