Minutes
6/2/2016
Slides from the meeting can be found here:
  1. Welcome & Introductions
  2. CoC/Coordinated Entry Updates
    1. CoC NOFA (HUD Notice of Funding Availability)
      1. Funds transitional, rapid rehousing, permanent supportive housing, etc
      2. Last year
        1. Awarded approx $20m
        2. SCC did well last year as a community – one of few communities that gained funding vs lost funding (approx $4.5m)
        3. Lost 4 projects, but working to address this
      3. This year
        1. Expecting the NOFA to be released end of June/early of July
        2. NOFA committee is preparing scoring tool & process recommendations
        3. Renewal grantees have started the application process
        4. Next Monday, June 6, Review & Rank panel will meet to review agency capacity
        5. System-wide Performance Measures will be a factor: by mid-June, agencies will be expected to resolve any issues related to the report
        6. HUD Priorities: Strategic Resource Allocation (funding what works based on outcomes & model), Housing First approach, Ending chronic homelessness, Veteran homelessness/youth homelessness/family homelessness
    2. CoC Board Member change
      1. Gary Graves retiring
      2. Jeff Smith is new board member (see June CoC newsletter for more info about Jeff)
    3. Policies & Procedures: in process of rewriting the CoC policies – HomeBase will be sending out request for feedback
    4. Coordinated Assessment
      1. Next meetings in July and Sept
      2. Office of Supportive Housing will be gathering community feedback for coordinated assessment for emergency shelters & transitional housing programs
    5. Housing First approach – please talk to Hilary if you used to be anti-Housing First and are now a believer
    6. HomeBase providing training on Mainstream Benefits (high level overview) on June 30 from 1-5pm at Charcot Training Center
  3. Cascading Communication Award winner
    1. 3 agencies participated
    2. Winner: PATH!
  4. Overview of HUD System Performance Measures (SPM)
    1. All programs (not just HUD-funded programs) will be included in this report and affects CoC funding
    2. First time the report will be submitted around mid-June, for the federal fiscal year (Oct 1, 2014 to Sept 30, 2015)
    3. Viewed video overview
      1. First video listed here: https://www.hudexchange.info/training-events/system-performance-measures/
      2. Measures
        1. Length of time homeless
        2. Returns to homelessness
        3. Number homeless
        4. Income growth
        5. Newly homeless
        6. Category 3 (definition of homeless)
        7. Housing Placements
      3. Key Concepts
        1. Looks as community as a whole, not specific programs
        2. Capture combined effect of all homeless services in a community
        3. Data quality & completeness – HMIS data needs to be as complete & accurate as possible
          1. All projects record in HMIS (even if not HUD funded)
          2. All projects enter in as much data as possible
      4. HUD will use the measures to:
        1. Selection criteria for funding awards in future NOFAs
        2. Evaluate improvement in communities from year to year
      5. Locally you can use the measures to:
        1. Help to identify where improvements are needed
        2. Help inform system planning
      6. There are additional videos for each measure as well as resources on the HUD Exchange website: https://www.hudexchange.info/programs/coc/system-performance-measures/
  5. Data Quality for HUD System Performance Measures
    1. Goals for today
      1. Ensure programs categories correctly
      2. Identify key data elements you will want to work with your users to verify are accurate (deep dive beyond missing values to assessing accuracy)
      3. Game plan for each agency to follow over the next few weeks
    2. Data Quality: Elements to focus on
      1. Program-focused data elements
        1. Program Type
        2. Method for Tracking Emergency Shelter
        3. Federal Partner Program & Components
      2. Client-focused data elements
        1. Date of birth
        2. Program entry date
        3. Program exit date
        4. Destination
        5. Length of time on Street, ES, TH
        6. Residential move-in date
        7. Income & sources
    3. Make sure program types are correct: 2 ways to do this (Agency Manager account needed)
      1. Option 1: look at each program
        1. Go to Launcher -> Manage
        2. Go to Programs tab
        3. Click “Edit” to the left of each program
        4. Review “Program Type” and “Program Applicability” for accuracy
      2. Option 2: use Analysis tab
        1. Go to Launcher -> Reports
        2. Go to Analysis tab
        3. Add Agencies Name, Programs Name, Programs Project Type code from the left
        4. Hit Run
        5. Can download report if needed
    4. Explanation of Fields in Clarity
      1. Program Category fields
        1. Program type is most general category
        2. Program Applicability is more precise
        3. In most cases, these will be the same
      2. Method for tracking emergency shelter utilization
        1. Night by night (client checks in every night, bed not reserved)
        2. Entry/Exit (client isn’t checked in every night, bed reserved for a certain amount of time)
      3. In general, there should be no “Other” program types
    5. Focus on PH Programs
      1. Two types of PH programs
        1. PSH
        2. RRH
      2. If you see a PH program with a different program type, let Bitfocus know
  6. HUD System Performance Measures Game Plan: every agency should do the following:
    1. Deadline: June 15
    2. Review Program Category for your programs (see 5.3 in the meeting minutes for instructions)
      1. Notify Bitfocus if any program category changes are needed
    3. Review Client Information for your programs
      1. Recommendation: use [GNRL-220] Program Details report (run report for both entry and exit data)
        1. Ask users to review for accuracy & identify errors
        2. Ask users to correct errors
        3. Focus on Income – income changes are important!
        4. Run the report for Oct 1, 2014 to Sept 30, 2015
  7. Future Data Quality plans: on a regular basis, review data in HMIS – more details TBA
  8. Cascading Communication
    1. Individual award:
      1. Send Hilary email by June 15 that you have checked data quality for Client Information
      2. Have 3 users send Hilary an email to confirm
    2. If 10 agencies participate, Hilary will bring baked goods to the next Agency Admin meeting