Using Data, Setting Goals, and Defining what it means to End Homelessness
Because of Opening Doors, the focus on goal-setting and data-driven strategies to end homelessness has increased across the country. For example, we’ve seen an increased emphasis on performance measurement, documentation of outcomes, and a focus on the most effective and cost-efficient use of resources, and believe that implementation of such strategies should be even more strongly emphasized within an amended Opening Doors.
Since the launch of Opening Doors, our understanding of what works has further solidified, and we’ve seen tremendous progress. Your input is essential to the ongoing success of Opening Doors. Please share and vote for the ideas you think would have the greatest impact in an amendment to Opening Doors.
Please consider these questions when crafting your feedback and voting for the feedback you think is most valuable. And please use the Opening Doors Amendment 2014 Participation Guide for more information on what strategies are currently included in Opening Doors. Find it here: http://bit.ly/USICH2014
1. Are there additional strategies for increasing the focus on data-driven decision making and setting measurable goals that you think should be reflected in an amendment to Opening Doors?
2. How would your community/organization benefit from a greater emphasis on these issues within Opening Doors? Please explain what information would be most helpful.
3. Would including a definition on what ending homelessness means and how it should be defined benefit your community’s/organizations’ efforts, and if so, how?
4. Are there other areas of the Plan you feel would benefit from updated information or the incorporation of additional strategies?
Thank you!
23 results found
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Specifics on improving data on homeless youth
Provide more specifics on improving data on homeless youth
While the current plan states the intention to obtain more comprehensive data on the scope of youth homelessness, the plan should provide more specifics on how to do this. USICH and its federal partners should provide clear guidance for how communities can better enumerate homeless youth, particularly unsheltered homeless youth, during point-in-time counts. USICH and its federal partners could also conduct a more extensive evaluation of current programming dedicated to homeless youth by analyzing available intake and outcome data from those programs. Lastly, the merging of HMIS and RHYMIS should be…18 votes -
Guidance on the Local Use of HMIS
Provide Guidance on the Local Use of HMIS Data
A community’s Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) contains a wealth of information that can be valuable in community and program level performance measurement, system planning and analysis, and ultimately funding decisions. USICH and its federal partner agencies should provide guidance to communities on how to use the data in HMIS to evaluate their local system and the effectiveness of individual programs. Specific benchmarks on when a program is considered effective would be particularly helpful. USICH should also provide recommendations for how to make the data in HMIS more accessible to community…46 votes -
We can't end homelessness by ending homelessness
How can the FSP focus on the broader policy changes needed to prevent all types of homelessness (not just chronic)? While housing subsidies are present in the plan, can the revised FSP include support for significantly raising the minimum wage (beyond $10.10) and creating economic opportunities and career ladders that pay a housing/living wage? How can we increase the supply of unsubsidized affordable housing? Can the National Housing Trust Fund and other housing/tax/finance reform be present in revised strategies? Data measures could include tracking the number/percent of American households paying more than 30% of its income on housing.
26 votes