1.2 Implementing the HEARTH Act: Preparing for Changes to the Continuum of Care Speaker: Elaine deColigny The HEARTH Act makes many changes to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Continuum of Care programs, including to the incentives and expected performance outcomes. In this workshop national and local experts will share strategies for positioning your program and your community for these changes.

1. NAEH Conference, February 9, 2012
Elaine de Coligny, EveryOne Home
Alameda County, CA
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2. Process for Developing Outcomes
What We Track
Our Outcomes Report
Supporting and Monitoring Change
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3.  2006 EveryOne Home Plan published
◦ Calls for measuring success and reporting outcomes
 2008 A committee of stakeholders develops
system-wide outcomes
◦ Permanently house 15,000 homeless households
◦ Shorten time homeless from months to weeks
◦ 85% permanent housing retention rate
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4.  2009HEARTH Act Defines the outcomes systems
need to be achieving
HEARTH Act Outcomes
◦ Reduce length of homelessness (<30 days)
◦ Reduce rates of return to homelessness
◦ Ensure all homeless served
◦ Grow jobs and income for homeless
◦ Reduce the number who become homeless, and
◦ Reduce the overall number of homeless
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5.  To achieve outcomes you need to define:
◦ The measurement metrics
◦ Performance benchmarks
◦ Roles of system components; Include Shelters
and drop-in centers even though not C of C
funded
 2010 Outcomes Drafting Committee
Developed outcomes for each sector and
initial performance benchmarks adopted
by the full community in May

6. Seven Outcome Measures
1. Exits to permanent housing
2. Retention of permanent housing
3. Exits from streets to interim or permanent housing
4. Reduced exits back to streets or other shelters
5. Earned income
6. Moving from no income to some income
7. Returns to homelessness (tracked for system as
a whole)
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7. Four Efficiency Measures
1. Program occupancy rates
2. Exits to known destinations
3. Length of time from entry to exit with PH
4. Length of time from entry to obtaining earned
income.
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8.  Different outcomes apply to different sectors of
our C of C
 Different sectors have different benchmarks to
meet for same outcome
o For example, emergency shelters are expected to exit 30%
of their residents to permanent housing. For transitional
housing the benchmark is 80%.
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10. o July 2011 release first ever system-wide
outcomes report
o Data generated by HMIS and APRs
o Allows us to look at system and individual
agency performance
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11. Rates People Obtain Permanent Housing by Sector
100%
90% 80%
80%
70% 63%
60%
50% 43%
33% 2010 Actual
40%
25% 24% 23% 31%
30% Benchmark
20%
10% 2009 Actual
0%
Figure 1 Percentage labels indicate 2010 Actuals Source: InHOUSE Report “Outcomes v11.06.29” (run systemwide w/o HPRP and by sector
for RRH, Emp and SO-CM), 2010 Alameda County.
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12. Permanent Housing Exit Rates
for Shelters
50%
6 programs meet/exceed benchmark
45%
40%
35%
30% Benchmark: 30%
25%
20% Sector Average: 25%
15%
10%
5%
0%
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51
38
10
63
66
69
90
98
64
71
223
325
165
106
Program ID Number
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13.  Performance Benchmarks built into local funding
contracts including:
o ESG,
o FEMA and
o General Fund.
 Three-year phase-in
o 2010 collecting base line data
o 2011 agencies hit benchmarks or make 10%
improvement
o 2012 performance may result in funding loss
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14.  Provide extensive training and TA:
o How to use outcomes report as a management tool
o Program changes to improve outcomes
o Both peer-to-peer and “experts”
 Recognition and Awards program for
achievers, improvers and innovators
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15.  Exits
from Emergency Shelter to Permanent
Housing
o 2009 = 19%
o 2010 = 25%
o 2011 = 32.5% (preliminary)
 Lengths
of stay from program entry to exit with
permanent housing dropping
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16.  Homeless Count showed increase in
unsheltered homeless men—that sub-population
is the focus of our 2011 Bonus Project App
 2003 Homeless Count in City of Berkeley led to
focus on chronically homeless. By 2009 the
number was down 48%.
 Cost-per-exit comparisons between shelter, TH
and RRH has lead to system-wide efforts to
expand RRH and reform TH
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17. For more information or copies of the 2011 Homeless
Count or Achieving Outcomes Report go our website:
www. Everyonehome.org