NYSHADE Rochester Summit Co C HMIS NYSHADE Technical

NYSHADE Rochester Summit: Co. C & HMIS NYSHADE Technical Assistance Team June 23, 2015

NYSHADE TA Team • NYSHADE Team: – Caitlin Frumerie, The Cloudburst Group – Tony Gardner, Tony Gardner Consulting (Not Present) – Madeleine Nagy, Nickel City Consulting (Not Present) – Chris Pitcher, ICF International – Joel Remigio, The Cloudburst Group

Co. C & HMIS Topics • Recap of NYSHADE presentation – NYSHADE Phase I & II – NYSHADE Technical Issues • HUD Coordinated Entry Brief • New York HMIS Issues • HMIS Participation & Local Districts – Benefits of Local District Data Collection – Role in Coordinated Entry

NYSHADE Recap 4

NYSHADE Recap • NYSHADE Phase I data uploads quarterly going forward • NYSHADE Phase II begins in later 2015 • Will build upon the structure created in Phase I • Expand the data set to include all data contained within all New York State HMIS implementations

NYSHADE Recap • Will require technical efforts to engage the remaining local HMIS implementations that do not have STEHP funds • Assess CSV 4. 0 • Assess data quality • Implement policies and procedures for the extraction, exchange, security, privacy, confidentiality and reporting of the HMIS complete data set

NYSHADE Recap • Uploads must represent a full export (contain all . csv files) • Date range for records to upload is October 1 st 2014 to present • Only full refresh accepted (no partial or delta uploads) • All Organizations and Projects for STEHP Grantees must be included in the upload (except for DV Projects) • Only STEHP Projects accepted in Phase I

NYSHADE Recap • OTDA will continue to develop the technical and programmatic aspects of NYSHADE • OTDA will work with STEHP recipients to continue implementing Phase I of NYSHADE – Data uploads by July 20, 2015 • OTDA will continue convening the NYSHADE Workgroup

NYSHADE Recap • Establishing MOU for Phase II • Continue developing reports • Identify training needs for agencies • Create communication plan for relevant agencies

NYSHADE Recap NYSHADE Technical Issues: • How is PPI Converter and Maintained – One way street: There is no way to pull the PPI out of the lockbox – PPI only function for NYSHADE is to generate a “Token” – Token generated cannot be linked back to PPI within the lockbox

NYSHADE Recap Exporting of HMIS Data to NY State and the Upload Interface – Standard file Upload Dialog Box which allows users to choose file right from the PC – User will be able to see all previous uploads when logging into the interface. – Uploads must represent a full export regardless of whether all the individuals files contain data. 11

NYSHADE Recap Exporting of HMIS Data to NY State and the Upload Interface – Only full refresh accepted at this time in order to allow the warehouse to do a complete re-write of records. – Average 4 minutes to lock and delete records after uploads Uploaded File Verification – Zip file contents checked to see if export. csv exists. If not file is rejected. If so, then the zip file is also checked for correct formatting. 12

NYSHADE Recap Validation – All validations are against HUD HMIS CSV 4. 0 – Entire validation stops if a single file threshold is exceeded. – Data quality is critical-if one file has an error most of the other files will also have errors due to the relationship of each of the files. 13

NYSHADE Recap • Consents – Implementing consistent client consent language – Has your agency thought about how you are going to train your staff on the NYSHDAE efforts? 14

HUD Coordinated Entry Brief 15

HUD Coordinated Entry Policy Brief • Released in February 2015 • Describes HUD’s views of the characteristics of an effective Coordinated Entry Process • Does not establish Co. C requirements, but is meant to inform local efforts to further develop Coordinated Entry Processes 16

HUD Coordinated Entry Policy Brief Primary Goals of Coordinated Entry Processes: – Assistance be allocated as effectively as possible – That it be easily accessible no matter where or how people present 17

Co. C Program Rule Co. C Program Interim Rule: 24 CFR 578. 7(a)(8) Co. C must establish a centralized or coordinated process designed to coordinate program participant intake, assessment, and provision of referrals. A centralized or coordinated entry process: • Covers the geographic area • Is easily accessed by individuals and families seeking housing or services • Is well advertised and • Includes a comprehensive and standardized assessment tool 18

Coordinated Entry Qualities • Prioritization • Low Barrier • Housing-First Orientation • Person-Centered • Fair and Equal Access • Emergency Services • Standardized Access & Assessment • Inclusive • Referral to Projects • Referral Protocols • Outreach • Ongoing Planning & Stakeholder Consultation • Informing Local Planning • Leverage Local Attributes & Capacity • Safety Planning • Using HMIS and other systems for coordinated entry • Full Coverage 19

Prioritization A main purpose of Coordinated Entry is to ensure that people with the most severe service needs and levels of vulnerability are prioritized for housing and homeless assistance • Chronic Homelessness: Notice CPD-014 -12 • Factors for Vulnerability/Severe Service Needs: • Significant health, behavioral health challenges or functional impairments • High utilization of crisis or emergency services • The extent to which people are unsheltered • Vulnerability to illness or death • Risk of continued homelessness • Vulnerability to victimization 20

Prioritization • Use all available data and research to inform prioritization decisions • If a person is assessed as highly vulnerable but no PSH is available, the person should be prioritized for other types of assistance (TH, RRH). • Be aware of eligibility impacts when placing someone in TH (CH status, RRH) 21

Wait Times • Long wait times make homeless assistance less effective and reduce the overall performance of a community’s homeless assistance system • Short wait times of a few days or weeks might be necessary to properly manage utilization, but wait times of several months or years should be eliminated whenever possible • Most communities face a gap between need and availability based on limited resources • Get creative when possible 22

Effective Assessment Tools Principles That Ensure Effective Tool & Procedures: – – – – – Phased Assessment Necessary Information Participant Autonomy Person-Centered Cultural Competence User-Friendly Privacy Protections Meaningful Recommendations Written Standards, Policies & Procedures Sensitive to Lived Experience 23

Integrating Youth Consider whether youth are better served with separate access points – Where do homeless youth feel comfortable and safe? – Are staff available who specialize in working with youth? – If youth access separate entrance points, how are we ensuring they can still access assistance from other parts of the homeless system? 24

Survivors of Domestic Violence Ensure the Coordinated Entry process address the safety needs of people fleeing domestic violence – Is there a safe location/process for conducting assessments? – Is there a process to provide confidential referrals? – Is the data collection process consistent with VAWA? – If a survivor accesses a separate DV entrance point, how are we ensuring they can still access assistance from other parts of the homeless system? 25

Defining Roles Homeless Assistance Organizations – Emergency shelter, TH, RRH, and PSH programs should only receive referrals through the Coordinated Entry Process Mainstream Housing & Services – Can act as a source or receiver of referrals, and co-location of services with a physical or virtual access point is an option Prevention & Diversion – At a minimum, ESG funded prevention assistance should be incorporated into Coordinated Entry Process 26

Future HUD Guidance Summer 2015: Notice on the requirements for development and implementation of a Co. C Coordinated Entry Process Ongoing: TA products including special considerations for youth and people fleeing DV, compliance & monitoring, funding CE, data sharing sample Co. C written standards 2015: ESG and Co. C Program interim rules will be released for public comment 27

Resources • HUD: – Office of Policy Development & Research February 2015 Summary Report: Assessment Tools for Allocating Homelessness Assistance: State of the Evidence – Requirements for a Centralized or Coordinated Assessment System in Co. C Program Interim Rule – Office of Special Needs Assistance Programs (SNAPS) July 2013 Weekly Focus on Coordinated Assessment – Overview of Coordinated Assessment Systems Prezi and 28 Video

Resources • Community Solutions: Overview of Coordinated Assessment and Housing Placement System and CAHP System Overview - Zero: 2016 • Corporation for Supportive Housing: January 2015 Report: Improving Community-wide Targeting of Supportive Housing to End Chronic Homelessness • National Alliance to End Homelessness: Coordinated Assessment Toolkit • USICH: Coordinated Assessment: Putting the Key Pieces in Place 29

Coordinated Entry Activity • Read the handout provided with your team • Answer the questions together as a group and designate someone to report back • We will then regroup and discuss everyone’s answers and experiences 30

New York HMIS Issues 31

Vendor Relations • All 3 vendors should be able to export FULL exports not just the. CSV files for SSVF • OTDA/ITS needs to be informed when vendors implement software patches and bug fixes so that we can anticipate upload problems

Project Descriptor Data Elements • Administrators should ensure that all Organizations, Projects, and Project Types match the list provided by OTDA. • Providers should be filling in the site information for their organization (including Geocode). 33

UDE Data Quality • Providers need to ensure all clients have their Race and Veteran’s status filled in. • Providers should be filling in ‘Prior residence’ and ‘Exit Destination’ since there are codes for “unknown, other, doesn’t know”. These fields are used for some of our reports. 34

Communication • Providers and administrators are encouraged to respond to validation corrections in a timely manner. • All administrators should choose and provide the information for the 2 staff members responsible for the HMIS uploads. 35

HMIS Participation & Local Districts 36

HMIS Participation & Local Districts • HMIS Participation & Local Districts • Local Districts provide services to those at risk of or experiencing homelessness • Rural Local Districts often provide the only emergency shelter services through hotel/motel placements • Data collection by Local Districts is inconsistent statewide

HMIS Participation & Local Districts • The Conundrum: • Local District data is key to fully understanding the nature and scope of homelessness • Local District have existing data collection systems • The State of New York has not required Local District Participation, only strongly encouraged

HMIS Participation & Local Districts • The Changing Landscape: • HMIS Participation historically has been about required funding sources • HEARTH, Coordinated Entry and Federal Partners have changed HMIS participation • Coordinated, client-centric care requires comprehensive data sets including Local Districts

HMIS Participation & Local Districts • Local District Benefits: • HMIS Participation established formal connection with Co. C, Coordinated Entry • Effective, Coordinated Services can lead to less Local District funds for homeless services • Involvement in the Co. C will establish community-wide connections with missionsimilar organizations

HMIS Participation & Local Districts • Local District Benefits: • HUD’s focus on the hardest to serve clients will help house Local Districts long term homeless • Develop a role for Local Districts in ending veteran homelessness and chronic homelessness • Improve local homeless service delivery

HMIS Participation & Local Districts • Local Districts Activity: – What has worked in communities that have integrated Local Districts into HMIS? – What challenges are there in engaging Local Districts? – Community Best Practices?

Questions?