A New Day

1. A New Day Upgrading Columbus & Franklin County’s Homelessness Management Information System (HMIS) Selection Process Kick-Off Meeting September 29, 2006

2. Overview • What is an HMIS? • Who is in charge of HMIS? • Why are we planning to upgrade the HMIS? • What will be the process for the upgrade? • How will a new HMIS be selected? • How can you participate in the selection process?

3. What is an HMIS?

4. Homeless Management Information System • A software application designed to record and store client-level information on the characteristics and service needs of homeless persons throughout a Continuum of Care jurisdiction. Source: US Department of Housing and Urban Development HMIS Fact Sheet

5. Homeless Management Information System • Key Characteristics of HUD HMIS: • Local, not national database • Unduplicated, aggregated counts • Longitudinal database • Responsibility of each local Continuum of Care • Universal and program-specific data elements required • Privacy protections and security protocols Source: US Department of Housing and Urban Development HMIS Fact Sheet

6. Columbus & Franklin County HMIS • Coverage • Emergency shelters • Supportive housing (permanent & transitional) • Financial assistance & housing placement programs (Transition, Prevention, Outreach) • Client-level data • Demographic • Outcome • Program-level data • # served • Outcomes

7. Sample Data from the HMIS • Over 900 persons received emergency shelter each day • Average daily number sheltered was 101 single adult women, 449 single adult men, and 382 family members • Average family size was 3.6 members with the majority of families headed by women (88%)

8. Who is in charge of HMIS? Columbus & Franklin County Continuum of Care Steering Committee

9. Continuum of CareSteering Committee • Purpose • Annually prioritizes over $6,000,000 in funding from U.S. Department of HUD • Designs and coordinates HUD Continuum of Care grant application process for Columbus and Franklin County

10. Continuum of CareSteering Committee • Members • Local funders, government representatives, service providers, and consumers • Four seats represent local providers • Four seats reserved for homeless service consumers • Members represent a variety of organizations and interests

11. Continuum of CareSteering Committee • Members ADAMH Board City of Columbus Citizens Advisory Council Columbus City Council Columbus Metro. Housing Authority Columbus Coalition for the Homeless The Columbus Foundation Columbus Health Department Community Connection for Ohio Offenders Community Shelter Board Corporation for Supportive Housing Franklin County Board of Commissioners Franklin Co. Dept. Job & Family Services Legal Aid Society of Columbus Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing United Way of Central Ohio Veterans Administration Veterans Service Commission

12. Continuum of CareSteering Committee -- HMIS • Selected the Community Shelter Board to implement the HMIS in 1990 • Provides partial funding through the HUD SHP program • Annually reviews funding requests for CSB HMIS operations • Receives quarterly HMIS reports on program performance • Mandated that all HUD CoC funded projects participate in the HMIS by not later than 2007

13. Community Shelter Board Created in 1986 to respond to the growing needs of homelessness in Franklin County. Vision: CSB and its partner agencies, combined with the full support of the community, will provide meaningful solutions and alternatives to combat --- andeventually eliminate --- homelessness in our city. Mission: The Community Shelter Board, by coordinating community based efforts, fostering collaboration, and funding services, assists families and individuals in Central Ohio to resolve their housing crisis.

14. Community Shelter Board -- HMIS • Manages the HMIS for the community • Funded by: • HUD SHP funding • City CDBG funding • Private donations/CSB general funds • Staffed by: • Director of Data & Evaluation • HMIS System Administrator • Data Analyst

15. Community Shelter Board -- HMIS • Assures data quality: • Annual program review and certification • Quarterly data quality checks • Ongoing oversight and managements • Provides technical assistance: • Training for users & administrators • Individual agency support

16. Community Shelter Board -- HMIS • Prepares Reports: • System & Program Indicator Reports (annual & quarterly) • Snapshot reports • Funder reports • Special requests

17. Why are we planning to upgrade the HMIS?

18. Current Concerns with HMIS • User interface is not intuitive • Easy to create duplicate records and other data quality problems • Difficult for agencies & CSB to generate reports • Not 100% compliant with HUD standard • You know the rest…

19. Current plusses of HMIS • Per agency survey in 2006, overall satisfaction was higher than expected • Automated system reports now available • “Devil we do know”

20. What will be the process for the upgrade?

21. Upgrade Process & Timeline

22. HMIS Upgrade Key Considerations • Meets HUD standards • Improvement upon current HMIS • Costs to community (agency and CSB) • Direct (initial and ongoing system costs) • Staff • Resources availability • Start-up • Ongoing • Approval by Continuum of Care Steering Committee

23. How will a new HMIS be selected?

24. HMIS Selection Process Overview

25. Selection Process Roles

26. Selection Committee Responsibilities • Attend meetings and participate in decisions • Represent interests of community • Set selection criteria • Participate in RFP process • Gather user feedback on demos • Final selection

27. How is the Selection Committee formed? • Each participating HMIS agency has one delegate • Key community funders (United Way, City, County) appointed one delegate • Citizen’s Advisory Council has two delegates • CSB has two delegates • Two organizations with technical expertise

28. Michael Smith, ADAMH Virginia O’Keeffe, Amethyst, Inc. Owen Bair, CAC Bruce Garrard, CAC Carla Williams-Scott, City of Columbus Aaron Riley, CATF Beverly Wilkes, CHN Marcus Mattson, CRP Barbara Poppe, CSB Mark Russell, CSB Board TBD, Franklin County TBD, Gladden Community House Adrienne Corbett, HFF TBD, Huckleberry House Matt White, HUD TA Team Terry Bechtle, LSS –FM/FH James Alexander, MH Wil Spinner, NCR TBD, Pater Noster House Kara Hill, SA Dick Reynolds, SE/ FOH Lynette Cook, United Way Jim Nagle, VOA Kevin Wampler, YMCA Colleen Bain Gold, YWCA Selection Committee Members

29. Workgroup Participants Responsibilities • Provide feedback on HMIS functions • Provide specifications • Attend vendor demonstrations • Score vendor • Identify additional questions for the vendor

30. How is the Workgroup formed? • Each participating HMIS agency may send one or more participants • Other Selection Committee members can send participants • CSB will provide four participants

31. Workgroup Participants • Sign up today!

32. CSB staff role • Provide operational support and leadership • Manage the HMIS selection schedule and process • Contract with Plante & Moran • Maintain communications with the Continuum of Care Steering Committee

33. Plante-Moran’s Responsibility • Provide preliminary vendor list • Provide best-practice tools • Facilitate workgroup meetings to develop requirements • Compile vendor responses/ apply rating structure • Review of vendor license and support agreements/ recommend changes

34. Selection Process Outcomes • Better meet the needs of CSB, partner agencies, funders and the community for accurate and timely reports on homelessness. • Increased ability to evaluate program outcomes and analyze data trends. • Meet HUD’s HMIS standards

35. Keys to Selection Project Success • Full community participation • HMIS participating agencies • Funders • Consumers of homeless services

36. Keys to Selection Project Success • Good selection criteria • Selecting a knowledgeable Work Team • Collecting data requirements from all sources • Talking with other organizations about their HMIS programs

37. Keys to Selection Project Success • Selecting the right vendor • Developing the RFP • Attend vendor demonstrations • Scoring vendor results on feedback forms • Reference checks and site visits as needed

38. Keys to Selection Project Success • Negotiation of the contract and funding project • Collaborate with Selection Committee on final choice • Review contracts and funding options

39. How can you participate in the selection process? • Shared vision • Commitment • Sign-up to be a Workgroup Participant!