2019-162 Built for Zero HomelessnessDate: August 9, 2019 Report No. 2019-162
INFORMAL STAFF REPORT TO MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL SUBJECT:
Built for Zero campaign to end veteran and chronic homelessness
PURPOSE: This ISR details the components of the national Built for Zero homelessness solutions model and the City’s involvement with this collaborative community.
BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION: The Built for Zero Collaborative is a nationwide effort to end veteran and chronic homelessness by supporting participating communities with the implementation of evidence-based strategies, the collection of real time data on homelessness, the optimization of local housing resources, and
consistent tracking of progress towards goals. In 2018 the City applied for and was accepted to the Built for Zero Collaborative. The City’s participation in the collaborative provided a grant for technical assistance, a type of grant that helps organizations develop internal capacity to affect change. The City and United Way staff
attended three in person Learning Sessions and participated in monthly coaching calls that focused on support available from the Built for Zero team and federal partners from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, and the Department of Veteran Affairs.
Specifically, the technical assistance focused on developing internal capacity in the following areas:
• Taking action to evaluate and improve the local leadership structures and capacity necessary to end veteran and chronic homelessness • Learning Quality Improvement tools and methods to take action and solve problems
• Improved data and performance management tools to help track progress and inform decision making • System design and improvement support • Opportunities for cross-community learning and problem solving
During the City’s participation in the learning sessions, we learned about the following
components of Build for Zero’s theory of change and methodology:
• Assessing our current coordinated entry system and by-name list
• Creating short-term goals and strategies to accelerate progress in ending veteran and chronic homelessness
• Identifying and planning the needed changes to local structures and processes that drive improvement toward reducing and ending homelessness • Learning the fundamentals of the Quality Improvement method • Sharing knowledge with other communities on relevant topics through a series of self-guided learning circles • Reviewing opportunities to further leverage the Built for Zero suite of tools
Date: August 9, 2019 Report No. 2019-162
Through participation in the Built for Zero collaborative, we discovered that the City, along with our partner United Way, was already ahead of many of our peer communities by implementing the collective impact approach to solving complex social issues managed through the Denton County Homelessness Leadership Team.
As a result of that existing collaboration the City was already successfully engaging in systems design and systems change strategies with a strong local leadership structure and opportunities for cross-community learning and problem solving. This work resulted in our Housing Crisis Response System model and the ongoing work happening in the workgroups, such as bi-weekly
case conferencing, housing solutions, data management, and shelter planning. The most valuable outcome of our time working with the Built for Zero (BFZ) collaborative was the assessment of our current coordinated entry (CE) system and by-name list. At the time, only CE had been implemented locally. Working with BFZ, we were able to significantly advance our
work to implement the Housing Priority List (by-name list), including getting our Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) database host to make significant improvements in HMIS. This improved data and performance management tools that are key to helping us track progress and inform decision making. The Built for Zero collaborative’s rigorous data review process has since certified our data as reliable. The data has significantly contributed to the Data
Dashboard which is influenced heavily by Built for Zero models. HMIS improvements have enhanced our ability to track how well systems and process are performing. Our work with Built for Zero contributed to our decision to create local goals and strategies that prioritize ending veteran and chronic homelessness. This includes joining other communities in the Mayor’s
Challenge to End Veteran Homelessness by 2020 and the 100 Day challenge to house 30
veterans in 100 days set to launch in January 2020. The grant has ended so we are no longer actively participating in the technical assistance but remain supportive of Built for Zero collaborative.
ATTACHMENT(S): STAFF CONTACT:
Danielle Shaw Community Development Manager 940-349-7237 danielle.shaw@cityofdenton.com REQUESTOR:
Council Member Armintor PARTICIPATING DEPARTMENTS: Public Affairs, Community Development STAFF TIME TO COMPLETE REPORT: 2 hours