Including Unaccompanied Women as a Subpopulation Priority will be Required to Receive State Funding to Address Homelessness Beginning Next Year

Including unaccompanied women as a subpopulation priority will be required to receive state funding to address homelessness beginning next year.

Including domestic violence survivors and their children will also be required.

The California Interagency Council on Homelessness will be required to set and measure progress toward goals to prevent and end homelessness among unaccompanied women and domestic violence survivors and their children.

Next year cities, counties, and continuums of care (CoCs) receiving state funding to address homelessness will be required to include unaccompanied women and domestic violence survivors and their children as subpopulation priorities, as stated in SB 914.

SB 914 enacts the HELP (Homeless Equity for Left Behind Populations) Act, which will

• require cities, counties, and continuums of care [CoCs] receiving state funding to address homelessness, on or after January 1, 2024, to include families, people fleeing or attempting to flee domestic violence, and unaccompanied women within the vulnerable populations for whom specific system supports are developed to maintain homeless services and housing delivery. 

• require the California Interagency Council on Homelessness [Cal ICH] to set and measure progress toward goals to prevent and end homelessness among domestic violence survivors and their children and among unaccompanied women in California, as described. The bill [will] require initial goals to be established by January 1, 2025, and those goals to be evaluated at least every 2 years to determine whether updated goals are needed. The bill [will] also make related findings and declarations.

Cal ICH Can Use HUD’s System Performance Measures to Set and Measure Progress

The California Interagency Council on Homelessness (Cal ICH) can use the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) ‘s System Performance Measures (SPMs) as an efficient and effective means to set and measure progress toward goals to end homelessness among unaccompanied women by compiling and analyzing annual Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) data.

Cal ICH can compile and analyze annual Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) data statewide because CoCs are required to deposit annual HMIS data into the Homeless Data Integration System (HDIS) statewide data warehouse.

As noted by HUD,

HMIS is a local information technology system used to collect client-level data and data on the provision of housing and services to homeless individuals and families and persons at risk of homelessness. Each Continuum of Care (CoC) is responsible for selecting an HMIS software solution that complies with HUD’s data collection, management, and reporting standards.

As noted by Cal ICH,

HDIS compiles and processes data from all 44 California Continuums of Care (CoC)—regional homelessness service coordination and planning bodies—into a statewide data warehouse. Each CoC collects data about the people it serves through its programs, such as homeless prevention services, street outreach services, permanent housing interventions and a range of other strategies aligned with California’s Housing First objectives.

Cal ICH notes,

• (It) collects data on a quarterly basis by working with CoCs.
• Once ingested into HDIS, data is standardized, cleansed, de-duplicated, and matched, which makes the data much more accurate when looking at statewide figures.

Cal ICH also notes that

Victim Service Providers, private nonprofit organizations whose primary mission is to provide direct services to victims of domestic violence, are legally prohibited by the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA) from entering client data into local HMIS; instead, maintaining a separate, parallel data system that is not connected to HMIS.

Thus, the focus of this report is how Cal ICH could use HUD’s System Performance Measures (SPMs) to set and measure progress toward goals to end homelessness among unaccompanied women experiencing homelessness, which also includes women who have experienced domestic violence at some point in their lives.

HUD’s System Performance Measures

HUD developed several System Performance Measures to help Continuums of Care (CoCs) assess their progress toward the goal of ending local homelessness. They are:

• Measure 1: Length of Time Persons Remain Homeless.
• Measure 2: The Extent to which Persons who Exit Homelessness to Permanent Housing Destinations Return to Homelessness.
• Measure 3: Number of Homeless Persons.
• Measure 4: Employment and Income Growth for Homeless Persons in CoC Program-funded Projects.
• Measure 5: Number of Persons who Become Homeless for the First Time.
• Measure 6: Homeless Prevention and Housing Placement of Persons defined by category 3 of HUD’s Homeless Definition in CoC Program-funded Projects.
• Measure 7: Successful Placement from Street Outreach and Successful Placement in or Retention of Permanent Housing.

Each CoC is required to use these measures to evaluate how local temporary and permanent housing and supportive services systems are performing and where improvements are necessary. Each CoC is required to compile and analyze the requested annual Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) data for each measure.

HUD’s System Performance Measures and Unaccompanied Women

Cal ICH should use HUD’s System Performance Measures (SPMs) to set and measure progress toward goals to end homelessness among unaccompanied women to fulfill SB 914 requirements.

Measure 1: Length of Time Unaccompanied Women Remain Homeless

Length of Time Persons Remain Homeless consists of two metrics. Metric 1.1 measures an annual total number of persons in emergency shelters and safe havens, the average length of time homeless (bed nights), and the median length of time homeless (bed nights) as entered in HMIS. Metric 1.2 measures the same only includes transitional housing projects along with emergency shelters and safe havens.

The data for both metrics can be used to measure unaccompanied women to see if the average length of time unaccompanied women remained homeless decreased or increased when compared to the previous year(s) in the CoC’s geographic area and for each county that is included in its area.

Cal ICH can do the same concerning unaccompanied women for the entire state.

Measure 2: The Extent to which Unaccompanied Women who Exit Homelessness to Permanent Housing Destinations Return to Homelessness

This measure includes an annual number of persons from HMIS who exited to a permanent housing destination (2 years prior) from street outreach, emergency shelter, transitional housing, safe haven, and permanent housing. An annual number of persons from HMIS is also included that notes the number of persons who returned to homelessness during each of the following timeframes:

• Less than 6 months (0 – 180 days);
• From 6 to 12 months (181 – 365 days);
• From 13 to 24 months (366 – 730 days); and
• Number of returns in 2 years.

The total number of persons who returned to homelessness during each time frame is divided into the annual number of persons who exited to a permanent housing destination (2 years prior) for street outreach, emergency shelter, transitional housing, safe haven, and permanent housing. A percentage of returns to homelessness for street outreach, emergency shelter, transitional housing, safe haven, and permanent housing is then noted for each timeframe.

The data for this measure can be used to see to what extent unaccompanied women returned to homelessness after obtaining permanent housing. Is the number and percentage for each timeframe increasing or decreasing when compared to a previous year(s).

Cal ICH can do the same concerning unaccompanied women for the entire state.

Measure 3: Number of Unaccompanied Women Experiencing Homelessness

Number of Homeless Persons consists of two metrics. Metric 3.1 measures the change in Point-in-Time counts of unsheltered and sheltered persons as reported to HUD on the Homelessness Data Exchange (HDX) website. Each Point-in-Time count is compared to the previous Point-in-Time count.

Metric 3.2 measures the change in annual counts of sheltered persons in the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) as reported to HUD on the Homelessness Data Exchange website. The annual count tallies all the people who use emergency shelters, transitional housing, or safe havens at any point in the year.

The data used for Metric 3.1 can measure the change in Point-in-Time counts of unsheltered and sheltered unaccompanied women, and the data used for Metric 3.2 can measure the change in annual counts of sheltered unaccompanied women in HMIS.

Measure 4: Employment and Income Growth for Homeless Unaccompanied Women in CoC Program-funded Projects

Measure 4 consists of six metrics. Three of the metrics (4.1 – 4.3) are for stayers, and three metrics (4.4 – 4.6) are for leavers. Stayers are the unduplicated number of persons who remain in the project at the end of the reporting period. Leavers are the unduplicated number of persons who exit the project during the operating period.

Metric 4.1 focuses on the number and percentage of adult stayers with increased earned income during the current reporting period and compares it to the previous year, and Metric 4.4 does the same for adult leavers.

Metric 4.2 focuses on the number and percentage of adult stayers with increased non-employment cash income during the current reporting period and compares it to the previous year, and Metric 4.5 does the same for adult leavers.

Metric 4.3 focuses on the number and percentage of adult stayers with increased total income during the current reporting period and compares it to the previous year, and Metric 4.6 does the same for adult leavers.

The data for this measure can be used to measure unaccompanied women in a CoC for each of the six metrics to note the difference when one year is compared to another year(s).

Cal ICH can do the same concerning unaccompanied women for the entire state.

Measure 5: Number of Unaccompanied Women Who Become Homeless for the First Time

This measure consists of two metrics.

Metric 5.1 includes an annual number of persons from HMIS with entries into emergency shelter, safe haven, or transitional housing. It also includes the number of the above persons who were in emergency shelter, safe haven, transitional housing, or any permanent housing within 24 months prior to their entry during the reporting year and those who did not have entries in emergency shelter, safe haven, transitional housing, or any permanent housing in the previous 24 months (i.e. Number of persons experiencing homelessness for the first time).

Metric 5.2 is identical to metric 5.1 except that an annual number of persons from HMIS includes entries into emergency shelter, safe haven, transitional housing, and permanent housing.

The data for this measure can be used to account for unaccompanied women to see how many were experiencing homelessness for the first time and noting the difference when one year is compared to another year(s).

Cal ICH can do the same concerning unaccompanied women for the entire state.

Measure 6: Homelessness Prevention and Housing Placement of Unaccompanied Women Defined by Category 3 of HUD’s Homeless Definition in CoC Program-funded.

This measure has not been applicable to all CoCs during past reporting periods. HUD states, “Only CoC applicants that have exercised the authority and been approved by HUD to serve families with children and youth defined as homeless under other federal laws are required to complete Measures 6a, 6b, and 6c.”

Measure 7: Successful Placement of Unaccompanied Women from Street Outreach and Successful Placement in or Retention of Permanent Housing 

This measure consists of three metrics:

Metric 7a.1 includes an annual number of persons from HMIS who exited street outreach and it also includes the number of persons who exited to temporary and some institutional destinations and who exited permanent housing destinations as noted in HMIS. The total number of persons exited is divided into the annual number in HMIS to determine a percent of successful exits.

Metric 7b.1 includes an annual number of persons from HMIS who exited emergency shelters, safe havens, transitional housing, permanent housing-rapid rehousing, plus persons in other permanent housing projects who exited without moving into housing. The metric also includes the number of the persons who exited to permanent housing destinations as noted in HMIS. The total number of persons who exited to permanent housing destinations is divided into the annual number to determine a percent of successful exits.

Metric 7b.2 includes an annual number of persons from HMIS of all persons in all permanent housing projects except permanent housing-rapid rehousing who exited after moving into housing, or who moved into housing and remained in the permanent housing project. The metric also includes those who remained in applicable permanent housing projects and those who exited to permanent housing destinations as noted in HMIS, and these persons are divided into the annual number to determine a percent of successful exits/retention.

The data for these three metrics can be used to measure unaccompanied women to see how successful placement into temporary and permanent housing was from street outreach and how successful placement in, or retention of, permanent housing has been compared to the previous year(s).

Cal ICH can do the same concerning unaccompanied women for the entire state.

Next Steps

Cal ICH should use HUD’s System Performance Measures (SPMs) to set and measure progress toward goals to end homelessness among unaccompanied women to fulfill SB 914 requirements.

Cal ICH is required to establish initial goals by January 1, 2025 for unaccompanied women and to evaluate the goals at least every 2 years to determine whether updated goals are needed.

Cal ICH can collectively compile and analyze the HMIS data collected from the California CoCs each year and use HUD’s SPMs to evaluate how local temporary and permanent housing and supportive services systems are performing and where improvements are necessary concerning unaccompanied women.