Some communities regularly convene workgroups to monitor implementation of HPRP and other initiatives to end homelessness. The workgroups monitor progress and use preliminary data to refine program interventions, inform local policies, and educate stakeholders. This workshop will examine the use of local workgroups to improve a community’s response to family homelessness.

1. Learning Labs: Using Workgroups to
Improve Community Interventions
NAEH Conference on Ending Family Homelessness
February 11, 2011
Elaine de Coligny, Executive Director
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2. Alameda County, CA Background
• Welcome to Alameda County
• Population 1.5 million
• 2009 Homeless PTC=4,341,
• Plan to end homelessness published in
2006
• HPRP funds enabled us to develop our
first ever countywide prevention and rapid
rehousing programs.
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3. Alameda County, CA Background
• Alameda County looks like many other mid-
size jurisdictions across the country trying to
to end homelessness
Diffuse government Power Structure
14 different cities and unincorporated county. Our largest
city, Oakland, is 450k
No centralized mandate or champion
A collection of providers not a system of care
Who got served and how a result of evolution, each agency’s
mission and funding requirements
history of collaborating across jurisdictional boundaries for
our HUD NOFA app, base closures, S + C, etc.
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4. Alameda County, CA Background
• 2004 Three Systems of Care began working on a joint housing
plan that became the EveryOne Plan
Behavioral Health Care Services
Office of AIDS Administration
Homeless Continuum of Care Council
Planners include Social Services Agency, Housing and Community
Development, cities of Berkeley and Oakland
• Published in 2006, the Plan is widely Adopted
All 14 cities and the County adopt & commit to implementation
Over 50 Housing and Service Providers endorse Plan
• It called for systems change and working together in new ways
EveryOne Home, the organization is established to coordinate
implementation
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5. HPRP: 1st major EH Initiative
• The announcement of HPRP funds brought the
community of stakeholders together to plan our
approach looking at:
Data from our own county
Best practices across the country
HUD notice
• Decided to create a single countywide
program with one entry point & one set of
rules
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6. HPRP
• EveryOne Home facilitated program design work
with jurisdictional grantees and other
stakeholders including Social Services who
contributed TANF ECF $
• Providers were selected in August to operate the
7 regional Housing Resource Centers
• The Priority Home Partnership is born
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7. Implementation & Learning
Community
• Priority Home Partnership is governed by an
Implementation and Learning Community
• Coordinated by EveryOne Home it includes:
Jurisdictional Grantees
Non-profit Executive Directors
Program Managers and Directors
Direct Line staff
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8. Shared Commitments
• To refining and improving program as we go
• Collecting quality data and using it to drive
changes
• All members are partners in making the
program its best
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9. ILC Structure
• Very Informal
• Full ILC meets bi-monthly in our 2nd year
• Case Managers hold bi-monthly training and TA
sessions.
• Jurisdictional grantees meet as needed to address
compliance and grant management issues
• Regional HRC teams also meet regularly
• Work groups get formed to solve problems or develop
policy/procedures
Changes in assessment tool to target more deeply
Develop shelter in-reach strategies for rapid rehousing
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10. ILC Communication
• Between meetings Communicate using a Google
group
86 members
94 files including all policies procedures and forms used in program
• Messages posted using following headings:
Policy—for everybody including EDs and Grantees
Resources—things that will help clients for Case Managers
HMIS—directions for anyone doing data collection and entry
Ask ILC—range from help with a client issue to a policy clarification
Meeting—announcements of meetings and trainings
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11. ILC from a Provider’s Point of View
Sabrina Thomas, Housing Manager for the
Mid-County Housing Resource Center
which is operated by Building Futures with
Women and Children, one of the non-profit
partners delivering our HPRP services in
Alameda County.
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12. Keys to Success
Operate as a partnership
Commit to collecting and using data to
shape and improve program
Create peer to peer forums and cross
sector forums: e.g. case manager trainings
and the ILC
Maintain a spirit of learning—things that
don’t work can be just as valuable
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13. For More Information
Visit www.everyonehome.org for more
information, on the county-wide HPRP
design, the assessment tool, our Plan
Visit Building Futures’ website at
www.bfwc.org for information on their
services and the Mid-County Housing
Resource Center
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