Introduction to the Proposed Revised APR Julie Hovden, SNAPs Office, HUD Alvaro Cortes, Abt Associates Inc. September 22, 2008

2008 HMIS Training: Setting the Standard - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development 2 Presentation Topics 1.The Annual Progress Report (APR) and HUD’s broader data collection and reporting approach 2.Schedule for rolling out the proposed APR 3.The process for revising the APR 4.Overview of the proposed draft APR

2008 HMIS Training: Setting the Standard - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development 3 The APR and HUD’s Broader Data Collection Approach AHAR Local AHAR Report CoC Exhibit 1 APR Local Service Provider HUD’s HMIS Data Elements HUD’s main sources of data include the Annual Progress Report (APR), Exhibit 1, and the Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR)

2008 HMIS Training: Setting the Standard - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development 4 Cornerstones of proposed APR Data Collection and Reporting Approach 1.Electronic submission of data via e-snaps 2.Momentum towards HMIS-based reporting 3.APR data should be useable at both the federal and local levels 4.Emphasis on data quality

2008 HMIS Training: Setting the Standard - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development 5 Electronic Data Submission The move towards an electronic APR is consistent with HUD’s recent transition to other electronic submission processes: –CoC Application –AHAR The revised APR will be submitted via e-snaps

2008 HMIS Training: Setting the Standard - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development 6 Momentum Toward HMIS-Based Reporting Streamlines the reporting process through “canned” (or pre-programmed) APR reports, which reduce the burden on communities. Standardized data allow for “apples-to-apples” comparisons of APR data. Creates new opportunities to develop more relevant data outputs and performance measures. HMIS provides three important benefits to programs who complete APRs:

2008 HMIS Training: Setting the Standard - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development 7 Use of APR Data Various stakeholders should be able to use the APR for their own purposes HUD Headquarters: –Provide detailed information about homeless persons nationwide –Assess and report program performance to Congress and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) HUD Field Offices: –Monitor programs: are they doing what they said they would do? CoCs and homeless service providers: –Understand homelessness in their communities and programs –Assess program outcomes –Inform the CoC application process

2008 HMIS Training: Setting the Standard - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development 8 Emphasis on Data Quality Poor data quality limits/prevents HUD, CoCs and providers from using APR data for their respective purposes. More generally, accurate, complete and consistent data is fundamental to preventing and ending homelessness. Good quality data… …lead to effective solutions… …that produce the intended results.

2008 HMIS Training: Setting the Standard - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development 9 Schedule for Roll Out October 2008 –Revised APR (and Draft HMIS Data and Technical Standards Notice) released for public comment December 2008 –End of public comment period and review of comments Spring 2009 –Final APR is published in the Federal Register 12-months after publication of the final HMIS Data Standards –Deadline for compliance with the revised HMIS data standards Beginning of first APR operating year after deadline for compliance with data standards –Transition to the revised APR as existing contracts expire

2008 HMIS Training: Setting the Standard - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development 10 Does the current APR live up to all of these cornerstones? …drum roll please… …it doesn’t matter, the new APR will!

2008 HMIS Training: Setting the Standard - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development 11 Redesigning the APR 41 focus groups in 10 HUD Regions –Over 500 participants—grantees, HUD Field Office staff, representatives from Continuums of Care Survey of HUD Field Offices Conducted APR workshops at several national conferences

2008 HMIS Training: Setting the Standard - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development 12 Process for Redesign (cont.) APR Advisory Panel –Composed of local practioners, CoC representatives, researchers and federal representatives Working group to align the proposed revisions to the APR with the HMIS Data and Technical Standards HMIS software vendors –Focusing on the technical aspects of the revised APR

2008 HMIS Training: Setting the Standard - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development 13 What Did We Learn? …an important report for documenting the performance of programs and reporting to OMB …a useful tool to monitor program activities …a routine way of understanding who is receiving services from a program …a tool for ranking projects on CoC funding applications …just a reporting requirement Lesson #1: The APR means different things to different people. For some, the APR can be…

2008 HMIS Training: Setting the Standard - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development 14 What Did We Learn? (cont.) How many (total) people were served? Who are they? Are clients who exit different from clients who don’t? What were clients’ outcomes? Lesson #2: The APR should “tell the story” of each program, for example:

2008 HMIS Training: Setting the Standard - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development 15 What Did We Learn? (cont.) HUD’s current performance measures are only part of the picture. Programs accomplish many other laudable objectives that HUD needs to know about. Lesson #3: Measuring program performance should account for the breadth of program missions and types of clients.

2008 HMIS Training: Setting the Standard - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development 16 Overview of the Proposed Draft APR 1.Grantee Information Basic information about the project—e.g., type of grant, component type, target population codes Information about the facility type Bed inventory data and HMIS-bed coverage Percent of data elements with missing values 2.Program Outputs Counts of persons and households Bed and unit utilization rates Number of client contacts (for street outreach programs)

2008 HMIS Training: Setting the Standard - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development 17 Overview of the Proposed Draft APR (cont.) 3.Client Characteristics Information about all clients served by household type—e.g., demographics, health conditions, DV experience, prior living situation, and veterans status Information about all clients by exit status—i.e., leavers versus stayers 4.Financial Information Unchanged from previous APR

2008 HMIS Training: Setting the Standard - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development 18 Overview of the Proposed Draft APR (cont.) 5.Performance Measurement A list of required performance measures by program type, focusing on housing and economic stability A comprehensive list of domains (often called “self- sufficiency” domains) that capture the breadth of program missions A series a service linkage measures 6.Narrative Opportunity for programs to provide contextual information 7. HMIS-Dedicated Projects Basic information about the scope of the HMIS implementation, HMIS functionalities, training, and data quality

2008 HMIS Training: Setting the Standard - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development 19 Key Design Features Web-based submission process via e-snaps Linked to information provided by the program on their original application via e- snaps Built-in data quality checks for consistency Use picklists or dropdown menus to facilitate reporting and improve data quality All calculations are automated

2008 HMIS Training: Setting the Standard - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development 20 How is the Proposed Draft APR Different? Old APR Proposed Revised APR Paper-based form Electronic-based submission Reported on “participants” Reports on everyone served Did not distinguish between household types Information is reported by household type Limited quantifiable performance measures Comprehensive list of quantifiable outcome measures Did not distinguish between leavers/stayers Information is reported by exit status

2008 HMIS Training: Setting the Standard - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development 21 Want to Learn More? “The Nuts and Bolts of the Proposed Revised APR” Tuesday, September 23, :45am – 11:00am; 11:15am – 12:30pm

2008 HMIS Training: Setting the Standard - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development 22 Tuesday’s Schedule 5 sessions, 2 chances: 9:45am – 11:00am and 11:15am – 12:30pm –The Nuts and Bolts of the Proposed Revsied APR –Program Level Performance Measurement: HMIS and Measures that Matter –System Level Performance Measurement: Using HMIS to Drive Change –It’s Not Just Numbers: Implementing Point-in-Time Counts, Using HMIS, and Ensuring Data Accuracy –Using HMIS for AHAR Participation Lunch Closing Remarks, Advanced Community Data Users Spotlight & HMIS Achievement Award Presentations