We are very excited to be represented at this conference in such a prestigious role.  This is a fantastic way for us to get in the spotlight and highlight some of the work NHSDC is doing to others who may not know about us.  We send David off with our best wishes!  Here’s to a great start of the summer for NHSDC!

Working with Databases: Getting Your Head in the Cloud

Databases and cloud computing are powerful tools for helping you track relationships with donors, monitor and maximize the impact of your efforts, and safely tuck away crucial documents and files.  But does your nonprofit really need a CRM (constituent relationship management) database, and if so, how can you get the most out of it?  Join us for a dynamic panel of experts sharing the potential of powerful analytics tools, helping you take full advantage of your database and discussing what it takes to become a data-driven organization.

For more information about the conference, visit:

http://socialmedia4nonprofits.org/bootcamp/

If you’d like to attend – register quickly – we hear there are only 20 tickets left!!!

A broad cross-section of those groups and others were present during two excellent sessions at the NHSDC Spring 2013 Conference.  Participants working closely with the NHSDC Board of Directors have developed the below draft of language to be formally submitted to HUD on behalf of NHSDC.  While over 120 of your peers participated in the development of this language, we want to ensure the broadest possible review to support buy-in and relevance of the content.  The language below is from the session focused on the proposed HMIS Data Standards.  Where possible NHSDC conference participants have identified alternatives to the proposed methodology, participants also identified practices that we support to bolster the case for finalizing language.  Please review the language below and if in support of it let us know by commenting on this post; if you feel this is dramatically going in the wrong direction or disagree with a statement please let us know that as well.  We will attempt to integrate any trends of substantive changes that resonate broadly.

We apologize that this message is going out at such a late date. These comments are due to HUD by Monday, 3 June. As such, we hope that these comments are merely the beginning of a dialogue about the regulations.

On behalf of the Board of Directors thank you for your participation.

Sincerely,

David Canavan
NHSDC Board Chair

NHSDC Proposed Data Standards Feedback

The National Human Services Data Consortium (NHSDC) has been a long time supporter of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) implementation of Homeless Management Information Systems (HMIS) across the United States.  Long before the 2004 implementation of the formal rules by HUD, NHSDC founding members worked with the Department to try to understand the landscape and the impact this new tool would have on communities.  More than a decade has passed since those plans were first developed; HMIS and other community-based data systems have proved a valuable tool to communities with many seeking to expand coverage and increase the quality of data collected.

With the publication of the 2004 Data and Technical Standards, the Department set the expectations of software providers, communities, and the individuals and families using HUD funded housing.  Since that publication, HUD has updated various aspects of the Data and Technical Standards.  NHSDC has worked with communities to ensure that these shifts come with enough notice and enough training to be effective.  Indeed, NHSDC has become the primary forum for the delivery of high quality training and technical assistance provided by communities, expert practitioners, and federal partners.

With each iteration of HUD guidance, the focus, as published in the Federal Register, allowed HMIS partners to understand the parameters of the government’s interest in the data collected.  The Data Standards defined the questions that would be asked and the response categories; the Technical Standards defined the manner and technology with which the HMIS would be operated.  A critical element to the initial publication in the July 2004 Federal Register was the inclusion of HUD’s responses to comments from the Notice and Comment process.  These responses reassured many future partners in HMIS that the values expressed by HUD and memorialized in the Federal Register would govern the use of the data.

Some of those essential voices may be absent from the comments on the 2013 Data Standards.  Utilizing a forum other than Regulations.Gov to publish potential policy changes may prevent organizations that are focused on the formal site established for the promulgation of regulation from participating in the final decision making.  Additionally, partners who find significant value in reading and processing comments by different constituencies’ professional advocates will miss out on their wisdom as the OneCPD website does not permit the advanced collaboration that Regulations.Gov does.

Important to note, this set of Data Standards breaks new ground; no previous Standard integrated the requirements of other Federal Departments.  While HUD has historically used a collaborative process, engaging technical assistants, HMIS users, and HMIS administrators to review changes, NHSDC has no knowledge that other federal departments use a transparent collaborative process.  As new partners are added to the HMIS effort, the decisions made in this first step will set precedent moving forward.  If HUD grantees are expected to enforce and support the participation by new local providers, it is important to recognize that the context in which they do so may have changed. This changing context includes questions around the following.

• Funding- Can HUD Continuum of Care (CoC) money be used to pay for Health & Human Services (HHS) or Veteran Affairs (VA) reports?
• Privacy- HUD articulated values around sharing identified data with other Federal Partners in the 2004 Standards; how has this value changed in light of the VA’s Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) program or inclusion of minors through HHS Runaway and Homeless Youth Network?
• Contracts- Will HUD articulate a single set of expectations for collaborating with VA, HHS, and other Federal Department? Or should administrators apply their local policies and procedures to every new program?
• Staffing- In the event that other Federal Partners add significant burden to the HMIS project, will HUD add funds to HMIS budgets for the addition of new staff?

These are a few of the question our constituents were discussing at the April 2013 NHSDC conference in Seattle, Washington.  The adoption of new Data Standards without underlying guidance on infrastructure leaves HMIS administrators in a position of supporting the HMIS without all the information required.  While some of these questions may be answered by HUD in other forums, asking grantees and HMIS stakeholders to evaluate changed Data Standards in their absence does not allow for a full consideration of the possible concerns.

It was at this recent April 2013 Spring NHSDC Conference, with participation by over 100 CoCs, long time volunteer David Eberbach and new board member Danielle Wildkress worked to review and summarize the perspective of our diverse HMIS stakeholders.  We have summarized those comments here for ease of reading and to maintain a clear understanding of the overall document.  For ease of collation HUD requested the information be inserted into a formatted spreadsheet for submission; we have also populated that document for review.

• For questions related to length of homelessness, NHSDC members suggest that HUD provide more nuanced answer options. We do not believe that “less than one year” is specific enough. Perhaps, HUD can require programs to estimate in terms of months and years. Additionally, members also pointed out that length of homelessness will be hard to document across the CoC where the CoC has a closed HMIS.

• NHSDC members spent a significant amount of time debating the merits and potential impacts of asking about sexual orientation. First, HUD needs to provide clarity about whether this question is asked for clients under 18 years of age. Second, while some members think that asking about sexual orientation can help us to understand if LGBTQ clients are over/under-represented, many NHSDC members are concerned that some organizations will use sexual orientation status to reject clients. Members expressed deep concerns about how this very sensitive information could have negative consequences for clients in need of housing and services. NHSDC suggests that HUD make this data element optional. One NHSDC member also posited that asking about sexual orientation may not be legal in some states.

• Similar to the question about sexual orientation, NHSDC members have deep concerns about asking clients about pregnancy status. NHSDC agrees that this is important data; however, it may be better for this data element to be optional. Asking pregnancy status of everyone may not be appropriate, particularly for certain programs (like those that only serve men). More importantly, some women may be afraid to disclose pregnancy status when receiving services from faith-based or other organizations who may have unfavorable feelings about unwed mothers. Moreover, this data element combined with household data over a series of months/years, could unintentionally reveal which women had miscarriages or abortions.  Additionally, NHSDC members point out that HMIS vendors will need to create a streamlined means of updating this data. Potentially, there will be many data quality issues if pregnancy is not flagged for update on a regular basis.

• Determining project funding source prior to entry and for destination will be difficult to determine, and research time will not be time well spent. The people collecting this data often do not even know how a client is funded internally. Figuring out pre and post funding simply does seem to offer sufficient value to warrant to incredible data collecting burden.

• NHSDC would like to see definitions for services to guide responses to the “services provided” question. Alternatively, HUD should use the AIRS taxonomy.

• Similarly, NHSDC would like a definition of “referrals provided.” Members posited that “linkages made” is a more appropriate data point worth tracking, since a referral does not necessarily insinuate that a client was successfully connected with a service. Finally, ostensibly, someone’s HIV/AIDS status could be revealed if that client is referred to a provider that is listed as a HOPWA program.

• Area Median Income (AMI) is captured twice in the proposed standards. This data is captured in 4.19 and 4.41, but the question is asked in slightly different ways. The question should only be asked once. Having two approaches to the same data is duplicative and potentially confusing.

• For question 2.13, SHP and S+C should simply be listed as “CoC Program.” If HUD wants to track rental assistance vs. master leasing projects, then that should be a separate question that is not limited to McKinney funding.

• For veteran status, it is unclear why this question is asked each time a client enters a program. Veteran status is unlikely to change very frequently. Ultimately, different providers will inevitably enter conflicting data without a clear way to reconcile.

As a last overarching comment, NHSDC members want to emphasize that when HUD articulates a policy reason for collecting a particular data element, implementation of that data collection is much easier at the local level. Providers, leaders, and other stakeholders need to understand why this information is important. Otherwise, many key constituents are left to wonder and are, in some circumstances, unwilling to comply.

Thank you for your consideration. We hope to see a more formal comment period on Regulations.gov. In the meantime, we appreciate your support and collaboration in the effort to end homelessness nationwide.

At our recent Spring Conference in Seattle, NHSDC renewed its commitment to being a forum for exploring and building consensus among community based management information systems administrators.  Of particular relevance at this conference was the release of draft regulation from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development Special Needs Assistance Program Office on the new definition of chronic homelessness and the Data Standards for Homeless Management Information Systems (HMIS).  NHSDC has, and continues to be one of the few places that system owners and operators can gather to speak directly with each other.  We make a special effort to include a variety of stakeholders, from software providers, to service recipients; from federal officials to local elected representatives.

A broad cross-section of those groups and others were present during two excellent sessions at the NHSDC Spring 2013 Conference.  Participants working closely with the NHSDC Board of Directors have developed the below draft of language to be formally submitted to HUD on behalf of NHSDC.  While over 120 of your peers participated in the development of this language, we want to ensure the broadest possible review to support buy-in and relevance of the content.  The language below is from the session focused on the definition of chronic homelessness.  Where possible NHSDC conference participants have identified alternatives to the proposed methodology, participants also identified practices that we support to bolster the case for finalizing language.  Please review the language below and if in support of it let us know by commenting on this post; if you feel this is dramatically going in the wrong direction or disagree with a statement please let us know that as well.  We will attempt to integrate any trends of substantive changes that resonate broadly.

As I mentioned, there were two sessions. Next week I expect to release  the results of the Data Standards comment session for your review.

On behalf of the Board of Directors thank you for your participation.

Sincerely,

David Canavan
NHSDC Board Chair

 

NHSDC Chronic Homelessness Definition Feedback

Deadline: May 28, 2013

 

The National Human Services Data Consortium has partnered with the communities implementing data systems in the field for over a decade.  Our cumulative experience runs the gamut from the largest of urban institutions serving tens of thousands of individuals a night to small rural shelters with a handful of beds for everyone who needs a safe place.  It is this perspective that is essential to the continued success the US Department of Housing and Urban Development and specifically the Special Needs Assistance Program Office.  The commitment that HUD and SNAPS made to Continua of Care, social workers and the desperate families and individuals experiencing the crisis of homelessness every night must be constantly renewed.  The fragile system of care in our country must continue to be strengthened by knowledge based practices and those changes must be seen by all.

The continued understanding that the success of the McKinney-Vento Act will be the final ending of homelessness in our country is key to meeting those commitments.  Clients and service providers must be able to point to the local programs integrating knowledge and practice based on data, communities must continue to see and understand how the changing landscape of federal funding is impacting their local experience seeing friends and neighbors experiencing homelessness, many for the first time.  The success of HMIS and other community based data systems is the end of the devastation of poverty, homelessness, and other needs afflicting our country.  It will only be through accurate, useful, timely data that expert policy makers and social scientist are able to understand the impact of their decisions and make appropriate changes.

As this data grows in utility and scale, integrity must be a priority.  Numbers based in fiction will not determine effective outcomes but will continue leading to expensive endeavors.  As the Department examines new partnerships as a result of continued success collaborating with Continua it must maintain the role of local feedback into decision making.  To that end, NHSDC has reached out to several hundred HMIS professionals across the country to weigh in on recent changes to homeless policy in the United States.

At our recent conference, with participation from over 200 Continua of Care and several different layers of leadership from political appointees, local elected politicians, and expert practitioners NHSDC worked to solicit and capture direct feedback in multiple conference sessions.  These sessions were our most popular and interest exceeded the capacity of the facility with well over 100 communities participating.  Based on that feedback NHSDC polled its entire mailing list looking for what resonated with different members of our community.  Finally, the NHSDC Board of Directors working closely with David Eberbach of the Iowa Institute of Community Alliances drafted this final communication to support, enhance, and amend the proposed practices to ensure we all not lose sight of the goal.

While the below recommendations are important and no program perfect, we commend the staff and leaders of the SNAPS Office and the Community Planning and Development Division at HUD for creating a vision of evidence based practice and building an infrastructure that enables the implementation of that vision.  The continued validation of practices by researchers, auditors, and the public is among the best possible outcomes.  While the community has achieved much, there is much progress yet to be made and NHSDC will continue to be a strong partner to communities as we confront difficult decisions ahead and celebrate the success of programs, families, and individuals in building self-sufficiency and alleviating the devastation of poverty.

• NHSDC supports the use of HUD’s proposed “cumulative day” methodology. For purposes of defining chronic homelessness, we encourage measuring length of homelessness as at least one year rather than defining an episode of homelessness as spanning at least 15 days. The cumulative day methodology effectively targets the frequent users of our systems and ensures that chronic homeless resources benefit the hardest to serve in our communities.

• We recognize that removing the language “4 separate occasions of homelessness” from the chronic homeless definition requires a legislative amendment rather than a regulatory change. Regardless, NHSDC recommends that HUD and both Senate and House appropriators consider removing the prescriptive “4 occasions of homelessness over 3 years,” and adopt instead “at least 365 cumulative days of homelessness over three years.” Our members pointed out that, under the proposed definition, clients could experience 3 separate six-month occasions of homelessness over the span of 2 years and such a client would not meet the definition of “chronically homeless.” NHSDC recommends that HUD focus on 365 cumulative days of homelessness as the appropriate metric for chronic homelessness.

• In the interim, NHSDC requests clarification on what constitutes the end to an occasion of homelessness. For example, if a person sleeping on the streets spends one night in a hotel over the course of a year, does this constitute a break in his/her occasion of homelessness? Alternatively, what if a person stays in a hotel 4 different nights over the course of 1 year and 4 days? NHSDC believes that providers will likely answer these questions in different ways, leading to disparate implementation of the rules. This would prevent consistent measurement across jurisdictions of successful outcomes.

• While NHSDC generally supports the proposed definition of chronically homeless, we want to stress that verification of homeless status will be difficult. Self-reporting alone is unlikely to be sufficient. NHSDC requests guidance on an appropriate methodology for how to determine cumulative days of homelessness. Furthermore, NHSDC members point out that, even with an agreed-upon methodology, many Continua of Care operate a closed HMIS. In these instances, it can be exceedingly difficult to collect and verify a person’s cumulative days homeless. Finally, any methodology that relies too heavily on HMIS data must recognize that many homeless outreach teams are not yet fully contributing to the local HMIS. Homeless outreach teams are the most likely providers to encounter chronically homeless clients. We recommend that HUD host a forum to address these issues and build an inventory of best practices for outreach teams, HMIS system operators, and CoC leaders in implementing the proposed procedure.

• NHSDC emphatically supports HUD’s proposal to count institutional stays toward accumulation of days. This proposed policy recognizes less than 90 days in other institutions rarely provides a meaningful opportunity for an effective intervention. Indeed, these systems do not constitute “housing,” since they are often involuntary and are fundamentally an extension of a person’s homeless status. Nonetheless, NHSDC recognizes that documenting other system stays (i.e. data that is outside HMIS) will be challenging.

• NHSDC supports the continued inclusion of families within the chronic homeless definition.

• NHSDC was disappointed that no HMIS providers participated on the stakeholder panel that HUD hosted to determine the new rule. HMIS administrators play a crucial role in the collection and management of homeless data. Their voice should be integrated into all homeless policy discussions, but particularly those that touch on core issues of data collection and data integrity.

The National Human Services Data Consortium (NHSDC) invites proposals for sessions for the 2013 Fall Conference in Arlington, VA in the Washington DC area on October 10th and 11th.  Our members are interested in unique, novel or otherwise innovative applications of data to the delivery of human services. If your proposal does not specifically fit one of the below listed topics, but could be beneficial for the membership, please let us know.  We are particularly interested in intermediate and advanced level content, but introductory level presentations in emerging and innovative areas is acceptable as well.

Please note: NHSDC offers a vendor neutral conference, vendor specific materials and screenshots must be excluded from proposal and presentation materials.

Presenters chosen for the NHSDC Conference will be offered a discount off the full conference registration price. To qualify for the discount, presenters must register for the conference by the registration deadline. Please note, for panel presentations, discounts will be limited to three presenters.

The four identified subject areas for conference sessions are as follows:

1)     Policy and Planning: Sessions in this area should focus on how your community or project uses data or management information systems to support new strategies in public policy around reducing poverty, improving self sufficiency of human service program participant, and the like. For example:

1. System redesign projects, like transitioning to a coordinated assessment system
2. Program evaluation using technology
3. Data outcomes for grant writing
4. Shifts from planning to analysis

2)     End Results: Sessions in this area should focus on the mechanics used to demonstrate how programs achieved and documented effective outcomes. Conversely, the NHSDC members value accurate data, so understanding the roots of program failure is also valuable to our constituents. For example:

1. Nimble course corrections based on to program evaluation results
2. Comparison of federal and local metrics
3. Developing performance measures from sound evidence

3)     Data Sharing and Collaboration: Sessions in this area should explore demonstrated strategies for the dissemination of data across multiple sectors and the coordination of these efforts. Projects increase the impact of their information exponentially when they effectively collaborate with other data oriented projects. The audience for these sessions must be able to understand the mechanics of data sharing. Presenters should articulate not only the outcomes but the mechanics of making it happen. For example:

1. Projects that are sharing private and government data
2. Development of project plans for data sharing initiatives
3. Mechanics of communication and negotiation with multiple vendors
4. Addressing the fear of data sharing: technical, legal, and community agreements

4)     Technical Application: Show us how technology is being used to tell the story of your data. Sessions in this area should demonstrate specific uses of technology that have increased organizational skill sets and capacity to serve within a community. Your audience should walk away with applicable skills to enhance the utilization of human service data systems. For example:

1. Advanced uses of technology (e.g. GIS, advanced Excel, mobile devices, social media)
2. Technology and applications for data visualization
3. Practical tools for statistical analysis
4. Report Building and Technical Writing
5. System Administrator Communication Tools
6. Real world tools for better communication with community stakeholders and system users

Please prepare an online submission and submit on or before June 21, 2013.  Go to: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/BGDKKR3.

Thank you for your contribution to advancing the NHSDC mission!

Unaccompanied youth[1] are an important, and sometimes, overlooked segment of the people who experience homelessness in our country. At the national level there is neither a current nor a reliable estimate of the number of youth experiencing homelessness in America. Many if not most youth experiencing homelessness go uncounted due to barriers for young people accessing adult-targeted shelters, their lack of connection to most social services, and many youth do not want to be counted.  We have some information about youth homelessness through dated national surveys, federal data systems, anecdotal evidence, and a handful of studies in specific places. The information has been used to inform preliminary planning for how to address youth homelessness, but with limited results.   We realize an intentional and coordinated strategy for getting to better data is essential to advance our understanding of the magnitude and reasons for youth homelessness and to refine our plan to end it.

In June 2010, the Administration launched Opening Doors, the first ever federal strategic plan to prevent and end homelessness. This plan set the ambitious goal to end youth homelessness by 2020. The goal to end youth homelessness by 2020 is critical because it prompts us to address this problem in new ways by being timely, more creative, resourceful, and by coordinating an approach across agencies that takes into account the developmental challenges for youth transitioning to adulthood.

The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH), including key staff from the Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Education (ED) collaborated to develop a framework for how we will move forward to end youth homelessness in America. In February, USICH released the Framework to End Youth Homelessness. The framework calls on agencies and systems at all levels to work together to improve youth outcomes to simultaneously achieve stable housing, permanent connections, education and employment, and well-being. To reach these outcomes, the framework includes two complementary strategies: 1) improve data quality and collection on youth experiencing homelessness, and 2) build capacity for service delivery.

Improving data quality and collection will provider a clearer understanding of the prevalence, characteristics, and needs of unaccompanied youth experiencing homelessness. In order to improve data quality and collection the framework proposes three complementary strategies:

• Leverage HUD’s Point-in-Time count to improve strategies for counting youth by enhancing collaborations between Continuums of Care (CoCs), Runaway and Homeless Youth (RHY) providers, and Local Education Agencies (LEAs) and developing youth-specific methods for counting unaccompanied homeless youth.
• Integrate the data system for Runaway and Homeless Youth Act grantees – the Runaway and Homeless Youth Management Information System (RHYMIS) — with the Continuum of Care data system – the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS).
• Develop a national study that builds on program data and the HUD count that includes household surveys to get to a confident national estimate of youth homelessness.

Taken together, these three things will lead to an ongoing estimate of and better data about youth experiencing homelessness, which in turn will provide a mechanism for monitoring our progress in meeting the goal of ending youth homelessness by 2020.

Efforts to improve data on youth homelessness began with HUD’s 2013 Point-in-Time (PIT) count. HUD’s PIT Count is the main source of data used to track progress against the goals in Opening Doors. HUD issued PIT count guidance that required all CoCs to report on the number of persons in each household type by age category (under age 18, 18 to 24, and over age 24) for the 2013 PIT count. This new data reporting requirement allows HUD to capture more discrete data on unaccompanied homeless youth. In addition, USICH and its federal partners provided key technical assistance to Youth Count!, a community-driven initiative to develop effective strategies for counting unaccompanied homeless youth. The goal of this initiative is to identify promising strategies for conducting: 1) collaborative PIT counts of unaccompanied homeless youth that engage Continuums of Care (CoC), Runaway and Homeless Youth (RHY) providers, local education agencies (LEAs) homeless, and other local stakeholders; and 2) credible PIT counts that gather reliable data on unaccompanied homeless youth. This initiative will help to inform future national guidance on youth strategies for PIT counts and to foster meaningful partnerships between homeless service providers, school districts, and other mainstream service providers. Results of a cross-site evaluation of Youth Count! will be available in spring 2013.

While improvement of data on youth through the PIT count is critical, we recognize that the PIT has limitations and is not the only source of data on youth homelessness. Complementary methods, such as the integration of data systems and a national study, are also needed and are being pursued to get to a confident estimate of the number of youth experiencing homelessness. USICH, HUD, and HHS are exploring how to integrate HUD’s Homelessness Management Information System (HMIS) and HHS’s Runaway and Homeless Youth Management Information Systems (RHYMIS). Integrating HMIS and RHYMIS will improve our ability to capture more consistent information across federally funded housing and services programs to allow for a better understanding of the continuum of needs, services, and outcomes for homeless youth, families and single adults.

As data professionals we know that the potential impact of improving data quality is abstract to many people and that getting excited about better data can seem wonky, but it is a critical step that will move us closer to ending youth homelessness. Better data will inform the scope and scale of youth homelessness, inform future research, identify best practices and effective models of intervention, and highlight where there are gaps in the service delivery system. Ultimately, it is through the data that we will know when we have turned the corner and are firmly on the road to ending youth homelessness.

Adrienne Breidenstine,
Management and Program Analyst,
U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness
usich@usich.gov

NHSDC Spring Conference, Seattle, WA, April 25-26, 2013

Purpose:  To create a web service/ smart phone app that will allow anyone to easily advocate for the homeless.

Let your inner geek shine! Join us for the first ever NHSDC sponsored Hackathon. We need a few awesome hackers to create a simple mobile app that will allow anyone to contact their local representatives by email, let them know how many homeless live in their districts, and encourage them to consider this issue while voting on legislation.

Yet to be named, yet to be developed –the goal is that the app will be ready to be deployed by the end of the Hack a thon, or shortly thereafter. If all goes well, we will present this new app in the closing session of the NHSDC Conference!

Important Info:   The Hackathon will take place at the same time as the NHSDC Conference on Thursday, 25^th  and Friday the 26^th  10:00am – 5:00pm.   Final agenda, coding sites, and other information will be made available to those who sign up to participate in person and virtually.  Anyone who is planning to participate in the Hackathon cannot use HUD funds to pay for travel since the activity is not HMIS-related and could be viewed as a lobbying activity.  

What we want the app to do:

Who do we need to pull this off:

• Hackers (new and experienced):  Local technical talent – developers, designers, database gurus, managers, and enthusiasts – willing to donate their time to hack for a good cause.  (5 – 10)
• Master Hacker: Position Filled
• Virtual Hackers:  Online participants – those who cannot attend the hackathon in person  (10 – 15).
• Organizer:  Position Filled
• Social Media Guru(s):  Lead Position filled.  2-3 other social media (facebook, twitter, linked in) to post throughout hack a thon

Platform & other information:  This will be an open source project using Google Code (Project site – where the files and coding are saved):  the repository for code.    Where the web service (API) will be hosted will be determined before the hack a thon begins with the Google app engine as the suggestion.  Where the actual smart phone or mobile apps will be hosted will be determined by the coders creating them.  Web service:  Google Code Platform, MIT open source license

Goals/Objectives:

• Finish the web service design and deployment on open source platform
• HTLM 5 native interface/front end developed -allows flexibility for any smart phone app to be developed
• At least one Smart phone/Mobile apps will be developed and complete (or near completion)
• The Consortium as an organization will better understand hack a thons
• The Consortium will gain experience working together with non members to build tools that benefit all clients we serve
• To be able to successfully advocate for the homeless in our jurisdictions.

Please email Allina@ctagroup.org if you are interested in filling any of the open positions that are available or would like to participate.

Please note: NHSDC offers a vendor neutral conference, vendor specific materials and screenshots must be excluded from proposal and presentation materials.

Presenters chosen for the NHSDC Conference will be offered a discount off the full conference registration price. To qualify for the discount, presenters must register for the conference by the registration deadline. Please note, for panel presentations, discounts will be limited to three presenters.

Topics ideas for conference sessions are as follows:

Policy and Planning: Sessions in this area should focus on how your community or project uses data or management information systems to support new strategies in public policy around reducing poverty, improving self sufficiency of human service program participant, and the like. For example:

• System redesign projects, like transitioning to a coordinated assessment system
• Program evaluation using technology
• Data outcomes for grant writing
• Shifts from planning to analysis

End Results: Sessions in this area should focus on the mechanics used to demonstrate how programs delivered and documented effective outcomes. Conversely, the NHSDC members value accurate data, and understanding the roots of program failure is also interesting. For example:

• Nimble course corrections due to program evaluation results
• Comparison of federal and local metrics
• Developing performance measures from sound evidence

Data Sharing and Collaboration: Sessions in this area should explore real strategies for the dissemination of data across multiple sectors and the coordination of these efforts. Projects increase the impact of their information exponentially when they effectively collaborate with other data oriented projects. The audience for these sessions must be able to understand the mechanics of data sharing. Presenters should articulate not only the outcomes but the mechanics of making it happen. For example:

• Projects that are sharing private and government data
• Development of project plans for data sharing initiatives
• Mechanics of communication and negotiation with multiple vendors
• Addressing the fear of data sharing: technical, legal, and community agreements

Technical Application: Show us how technology is being used to tell the story of your data. Sessions in this area should demonstrate specific uses of technology that have increased the skillsets or capacity to serve within a community. Your audience should walk away with applicable skills to enhance the utilization of human service data systems. For example:

• Advanced uses of technology (e.g. GIS, advanced Excel, mobile devices, social media)
• Technology and applications for data visualization
• Practical tools for statistical analysis
• Report Building and Technical Writing
• System Administrator Communication Tools
• Real world tools for better communication with community stakeholders and system users

To prepare for your online submission, please have the following information:

• Session Title & Description: Descriptions should be a brief summary of the content and purpose of the proposed session. Attendees will want to learn about real world success and failure. Only the first 500 words of the description will be forwarded to the reviewers.
• Audience and Learning Objectives: All proposals must identify the targeted level of the audience: beginner, experienced, guru. Include learning objectives that are action-oriented and concisely communicate what you want the audience to learn. Only the first four objectives will be reviewed.
• Bio: All proposals must include a paragraph that discusses the experience of each speaker (please include names, titles, and foundation/agency).
• Session Contact Information: If your proposal includes a panel or group please indicate which individual NHSDC should communicate with regarding the session.
• Preferred Session Format: Please indicate in your proposal your preferred format (plenary, workshop, presentation, and roundtable). If NHSDC thinks your proposal might be good for everyone we may reach out to you about presenting as a plenary or repeating your session.

Proposal deadline – Feb 15, 2013. 

________
UPDATE: Submissions are no longer being accepted for the Spring conference. If you missed the deadline, consider submitting in the fall during the next Call for Proposals.

How many of us can count on more than one hand the number of times we have given a client a referral for the assistance they need only to find out that the information we have given out is incorrect?

It is our opinion that maintaining your agencies resource record is one of the most important tasks you can perform. This information should be reviewed at a minimum of once a year, and possibly more than that if you participate in a 211 system. If you are not sure of what is required in order to be “compliant,” you can review the information in the AIRS Standards which can be accessed by going to www.airs.org/standards. You can also obtain additional information on the 211 initiative being implemented across the country on the AIRS website.

Basically, at the end of the day, we all want the same thing. We want our clients to be given the most current and up to date information possible. It can only add to their and our frustration if they need to make a secondary contact in order to obtain the services they require. All across the country, there are people dedicated solely to the task of maintaining databases and by keeping your information as current as possible, it makes the task must easier for them. Currently, I am in the middle of such a project and would like to personally thank everyone who is doing their part to make the process go so smoothly. Please feel free to contact me by commenting on this post or by email at Leslie.Grevoy@dupageco.org. Thanks and I look forward to all of your feedback.

Leslie Grevoy
DuPage County Community Services
630-407-6462
Leslie.Grevoy@dupageco.org

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