National Homelessness Initiative

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National Homelessness Initiative Presentation
to Horizontal Results Seminar June 21, 2002
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Horizontal Challenges

• Horizontal management has the potential to
  deliver a number of benefits. Among these are
  more effective policies, better coordination of
  program design and delivery, improved service and
  more efficient operations. However, there are
  also a number of associated costs and risks.
  These can include the blurring of accountability,
  increased measurement and reporting costs,
  coordination costs and slower decision making. In
  each case, the potential benefits have to be
  weighed against the potential risks and costs.
• Horizontal Management Issues Study,
• Consultant and Audit Canada, 2002

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Overview of Presentation

• The NHI
• Horizontal Challenges
• NHI Approach
• Common Objectives
• Results Reporting
• Evaluation Framework
• Community Capacity

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THE NHI

• With the NHIs launch in December 1999, the
  Government recognized that a concerted federal
  response was needed to address this growing,
  visible social problem.
• A unique community-focused approach was adopted
  to facilitate community action and ownership.
• Addressing locally identified needs.

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Homelessness Initiative - 753 M Key Federal
Players
Surplus Federal Real Property for Homelessness
Initiative 10 M
Other (Planning, Research, etc.) 9 M
Shelter Enhancement Program 43 M
Urban Aboriginal Strategy 59 M
Youth Homelessness Component 59 M
Supporting CommunitiesPartnership
Initiative 305 M
ResidentialRehabilitationAssistanceProgram 268
M
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Working Together at the Local Level
Communities
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HORIZONTAL CHALLENGES

• Given its complexity, the NHI has focused on
  developing clear frameworks and mechanisms for
  accountability and reporting
• Establishing common objectives, strategies and
  measurable results (e.g. a logic model)
• Results Reporting
• Comprehensive Evaluation Framework
• Building capacity within communities with respect
  to results reporting

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SETTING COMMON OBJECTIVES
Must ensure agreement among partners and
stakeholders on objectives, results and effective
measurement and reporting of results
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The Logic Model
Logic Model National Homelessness Initiative
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Setting Common Objectives The Logic Model

• There are 9 immediate outcomes for the NHI
• Enhanced access to information
• Better information and data on the homeless
  population and homelessness issues
• Better ways of researching and gathering
  information on homeless issues in Canada
• Increased awareness of NHI and homelessness
  issues
• Increased inclusion of homelessness in policy
  options at all levels of government
• More coordinated response between sectors to
  address homelessness
• Increased local capacity to deal with
  homelessness
• Concrete actions taken by communities to improve
  services and facilities in order to alleviate the
  hardship of homeless people
• Improved decision making around investments

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The Logic Model How it has been useful

• Consensus and shared vision
• In Evaluation and Performance Measurement
• show plausible causal linkages within the
  initiative (attribution)
• identify indicators/issues for performance
  measurement and evaluation
• identify questions suitable for inclusion in
  community plan evaluations

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THE EVALUATION FRAMEWORK

• Comprehensive evaluation framework inclusive of
  all components of the NHI.
• Developed in cooperation with all of the key NHI
  federal partners
• Coordinated approach in order to ensure that
  there is sufficient and timely information
• Will allow the Federal Coordinator for
  Homelessness to report back to Parliament

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RESULTS REPORTING

• Third party delivery model requires collection of
  data from direct service providers and community
  entities
• The foundation for getting effective results is
  based on a common knowledge and understanding of
  results based management theory and NHI outcomes
  among staff and communities.
• The NSHs comprehensive Results Reporting
  Strategy, enables communities to collect and
  report on their results which should help us both
  meet our reporting responsibilities.

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Results Reporting
To date, the NSH has developed a tool kit and
delivered training to NSH staff (HQ and Regions)
and direct service providers across the 61 SCPI
communities in Canada on results reporting and a
project reporting template
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COMMUNITY CAPACITY

• What Works
• Learning Opportunities
• Training
• Learning Resources
• User friendly, plain language, appropriate to
  community context (including not-for-profit
  sectors)

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Community Capacity Next Steps

• The NSH is challenged to address capacity issues
  at both community and HRDC service delivery
  network level and to achieve a balance between
  the requirements for due diligence and program
  flexibility
• As Government of Canada focuses on developing
  more programs along community based model ongoing
  community capacity development required for
• Results based management
• Results Measurement and Reporting
• Community Evaluation

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(No Transcript)