What is CHIN

1
What is CHIN?

• CHIN is North Carolinas centralized, balance of
  state, homeless management information system. It
  is designed as a computerized, data collection
  tool to aggregate client-level information, over
  time, on characteristics, service needs and
  services utilization of individuals experiencing
  homelessness.
• CHIN is a cost effective solution for agencies
  that are required to participate in a HMIS.
• CHIN adheres to all Federal Register guidelines
  governing homeless management information
  systems.

2
CHIN Project History

• The Carolina Homeless Information Network (CHIN)
  was facilitated by the North Carolina Interagency
  Council for Coordinating Homeless Programs
  (ICCHP) as a part of North Carolinas 10 Year
  Plan to End Homelessness in 2003.
• After an extensive planning process, CHIN was
  formed as an interagency partnership, comprised
  of representative homeless service providers,
  nonprofit advocacy groups, government agencies,
  universities and more than (20) continua of care
  (CoC).

3
CHIN Planning Structure/Decision Making

• The ICCHP hosted a series of regional meetings
  across the state to discuss the concept of a
  balance of state HMIS and to recruit potential
  leadership.
• A Steering Committee was constituted after a
  competitive recruitment process. A diverse,
  twenty-member committee was selected to represent
  the public and private sector, direct and
  indirect service providers and equitable
  geographic representation. Special attention was
  given to rural/urban parity and members with
  existing HMIS systems.

4
CHIN Lead Agency Selection

• In August 2004, CHINs Steering Committee
  selected the North Carolina Housing Coalition and
  the North Carolina Coalition to End Homelessness
  as co-lead agencies to provide administrative and
  policy support.
• The North Carolina Housing Coalition serves as
  the fiscal agent for the project. The North
  Carolina Coalition to End Homelessness assists
  CHIN with public policy and CoC capacity
  building.

5
CHIN Planning Structure/Decision Making

• The Steering Committee established the following
  committees Policy, Membership, Operations and
  Fundraising. An Ad Hoc RFP subcommittee was
  created to select the vendor for the project.
• In 2007, the CHIN Steering Committee was changed
  to the CHIN Advisory Committee to provide
  guidance to the NC Housing Coalition, NC
  Coalition to End Homelessness and external
  constituents, like the ICCHP.
• All network decisions are recommended by the
  CHIN Advisory Committee with final approval by
  the NC Housing Coalition Board of Directors.
  Member agencies, end users and CHIN staff bring
  issues to the Advisory Committee for
  consideration and resolution. All decisions
  require a 2/3 majority.

6
CHIN Project Goals

• To implement a statewide homeless management
  information system (HMIS) that can determine an
  unduplicated count of homeless individuals in
  North Carolina.
• To implement a HMIS that meets, or exceeds,
  federal and state reporting requirements.
• To support local case management and facilitate
  interagency resources/service management.
• To maximize the resources of CHIN and to fulfill
  the needs of direct and indirect service
  providers.

7
Who has to participate in HMIS?

• The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
  Development (HUD) requires
• agencies receiving McKinney-Vento funds to
  participate in a HMIS.
• McKinney-Vento funded programs include
  Supportive Housing Program
• (SHP) Shelter Plus Care (SC) Section 8
  Moderate Rehab for Single Room
• Occupancy (SRO) Emergency Shelter Grant (ESG)
  and Housing Opportunities
• for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA grantees that
  specifically target
• homelessness).

8
CHIN Funding

• Initial funding for the project was provided by
  the ICCHP and the NC Department of Health and
  Human Services.
• Sustainability funding is generated through
  annual membership subscriptions, HUD grants and
  external contracts.
• Currently, the NC Housing Coalition is managing
  several HUD SHP grants that subsidize the bulk of
  CHINs operational expenses.

9
Network Size

• 260 certified end users from more than 112
  agencies are currently using CHIN as their HMIS
  solution. Another 31 agencies are in the
  planning process and will join the network by
  June 2008.
• Since May 2005, more than 400 end users have
  been certified to access the network and use the
  software.
• If the current level of growth continues, by
  January 2009 CHIN will serve 175 agencies and
  more than 450 active end users.

10
CHIN Membership Rates

• In February 2005, the CHIN Steering Committee
  approved the membership rate of
  750/year/certified end user. This rate was
  established after a thorough network estimation
  and resource allocation process.
• At that time, 750/per end user was among the
  least expensive end user rates in the country.
• All end users are required to attend a
  certification workshop prior to accessing the
  network. The one-time fee for certification
  training is 275 per end user.
• Rates are reviewed annually.

11
CHIN Current Rates

• Due to HUD SHP grants, end user access rates are
  now subsidized between 65-80 depending on
  continuum of care affiliation.
• Balance of State CoC agencies pay a cash match
  of 150/end user/year.
• Non-Balance of State agencies pay a cash match
  of 250/end user/year.
• All certification and refresher training fees
  are 100 subsidized.
• Network access, training, end user support and
  technical assistance are provided at no
  additional cost to member agencies.

12
Interagency Advantages of CHIN

• Statewide network with seamless interagency
  collaborations between direct and indirect
  homeless agency service providers.
• Stable, robust and integrated, web-based
  software.
• Safe, secure network that meets or exceeds
  Federal HMIS guidelines.
• CHIN participation is cost effective.

13
2003 HMIS Coverage

• Prior to CHIN, more than 10 different HMIS
  systems were either starting up or operational.
  It was not possible to attain a consistent and
  accurate count of homeless individuals in North
  Carolina.

14
2007 HMIS Coverage

• Today CHIN covers 97 of NCs 100 counties.
  Three other independent HMIS systems are
  operational. CHIN currently has active end users
  in both Durham and Wake counties. CHIN is also
  working with data entry/import partnerships with
  agencies in Mecklenburg county.

15
2007 Eastern Region
Rob TrippWilmington, NC910.795.8433rtripp_at_ncho
using.org
16
2007 Piedmont Region

Sonia EnsenatRaleigh, NC919.827.4500sensenat_at_n
chousing.org
17
2007 Western Region

Holly BarhamAsheville, NC828.989.9127hbarham_at_n
chousing.org
18
2007 Different Funding Streams

19
Strategic Partnerships

• Interagency Council for Coordinating Homeless
  ProgramsBalance of State Network Development
  (Completed)
• 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness Report (In
  Progress)Project Homeless Connect
  (Assessments/Reports)
• NC Department of Mental Health
• PATH Initiative (Wireless Laptops/Assessments/Tra
  ining/Reports)
• Housing Support Teams (Assessments/Training)
• SOAR Workshops (Assessment/Reports)
• NC Office of Economic OpportunityESGP (On-line
  Reporting)
• Emergency Assistance Network (Forsyth County)

20
Strategic Partnerships

• Forsyth Futures---Community wide information
  collaboration. CHIN is providing technical
  assistance during the planning phase.
• Community Link Data ExchangeImporting data from
  Community Link in CHIN for assessments and
  reports. (In progress)
• United Way of North Carolina and NC Office of
  Citizen Services (Information and Referral
  discussions.)
• Statistics and reporting collaborations with
  North Carolina Coalition to End Homelessness and
  other interested agencies.

21
Continuous Improvement

• Since May 2007 CHIN has been working with members
  agencies to improve their data quality.
• Regional Coordinators are developing
  individualized technical assistance plans for all
  agencies.
• Each CoC is receiving CoC-wide reports
  identifying challenges and opportunities.
  Specifically, CoCs can see all of the Annual
  Performance Report data that has been collected
  during the last month. A number of customized
  reports are generated each month to help CoC
  leadership understand how their continuum is
  complying with HUDs data gathering and reporting
  mandate.
• A Continuous Improvement Plan will be developed
  for all participating continua.
• CHIN staff are helping CoCs to identify best
  practices.

22
Continuous Improvement

• CoCs are using CHIN participation and the quality
  of an agencys data in the ranking and scoring
  process for HUD SHP funding. Gastonia,
  Winston-Salem and the Balance of State have
  processes in place.
• Custom reports are available on demand to help
  CoCs with planning and reporting.

23
ServicePoint FeaturesSimpleUserInterfaceEas
yNavigationPopulated with Program andService
Information
24
ClientPoint Client ProfileInformationColor-co
dedHUD QuestionsBack-datedData
EntryFriendlyPrintable
25
ResourcePoint IntegratedDirectory
ofResourcesAIRSTaxonomySearch by
AgencyCity or County
26
ShelterPoint Shelter BedManagement Bedlist
ReservationModule Organized byAgency
Programsand ResourcesQuickEntry/Exit
27
SkanPoint Uses ScanCard TechnologyQuick
ClientData EntryAble to Build Multiple Client
Lists
28
StandardReports Pre-builtLibrary
ofReportsCustom Reports Available
UponRequestAny field can bepulled into a
report.ART Report Writer.
29
On-Line Help IntegratedHelp SectionQuick
ReferenceSearchable FollowsCHIN
TrainingGuides
30
Assessments ConfidentialData Entry
FormsCustomizableProgram or Project
Specific PrintableEditable
31
Case Plans ConfidentialCase NotesAdd Goals
and Action StepsLink to Servicesand Referrals
Easy to build, print and maintain
32
ServiceTransactionsRecordClient
NeedsServices Unmet NeedsReferralsCost of
ServicesFunding Sources
33
Training Site Mirrors Live Site
FunctionalityDesigned to Build End
UserConfidence CompetencyNo Client Data
34
CHIN Technical Assistance

• On-site Technical Support and Assistance
• Regional Coordinators assigned to every CoC
• Regional Training Opportunities
• Certification/Refresher Training
• Topical Seminars and TA Workshops
• Client Confidentiality and Ethics
• Fair Housing Guidelines for Emergency Shelter
• Toll Free Service Conference Call Service M-W-F_at_
  4 pm1.800.270.1153 Access Code 126025

35
CHIN Technical Assistance

• On-line Training (Web Conferencing)Trouble-shooti
  ngSpecialized training
• Internet-based services include Training
  guidesComprehensive Certification/Refresher
  Guides Project/Program Customized Guides based
  on Agency/Program Type
• Technical Bulletins
• CHIN Frequently Asked Questions
• Moderated Community Forums
• Monthly Data Integrity Report
• Client Services/Discrepancy Reporting

36
Magazine-Style Web Site
37
CHIN Contact Information

• Hunter Thompson, DirectorCarolina Homeless
  Information Network
• North Carolina Housing Coalition224 S. Dawson
  StreetRaleigh, NC 27601
• hthompson_at_nchousing.orgwww.nchomeless.org
  919.827.4500 (office)919.880.6431 (cell)
• Laura McDuffee, Reports and Statistics
  Coordinatorlmcduffee_at_nchousing.org
• 336.455.7316 (office)