Centralized Homeless
Service System
(C.HeS.S.)
The Green Team
Tuesday, July 26, 2016
CS410 – Workforce Training
November 5, 2007
CS410 Green Team
1
The Green Team
Supervisor
Janet Brunelle
Documentation
& Software
Manager &
Webmaster
Nathan Aldrich
Keith Barth Jr.
Competition &
Finances
Stats & Hardware
Marketer & Editor
Jeffrey Ray
Taylor
David Bonatz
November 5, 2007
Nathapon “Max”
Siangchokyoo
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2
Homelessness Defined
• An individual who lacks a fixed, regular,
and adequate night time residence
• An individual who has a primary night
time residence that is:
• A public or private place not designed for, or
ordinarily used as, regular sleeping
accommodations for human beings
• Supervised publicly or is a privately operated
shelter designed to provide temporary living
accommodations
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What Causes Homelessness?
•
•
•
•
•
Low Income - Can’t Afford Rent
Alcohol and Drug Abuse - Sudden Loss of Employment
Domestic Abuse
Mental or Physical Disability
Many more…
http://www.nationalhomeless.org/civilrights/lawrence/lawrence.html
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Who is Homeless?
• On any given night in Norfolk, 500800 people are on the streets
• Approximately 10,400 Virginians are
homeless
• Roughly 3.5 million Americans will
experience homelessness each year
•
•
•
•
November 5, 2007
25% have jobs
20% have mental disorders
40% are American Veterans
33% are families with children
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Effects of Homelessness
Damaged reputation of localities with notable
homeless outbreaks
Concern for public safety from both criminal and
medical standpoints
The appropriation of tax money to fund homeless
service projects
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The Price of Homelessness
•
"A study in San Diego that tracked 15
homeless individuals for 18 months found
they alone cost the government and other
organizations $3 million in that period, or
around $133,000 per person per year.”1
•
Proposed budget for homeless aid of
$35.2 billon nationally in 2008 2
1. http://www.uticaod.com/opinion/x751579913/index.html?printview=true
2. http://www.hud.gov/news/release.cfm?content=pr07-008.cfm
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What is the Problem?
Homeless people are not getting
the individualized assistance
they need due to a lack of
communication and failure to
coordinate efforts!
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Contribution to the Problem
• Outdated or complete lack of communication between
organizations, the government, and the homeless
population
• Lack of understanding of homelessness on a grand
scale and an individual level
• Lack of real time information for certain homeless
people and the homeless population of a locality
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Communication Issues
• Information is shared through verbal
communication, hard copy reports, email, etc.
• Information about services is not always
shared with homeless people
• Data is handwritten or entered manually into
basic spreadsheets and other files
• Data cannot be provided to the government
and other organizations instantly
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The Assistance Cycle
More
Organizations
Volunteer to Help
Lack of
Communication
Problem
Lack of
Understanding
November 5, 2007
Homeless
Population
Grows
Fewer
People
Helped
Inefficient Use
of
Resources
CS410 CHeSS
“Understanding
homelessness
is a necessary
step in
addressing it
successfully”
– HUD Secretary
Alphonso
Jackson
11
Resource Efficiency
Wasted
Resources
Homeless
Population Utilization
Services Being
Provided by the
Government
Wasted
Resources
Services Being
Provided by
Organizations
Services Being
Received
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Current National Efforts
HMIS - Homeless Management Information
System
• Started in 1998 as a directive from the Department of
Housing and Urban Development
• It was decided to use aggregated data rather then a
national database
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Current Local Efforts
• HIMS was created as a local HMIS
• The project was too expensive for groups to
purchase ($500-600)
• Nonprofit groups did not have access to a
centralized database for information
• HIMS is now open source with a GNU General
Public License
• Identification is required by local
organizations before an individual can receive
assistance
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Current Local Efforts
• Ghent Area
Ministries
Government
• Project Connect
• Individual
Organizations
Organization D
Organization A
Organization C
• Government
Services
Organization B
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Objectives
• Increase Communication
• Real-time information exchange
• Raise homeless awareness of
service provided
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(CHeSS)
• Centralized Homeless
Service System
(CHeSS)
Government
– Communication
Organization A
Network Infrastructure
– Real-time Statistics
– Uniform Data Entry
– Simple Identification
Organization C
CHeSS
Organization B
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Organization D
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Competition Matrix
General Solutions
Org. &
Research
Cooperative
Efforts
Ghent Area
Ministries
X
Project
Connect
X
HIMS
X
CHeSS
X
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Networking
Non-profits
Real-Time
Statistics
Calendar
Database
X
X
X
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Competition Matrix
Data Collection
Localized Databases
Centralized Computer Databases
Homeless
people
Orgs &
Helpers
Statistics
& History
Area
Ministries
X
X
X
Project
Connect
X
X
X
HIMS
X
X
X
CHeSS
X
X
X
Org. &
Research
Ghent
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CS410 CHeSS
Homeless
people
Orgs &
Helpers
Statistics
& History
X
X
X
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Features of CHeSS
• Centralized database of homeless profiles
• Centralized calendar system of services
• One-time manual user input
• Easy-to-use GUI
• Identification software that will update information
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How Does CHeSS Work?
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What’s in the Box
• Government CHeSS software
– Database Administration Package
• Organization CHeSS software
– Identification Hardware to Database Interface
• Card Scanner
– Ensure compatibility
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Through the Door
Homeless
Person
Identified
Yes
Already Registered?
Homeless person enters
service building/area
and is identified.
If not in the system,
person is entered.
All relevant data is
entered in person’s
profile.
Person is served.
November 5, 2007
Automatic
Profile Updates
No
Manual Data
Entry – Basic
Yes
Enter Personal
Information?
Manual Data
Entry – Advanced
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No
Service is Provided
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Customer
National
• Government
– Market the concept of CHeSS to the federal
government for grant money
(development and Implement)
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Customer
Local
• Government
– Provide database
– Track statistical information
• Organization
– Provide information
– Track resources
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Customer Costs
Organizations and The Government
• Government Database Software - $50,000
• Installation/Training Fee: Organization- $250
• Organization Software with Identification
Hardware - $150 to $300
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Risks
•
•
•
•
Government declines purchase
Lack of organization participation
Lack of homeless cooperation
Security concerns
– Storage of Personal Information
– Access to Personal Information
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Risk Probability/Impact Matrix
a)
5
I
m
p
a
c
t
4
a
3
b
2
c
1
1
2
3
4
5
The government
does not buy the
system
b) Lack of organization
participation
c) Lack of cooperation
of the homeless
population
Probability
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What are the Benefits?
Organizations and The Government
• Improved communication will lead to a more
efficient distribution of services
• Recorded data will provide an overall
understanding of the homeless situation
• Real time information will help the government
distribute services and resources based on
individual needs
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Conclusion
• People are homeless for many different reasons,
and homelessness drains societal resources.
• Current efforts to help the less fortunate are
inefficient and outdated.
• CheSS will provide a network infrastructure to
improve communication and provide services to
the homeless on an individual basis.
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References
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Barrett Transitional Home (BTH) - transitional housing in Norfolk
– http://groups.hamptonroads.com/BTH/
Non profit congress - effective things of a non-profit organization
– http://www.nonprofitcongress.org/files/Briefing%20Book%20Excerpt%20pg%20816.pdf
List of how much federal government is spending as well as in VA
– http://www.hud.gov/local/va/news/pr2007-02-20.cfm
Directory of Organizations in VA
– http://www.nationalhomeless.org/resources/local/virginia.html
Study about fewer homeless people in Norfolk
– http://content.hamptonroads.com/story.cfm?story=118740&ran=11099
Nation taking a new look at homelessness, solutions
– http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-10-11-homeless-cover_x.htm
Homelessness
– http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homelessness
Homeless Statistics
– http://www.uticaod.com/opinion/x751579913/index.html?printview=true
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References
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
HUD's Proposed budget of 2008
– http://www.hud.gov/news/release.cfm?content=pr07-008.cfm
HUD federal funding
– http://www.hud.gov/news/release.cfm?content=pr05007.cfm&CFID=2483991&CFTOKEN=13285473
Service opportunities for the homeless(education, etc...)
– http://www.virginiahomeless.org/
Gospels available by Country/State
– http://www.agrm.org/missions.html
HUD's homeless information in VA
– http://www.hud.gov/local/index.cfm?state=va&topic=homeless
Interagency Council on Homelessness (a 10 year plan)
– http://www.ich.gov/slocal/index.html
Solution to Homelessness
– http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0104/p13s01-lihc.html?s=planetizen
Homelessness
– http://www.policyalmanac.org/social_welfare/homeless.shtml
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