HKS Government Performance Lab

Between 2019 and 2023, the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services (MDHHS) made a series of reforms to reduce the number of children in congregate care from more than 1,000 to fewer than 400.     In a new case study, Addressing Upstream Factors: Reducing the Number of Michigan Children in Congregate Care, we detail how the MDHHS, with support from the Harvard Kennedy School Government Performance Lab, developed and implemented solutions around two upstream points of intervention that contributed to the sustained decline in congregate care:      1 - Strengthen children’s access to high-quality, community-based behavioral health services, which may help to prevent escalating behaviors that can precede placement breakdown and entry to congregate care, and     2 - Increase placements with and supports for kin caregivers, where children experience more stability, fewer placement moves, and better behavioral and mental health outcomes compared with children in non-kin settings.    Read the case study here. https://lnkd.in/ewFBiVkQ 

Join the GPL tomorrow for our session at #NAEH2024! “How Chicago Dug into Improving PSH Utilization,” Tuesday, 9:45 to 11:00 ET, in Lincoln East. 

The GPL’s Homelessness & Housing team is presenting at the National Alliance to End Homelessness’ annual conference (#NAEH2024). Join us on Tuesday, July 9 from 9:45 to 11:00 ET for our session “How Chicago Dug into Improving PSH Utilization” to learn how All Chicago Making Homelessness History (the Chicago CoC's lead organization) used the GPL’s diagnostic framework to increase successful Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) referrals. The session will also include a mini skills-building workshop. PSH is one of our communities’ most precious housing resources, and yet many jurisdictions struggle to maintain high occupancy. Connecting clients to PSH involves many stakeholders with diverse interests, and often relies on manual systems for tracking units and clients. The first step in improving complex PSH systems is to effectively diagnose challenges and understand where to prioritize improvements. In this session, attendees will learn how the GPL conducts diagnostic work to launch impactful solutions.

Child welfare leaders in the WA Department of Children, Youth, and Families recently launched two procurement pilots that intend to provide nearly $3 million for new services and supports focused on Black and Native American families — in direct response to provider feedback asking for more culturally responsive and specific services.     Our newest case study, Investing in Culturally Responsive Services: Lessons from Washington, details how DCYF used community engagement to shape its approach to addressing service gaps that may contribute to racial disproportionalities in child removals. For child welfare and jurisdictional leaders, the DCYF story offers ideas on how to collect and elevate insights from service providers and community members — and then act.     The publication draws upon the Government Performance Lab’s field work and a recent panel discussion with service providers and agency leaders from the Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Family, including Maria Zdzieblowski, LICSW, Tleena Ives, Tessa Velasco, and Camie Goldhammer. Read the publication here: https://lnkd.in/gjY8t_xc

Over the past several years, we have heard directly from those on the front lines of the homelessness crisis about the urgent need for improving staff capacity to respond to complex, systems-level challenges. In 2022, the GPL received more than 100 applications from communities across the country in response to an offering of technical assistance. In those applications, many jurisdictions identified that in order to effectively respond to homelessness, they needed more robust data collection; improved channels for real-time, cross-agency data sharing and referrals; and centralized data access systems — along with staff who can use these tools effectively. In 2024, the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs Office of Homelessness Prevention invited the GPL to create and lead a 12-week training program on data-driven approaches to homelessness response for a cohort of more than 50 members. New Jersey homelessness response leaders wanted to test the idea that training staff in how to gather, analyze, and interpret data and how to use data to inform a big-picture, systems-thinking approach to homelessness response could be a valuable support for workers in the homelessness sector. A new GPL Promising Practices brief, Investing in the Homelessness Response Workforce: Training in Data-Centric Approaches as a Workforce Support, shares initial insights from running this type of training, which can be a valuable support for and worthwhile investment in homelessness response staff. Thank you to our collaborators Delivery Associates and New Jersey Department of Community Affairs! Read it here: https://lnkd.in/eDMhBw2y

Tomorrow at 3pm ET: Join the HKS Government Performance Lab and Community Solutions, Inc. for a virtual conversation that will explore promising practices on launching coordinated prevention and discuss insights on testing centralized access models. To shed light on one model, the conversation will highlight lessons learned from the City of Detroit, which launched a centralized hotline in May 2023 to effectively and equitably connect vulnerably housed residents to best-fit services and supports that reduce their likelihood of becoming homeless. The hotline, which receives roughly 6,700 calls per month, connects residents to services such as legal assistance for eviction prevention, income supports such as employment assistance, case management for housing relocation and navigation, emergency shelter, and more. Register here: https://lnkd.in/eZJaS65k

Building a strong kin-first culture within a child welfare agency can take time. It requires strengthening kin search efforts, constructing clear and consistent messaging, and adopting a data-driven approach to increasing kin placements. Through our work with jurisdictions committed to building kin-first systems, the GPL has developed tools that agency leaders and staff can use to continue to expand their kin-first focus. https://lnkd.in/gtiTXzMF These tools include: · An annotated Family Finding Connections Log to help staff identify potential placement options and build out a supportive network for a child and their potential caregiver.  · A communication strategy worksheet to help leaders and staff design messages that raise awareness about the benefits of kinship care and cultivate buy-in among their teams and external stakeholders. · A customizable kin placement dashboard to help agency leaders use their data to better understand and prioritize specific challenges, monitor the impact of new strategies, and create regular opportunities to discuss kin placement trends. 

Reminder: Next Tuesday, 6/25 at 3pm ET, join the HKS Government Performance Lab and Community Solutions, Inc. for a virtual conversation that will explore promising practices on launching coordinated prevention and discuss insights on testing centralized access models. To shed light on one model, the conversation will highlight lessons learned from the City of Detroit, which launched a centralized hotline in May 2023 to effectively and equitably connect vulnerably housed residents to best-fit services and supports that reduce their likelihood of becoming homeless. The hotline, which receives roughly 6,700 calls per month, connects residents to services such as legal assistance for eviction prevention, income supports such as employment assistance, case management for housing relocation and navigation, emergency shelter, and more. Register: https://lnkd.in/eZJaS65k

Congratulations to the 9 new cities who joined the WWC community! PEN and the GPL have enjoyed working with City of Issaquah, City of Sugar Land, TX, Municipalidad de las Condes, and Municipalidad de la Ciudad de Mendoza, on a range of projects to improve procurement though sprints, bootcamps, and coaching sessions. We were also pleased to see PEN members City of Carlsbad, City/Parish of Baton Rouge, City of Charlotte, and Montevideo recognized for leveling up their certification! https://lnkd.in/e_5GgAhy #CitiesWinWithData

Apply by 5 p.m. ET tomorrow to be considered for the GPL’s pro bono technical assistance on developing a fourth branch of emergency response to divert a significant share of 911 calls to an alternative response team and/or other 911 diversion pathways. Learn more and apply here: https://lnkd.in/ea5UNur7