Community Shelter Board Columbus, Ohio

Community Shelter Board Program Evaluation

Columbus, Ohio

The Community Shelter Board, established in 1986, is a non-profit intermediary organization that coordinates community based efforts, fosters collaboration, and funds services to assist families and individuals in Central Ohio to resolve their housing needs. Several years ago, the Community Shelter Board adopted an outcomes-based funding model, establishing measurable performance standards to monitor agencies’ progress. The CSB Board of Trustees adopted these performance standards as a component of their vision to create an overall strategy for improving the shelter system, providing an “open door” and working toward the eventual elimination of homelessness.

By setting performance outcome standards that measure length of stay, housing outcomes, shelter/program occupancy, movement, recidivism, and other outcomes, CSB’s performance outcomes monitor the success of each provider and determine the system’s effectiveness as a whole.

The FY2005 Program Evaluation evaluates the current shelter, services and permanent supportive housing system in Columbus and Franklin County using CSB’s established performance standards. The evaluation includes all programs funded by or under contract with CSB in FY 2005. For each program the report includes an overall performance rating, summary description, tables showing previous and current performance with respect to established outcome measures, a cost efficiency table, and recommendations, where applicable, for performance outcome measures for the 2005-2006 contract year.

In fiscal years 2005 and 2006, CSB prioritized projects that most effectively served those with the highest needs and had a high community impact, as the amount of funding requested through renewal applications for both years exceeded available funds. The final criteria include specific project evaluation around performance, community impact, and other community priorities for funding.

Evaluation Methodology

Program-specific materials and information provided from agencies were used to develop program descriptions. Financial information used in cost efficiency tables was gathered from semi-annual reports submitted by each agency.

Agency performance outcome goals were compared with actual performance to determine consistency with CSB’s standards. Performance data was gathered from CSB’s Homeless Management Information System (HMIS). All data used in the report met CSB’s quality assurance standards that require current and accurate data and a 95% completion rate for all data variables. The following information provides an explanation of performance achievement and ratings.

Performance outcome goal ‘achievement” definition:

Achieved Goal is defined as 90% or better of a numerical goal or within 5 percentage points of a percentage goal, except where a lesser or greater value than this variance also indicated an achieved goal (e.g. Average Length of Stay goal was met if actual achievement is 105% or less of goal).

Performance rating definitions:

Each program is assigned a performance ranking of High, Medium or Low, as determined by overall program achievement of performance outcomes for the evaluation period. Ratings are based on the following:

Community Shelter Board Columbus, Ohio

Performance rating definitions:

Rating Measures

Achievement of Program Outcome

High

Not less than one not achieved

Medium

Half or more achieved

Low

Less than half achieved and/or serious and persistent non-performance

For more information see: http://www.csb.org/