Slide 1:

Slide 2:

OVERVIEW OF THE POLICY ACADEMY PROCESS

Slide 3:

Federal Sponsors

• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
  • Administration for Children and Families
  • The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
  • Health Resources and Services Administration
  • Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
  • Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
• U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
  • Office of Community Planning and Development
  • Office of Special Needs Assistance Programs

Slide 4:

Federal Sponsors

• U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
  • Homeless Veterans Programs, Office of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs
  • Health Care for Homeless Veterans, Veterans Health Administration
• U.S. Department of Labor
  • Employment and Training Administration
  • Veterans Employment and Training Service
  • Office of Disability and Employment Policy
  • Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives

Slide 5:

Collaborating Partners

• American Public Human Services Association
• Association of State and Territorial Health Officials
• National Association of Alcohol and Substance Abuse Directors
• National Association of County and City Health Program Directors
• National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors
• National Conference of State Legislators
• National Governors Association
• National Head Start Association
• U.S. Conference of Mayors

Slide 6:

What is a Policy Academy?

• Process, not an event
• Technical assistance to help decision makers:
  • Think through policy options
  • Make existing systems and programs more effective and coordinated; and/or
  • Design and implement new systems and programs

Slide 7:

What is the Purpose of This Academy?

To develop a realistic, State-wide policy initiative (Action Plan) with the intent of:

• Increasing access to mainstream services for people experiencing chronic homelessness
• Enhancing the linkages between services and housing
• Developing prevention strategies

Slide 8:

What are the Objectives of the Policy Academy?

• Bringing stakeholders together to focus on increasing access to mainstream services
• Enhancing coordination, collaboration, and integration among systems providing mainstream and targeted services for people experiencing chronic homelessness
• Identifying and sharing evidence-based practices
• Identifying and coordinating resources

Slide 9:

What’s Involved in the Policy Academy Process?

• Pre-Meeting Work, Technical Assistance Site Visit, and SWOT Analysis
• Formal Academy Meetign (On-site Technical Assistance)
• Post-Meeting Technical Assistance and Follow-up
• National Learning Meeting (On-site Technical Assistance

Slide 10:

Why a Policy Academy?

• Promote strategic planning
• Provide opportunities to learn from other State experiences
• Establish/reinforce dialogue
• Build consensus among stakeholders and plan for change
• Provide technical assistance and develop local capacity

Slide 11:

How Many States Have Participated?

• 8 States participated in the Policy Academy on homeless families with children
• 26 States participated in Policy Academies on chronic homelessness
• The overall goal is for all States and Territories to participate in a Policy Academy on chronic homelessness to by January 2004

Slide 12:

Team Composition

• Required:
  • Governor’s office
  • Medicaid
  • State substance abuse agency
  • State mental health agency
  • Primary health care services
  • State housing agency
  • Employment
  • Veterans services
  • State-level homeless services administrators or Continuum-of-Care contacts
• Optional:
  • Homeless or formerly homeless persons
  • Providers
  • Faith-based and culturally-based agencies/ organizations
  • Advocacy organizations
  • State social services (family and child welfare)
  • State legislators
  • Local, county, or city-level government representatives
  • Corrections/criminal justice

Slide 13:

Potential Immediate Outcomes

• Change the way things are done
• Get everyone on the same page
• Improve cross-agency and cross-state communication
• Create new collaborations and partnerships
• Provide mechanism to focus State efforts to address homelessness
• Change stereotypes and address stigma
• Learn about new approaches or evidence-based practices
• Increase access to mainstream services and resources

Slide 14:

Specific State Outcomes…

• Colorado (PA2) sought previously untapped mainstream HUD resources; resulted in 400 rental assistance vouchers for non-elderly persons with disabilities
• Georgia (PA2) is converting 30 vacant positions to new SSI eligibility workers who will be trained by Yvonne Perret and placed with service providers to increase access to benefits for people who are homeless
• Illinois (PA1) Department of Health and Human Services is becoming authorized as a public housing authority so that they direct Section 8 vouchers to TANF families statewide.   
• Maryland’s (PA1) Governor issued Executive Order establishing Interagency Council charged with developing framework to address homelessness for incoming administration
• Nevada (PA1) surveyed providers’ problems accessing mainstream programs resulting in immediate dialogue with state mental health administrators and joint problem-solving

Slide 15:

During the Site Visit

• Become familiar with the Academy process
• Highlight and build upon planning activities
• Develop a common understanding of the issues
• Develop a common vision and draft SWOT analysis
• Begin to identify TA needs
• Formalize team processes
• Identify key points for Team Lead presentation

Slide 16:

During the Academy Meeting

• Interact with faculty and peers to:
  • Maximize resources and expand capacity for systems change
  • Adapt evidence-based practices
  • Enhance collaboration and planning activities

Slide 17:

During the Academy Meeting

• Complete Team-related tasks, including:
  • Present vision statement and State’s key issues and efforts (Team Lead)
  • Continue developing Action Plans and identifying TA needs
  • Receive feedback and TA from faculty and peers
  • Report-out on Action Plan, priorities, next steps, and TA needs

Slide 18:

Following the Academy Meeting

• Finalize strategies (short- and long-range) and specific action steps
• Submit revised action plan within 60 days
• Receive Federal Planning Committee
• Prioritize and coordinate TA with HSR/PRA
• Implement the Action Plan (with TA)
• Submit two six-month progress reports

Slide 19:

Team Challenges

• Building team consensus around Action Plan
• Identifying feasible strategies
• Presenting a clear message to influential policymakers
• Generating public and political will to support Action Plan
• Implementing the Action Plan through executive, legislative, administrative, and private sector (non-government) processes

Slide 20:

Team Tips

• Try to stay focused
• Develop and respect Team ground rules
• Encourage ideas
• Challenge your assumptions
• Highlight and explore your differences
• Differentiate between what you are totally committed to and what you can live with

Slide 21:

What Should Be Accomplished Before Arriving At The Academy Meeting?

• Circulate draft vision statement to all members of team for polishing
• Provide HSR with revised vision statement and completed SWOT analysis to be included in meeting packet
• Select team leader(s), timekeeper, scribe
• Review resource material

Slide 22:

THE ACTION PLANNING PROCESS

Slide 23:

Policy Initiative Framework(The Action Plan)

• The Vision (Your State Tomorrow)
• The Reality Assessment (Your State Today)
• Priorities/Goals (Gaps)
• Strategies with Potential (Tactical Plan)
• Action Steps (Work Assignments)
• Technical Assistance and Follow-up

Slide 24:

The Vision Statement(Your State Tomorrow)

• Provides a statement of purpose
• Presents a picture of your ideal future (independent of the current reality)
• Serves as a reference point for all future decisions
• Does not assume that the system will have the same framework that as it does today
• Specifically addresses issue of improving access to mainstream services

Slide 25:

What is a Vision Statement?

A Vision Statement is something that describes an ideal situation or goal that is beyond immediate grasp, but something towards which one reaches. 

It should grab people's attention and hearts; even if everyone doesn't agree with precisely what the vision actually means, it should be something that everyone "gets" and can rally around.

Slide 26:

What is a Mision Statement?

A Mission Statement is something that describes the work that you actually do to move toward the articulated vision. 

It is concrete, practical and precise. 

It gives the reader a sense of what the organization or group does on a day-to-day basis to make change happen.

Slide 27:

The Reality Assessment (Your State Today)

• Requires a review/inventory of:
  • Key problems and issues in your State
  • Previous policy actions taken to address these issues
  • Current political environment
• Assesses your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats
• Helps to identify resources at your disposal
• Provides context for your efforts

Slide 28:

Team Priorities/Goals (Gaps)

• Likely to be the “gaps” between your vision and the current reality
• Areas where you will focus your energy and resources in order to influence policy
• Form the basis for planning, policy-making and setting performance standards
• May be short-term and/or long-term

Slide 29:

Strategies with Potential(Tactical Plans)

• A plan to get from here to there
• The bridge between goals and actions
• Broad range tactics to affect change
• Often require Statewide or cross-agency efforts
• Should be directly related to your priorities/goals

Slide 30:

Action Steps(Work Assignments)

• Specific activities undertaken based on your strategy(-ies)
• Require action from specific individuals or entities (differentiate between what is within your control and what is not)
• Considerations
  • Who is responsible for coordinating each action?
  • Who is responsible for completing action?
  • What resources are required?
  • What is the timeline?
  • Who will be affected?
  • How will success be measured?

Slide 31:

Sample Goal: Increase Access to Mainstream Services

Strategy 1.1: Improve processes and procedures for obtaining SSI, Medicaid, VA, TANF, Workforce Investment Act, CHP+ benefits

• Action 1.1.1: Look at targeting existing mainstream resources (set-asides) for homeless persons
• Develop Gant chart for mainstream resources identifying how homeless persons access current services – Oct. 2003
• Evaluate existing programs with opportunities identified for either targeting or maximizing access through policy/rule changes – Jan. 2004
• Present recommendation to Policy Academy Team and obtain Executive Director approval - June 2004

Slide 32:

Sample Goal: Increase Access to Mainstream Services

Action 1.1.2: Coordinate existing HMIS system with intake and assessment procedures utilized by Mainstream Resources

• Identify opportunities for coordination in the area of data collection, intake and assessment to facilitate improved communication between private non-profit providers and public agencies – Oct. 2003
• Collect intake and assessment instruments for each Mainstream Program – Nov. 2003
• Identify ways to coordinate information – Jan. 2004
• Develop agreements to coordinate processes and procedures with each mainstream program - June 2004
• Implement agreements – beginning in July 2004

Slide 33:

Sample Goal: Build State-level Commitment and Leadership

Strategy 2.1: Get/keep top leadership involved

Action 2.1.1: Take the message and seek support/direction from Legislators, Governor, Department Heads

• Seek Executive Order to support ICCHP – Oct. 2003
• Request additional staff capacity – Nov. 2003

Action 2.1.3: Frame message for different audiences

• Identify and recruit partners from Federal Partners, Hospitals, Business Leaders, Local Governments, Homeless Coalitions, Housing Providers, Universities, etc. – Oct. 2003
• Conduct joint planning meeting with Policy Academy Team and new partners – Jan. 2004

Slide 34:

This slide titled "Visualizing the Action Plan," shows a hierarchical representation of the Action Plan. The five levels shown are:

• Level One:
  • Reality Assesment (Your State Today)
• Level Two:
  • Vision (Your State Tomorrow)
• Level Three:
  • Priority/Goal # 1
  • Priority/Goal # 2
  • Priority/Goal # 3
• Level Four:
  • Strategy 2.1
  • Strategy 2.2
• Level Five:
  • Under Strategy 2.1
    • Action 2.1.1
    • Action 2.1.2
    • Action 2.1.3
    • Action 2.1.4
  • Under Strategy 2.2
    • Action 2.2.1
    • Action 2.2.2
    • Action 2.2.3

Slide 30:

This slide titled "Visualizing the Action Plan," shows a hierarchical representation of the Action Plan. The four levels shown are:

• Level One:
  • Strategy
• Level Two:
  • Action
• Level Three:
  • Manager
  • Expected Outcomes
  • Completion Date
• Level Four:
  • Implementer
  • Benchmarks

Slide 31:

Technical Assistance

• Pre-Academy
• During the Policy Academy
• Post-Academy

Slide 32:

Pre-Academy Technical Assistance

• Pre-Academy site visit
• Resources provided during site visit
• Resources you share with each other
• Resources you may request before you come to the Policy Academy

Slide 33:

During the Academy…

Topic	Resource Person
Cost savings	Dennis Culhane
Disability benefits	Yvonne Perret, Jeremy Rosen
Employment	John Rio
Financing support in housing	Ann O’Hara, Ann Denton, Carol Wilkins
HMIS & other data needs	Dennis Culhane
Housing (e.g., subsidies, trust funds, “Housing First,” financing & development, working with PHAs)	Ann O’Hara, Ann Denton, Carol Wilkins
Medicaid	Pat Post, Carol Wilkins
Prevention	Mary Ellen Hombs, Deborah Dennis
Systems integration	Carol Wilkins, David Wertheimer
Treatment & service approaches	Fred Osher, Deborah Dennis, Francine Williams

Slide 34:

Post-Academy Follow-Up & Technical Assistance

• Once Action Plan is submitted (60 days following Academy), teams may request specific technical assistance
• PRA/HSR hold conference call with team leads to clarify and prioritize TA needs
• Teams submit two 6-month progress reports
• PRA/HSR continue to track and coordinate TA

Slide 35:

Technical Assistance…

• Available anytime…
  • Written or internet-based materials
  • Telephone consultation & referrals with PRA staff
  • Policy Academy web site & bulletin board
  • Specialized literature searches
• Available after Action Plan submitted
  • Peer-based TA with other States
  • Telephone consultation with Federal representatives
  • Teleconference with content experts
  • On-site consultation or training
  • Additional on-site facilitation of State Team
• Be creative… if we can do it, we will try!