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Tools

Focus Strategies has several tools to help communities use their local data to understand how well the homeless system is performing and model what happens when system and program changes are made. The tools produce a variety of different analyses that are used to inform system planning and system change efforts to reduce homelessness.

System Planning and Optimization Concepts (SPOC)

This tool helps communities understand their current homelessness response system and illustrates the potential impact of commonly implemented system changes including:

  • adding or expanding diversion or housing-problem solving;
  • improving project performance; and
  • adding system inventory in the form of Emergency Shelter, Permanent Supportive Housing, and Rapid Rehousing.

SPOC is intended to be a thought-provoking way to consider the impact of possible system changes and improvements, as measured by whether they will create increases or decreases in the number of people experiencing homelessness. SPOC should not be used as a comprehensive system planning and analytics tool. For comprehensive analysis and system planning, we offer our System-Wide Analytics and Projection (SWAP).

SPOC is available for any community to use. Please contact us, we will provide you with the tool and associated materials.

System-Wide Analytics and Projection (SWAP)

SWAP includes two primary tools: the Base Year Calculator (BYC) and the System Performance Predictor (SPP). Together, they analyze system performance at a project level and allow communities to model the results of changes to individual projects or groups of projects. System changes that can be modelled include strategies like:

  • re-allocation of funding from one program type to another,
  • serving more literally homeless people in existing programs, or
  • increasing the rate of exit to permanent housing.

SWAP also models the impact of creating new projects and programs through new investments. SWAP accounts for people becoming newly homeless over time.

Testing Impact
Communities can generate and test specific and targeted strategies to maximize reductions in homelessness with the resources they have. Contact us to learn more about the tools and how to get started.

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