HMIS Talking Points for engaging non-participating faith ...



HMIS Talking Points for engaging non-participating faith-based providers

The Faith-Based Initiative, a sub-committee of the Southeast Region HMIS Collaborative (SERHC), proposes talking points aimed at giving HMIS implementations suggested direction and language for approaching faith-based providers with an opportunity to contribute to the HMIS implementation. These points address the benefits of joining an HMIS for data collection, community collaboration, and increased coordination among all service providers. This document provides a basic framework for discussions with faith-based providers and recognizes that each HMIS implementation will have unique situations within its community that are not addressed here.

Because this document represents the cornerstone of HMIS discussions with faith-based providers, we want to ensure we have not omitted important concepts or provided inaccurate information. Please review the points carefully as we intend for this document to serve HMIS implementations across the nation and hope that greater collaboration through HMIS participation brings attention to the efforts of the faith-based homeless service providers within their community.

The following talking points and tips are arranged in a series of topic areas that can be utilized by HMIS system administrators when engaging faith-based organizations to participate in HMIS. The topics include system modification and scalability, information/resource sharing, funding, and coordination. Each HMIS system administrator should add any detail that is pertinent to the discussions locally and modify information as needed for his or her specific HMIS software product.

Modifiable and scalable systems

o The HMIS can bring the power of technology to the day-to-day operations of faith-based programs of any size, adapting to each program’s specific needs while also collecting information for the benefit of the entire community.

o The HMIS can knit together your program with other faith-based programs into a more coordinated and effective service delivery system.

o The HMIS can help you obtain and report critical information about the characteristics and service needs of the people you are serving. Such information will help you not only to spread the word about the good work you do, but also to demonstrate your impact on the community.

o Examples of modifiable and scalable systems

▪ In addition to recording broad supportive service categories (transportation), an HMIS can allow you to specify within those categories (bus passes, van rides, gas vouchers); be prepared to cite specific agencies/programs that do this.

▪ In addition to collecting data required by your Continuum of Care, you can record unique characteristics of the people you serve such as whether or not they were ever a foster child, their marital status, the frequency with which they attend services, and other information that may be helpful in understanding the population being served. Again, be prepared to cite specific agencies/programs in your community that do this.

▪ The HMIS is scalable; it can increase capacity not only by increasing the number of people with access, but also by accepting data from other community partners who are already collecting similar client information with their own databases.

Information/resource sharing

o HMIS presents a unique opportunity to provide service information in a data collection tool that can allow its users to view services that clients have received as well as their outstanding needs.

o Knowing a client’s needs and eligibility can help to streamline service delivery, to prevent redundancy, and to increase coordination among agencies, allowing faith-based providers to be the best possible stewards of the funding they receive.

o Examples of information/resource sharing

▪ The HMIS can show such services as financial assistance (rental assistance and utility assistance) that a client has received.

▪ The HMIS can also show outstanding needs for matching funds (one church may provided assistance portion of the clients need and other churches will match the assistance) that a client may need in order to completely cover a specific cost.

Funding

o More than ever, communities are asked to provide increased services with fewer resources. Remind faith-based providers that, even though they are not state- or federally-funded, the entire Continuum of Care needs their help in data collection to be able to show the most complete picture of homelessness in the community. This will assist those agencies that are state- or federally-funded to maintain their funding, preventing the faith-based providers from having to care for the needy population alone. We all need each other to make this work.

o As faith-based groups express an interest in addressing homelessness in your community, seek ways to foster collaboration rather than competition. Too often faith-based groups and community organizations compete for the same funding resources with local government, community foundations, the United Way, and private donors. Pitting one constituency against another will destroy the potential for sustainable funding partnerships.

o Whenever possible, blend common sense funding strategies with innovative approaches:

▪ Eliminate or combine redundant information systems that consume precious resources without yielding commensurate benefit. Considering limited funding for technology, communities should plan for faith-based participation when implementing or expanding HMIS network. Likewise, faith-based groups should work with community organizations to reduce information silos.

▪ Convene a working group of service providers, faith-based groups, government agencies, and funders to develop a funding vision for HMIS and its usage in the community. Your Continuum of Care could facilitate this agreement.

▪ Use this agreement to leverage funding resources to maximize limited funds. For example, one funder may pay for technology while another will fund services. This same is true for faith-based groups and community organizations; each will have access to particular funding resources than can be leveraged to fund a project that neither group could do independently.

• Prioritize funding needs.

• Determine who has the best opportunity to secure these funds.

▪ Encourage faith-based groups to consider federal and state faith-based funding initiatives. When possible, offer to help them build strategic alliances to increase their fundability. Conversely, include them in your proposals.

▪ Jointly approach local governments and community foundations to fund unified homeless initiatives. Tailor funding proposals to meet their funding priorities, while addressing your HMIS collaborative goals.

▪ Within each constituency promote cooperative community-wide initiatives, highlighting efficient and responsible use of resources.

▪ Research best practices and analyze how other communities have funded their programs and initiatives. Don’t hesitate to contact them to ask questions. Communities will often share their story, including details on the source, amount, and purpose of funding.

▪ Hire a grant writer or assign personnel to work on writing letters, proposals, and grant applications. Implementing a joint funding strategy takes time, patience, and expertise. Faith-based groups often do not have the personnel to research and write proposals.

▪ Use fundable demonstration projects and trials to promote the capacities of the HMIS, while building long-term relationships. Often, funders solicit new projects rather than supporting on-going programs. Use the HMIS as the foundation for faith-based programming, service projects, and research initiatives.

o Recognizing organizational differences is crucial. The faith-based community has its own culture, community viewpoint, and specific avenues for addressing social issues. These differences may vary greatly between religions, denominations, and churches. Educate yourself on the how decisions are made, projects are funded, and who determines funding priorities. Understanding cultural differences can yield successful and sustainable partnerships.

Collaboration between Faith-Based providers

o Increased networking works to the benefit of faith-based providers. They will be able to share client needs and services and help to prevent duplication of services and other abuses.

o Faith-based providers will be better stewards of their money and will be able to serve the needy effectively and efficiently.

o Work with faith-based providers to develop reports that satisfy the need of funders and agency administrators. Show them how simple it is to retrieve those reports from HMIS. This will make reporting so much easier and efficient.

o Examples of reporting

▪ Faith-based agencies will be able to look at numbers and demographics of clients served, types, numbers, and cost of services, and recidivism rates.

▪ Any information that is entered into the HMIS can be extracted for reporting purposes. An agency has to power to determine any additional pieces of information that it wants to collect on clients being served so that it can use that for data analysis and program management/improvement.

o Show the faith-based community how much of the big picture of homeless prevention they are. For many communities, if it were not for the financial assistance of faith-based providers, many more people would become homeless in their community.

Additional tips to consider:

o Work with a member of the faith-based community that is computer savvy or enthusiastic about HMIS. If that person takes the lead, it will help to build the credibility of HMIS with other faith-based providers.

o Strategically create a consortium or managed organization of the faith-based providers interested in utilizing an information system for collaboration to assist in your HMIS implementation efforts. Many already know each other within the faith-based community and may already be sharing clients. This group can be used to help draw non-participating organizations that may not have seen the benefit or may not have understood the use of HMIS.

o Consider providing financial incentives if possible, such as free access to HMIS.

o Trim down the process of entering services as much as possible for faith-based organizations. They may have volunteers and may serve many clients in one day. Make the HMIS as easy as possible, and assist them as much as needed until they become comfortable with the system.

o Work closely with community partners who have their own client databases and encourage collaboration on data collection standards for the community.

o Talk to other HMIS system administrators in neighboring Continuums of Care to learn how they might be successfully engaging the participation of their faith-based organizations.

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