The City and County of Denver is in the process of developing new standards that homeless services providers will have to track and meet.
Midori Higa of the city’s Department of Housing Stability briefed the Safety, Housing, Education and Homelessness Committee Wednesday on the policies.
Higa said one change will be to require non-profits to get feedback from their clients on the quality of services provided. The city is even considering funding methods for that data collection such as surveys pending budget approval.
HOST will develop program standards for different interventions. National best practices will be implemented in training requirements, grievances, and fiscal management, she said.
HOST also will provide logic models for each contract to show inputs, processes, outputs, and outcomes. For example, a homeless shelter contract may list the required activities such as providing showers, hygiene supplies and meals. Measurable standards of success would revolve around long-term housing outcomes and how quickly people exit the shelter.