CASE STUDY: Population-Based Statuses Northern Colorado

Spotlight on tracking veteran status

Background

The Northern Colorado Continuum of Care (CoC) became a part of Built for Zero (BFZ) in the fall of 2019 and achieved veteran quality data in the summer of 2021. Home to a population of over 730,000 residents, including 38,000 veterans, Northern Colorado encompasses Larimer and Weld Counties. This CoC is comprised of a diverse topography that includes midsize cities, college towns, expansive grasslands, and mountain ranges, spanning more than 6,500 square miles.

The CoC is part of Colorado’s state wide initiative to track and end veteran homelessness. As such, the state has a shared instance of Clarity Bitfocus HMIS which allows for robust tracking of veterans as they move throughout the state. 

Developing Processes

Northern Colorado’s journey to accurately tracking veteran status was a result of dedicated collaboration and effort across all partners in the system. The community held bi-weekly meetings to discuss progress, identify areas for improvement, and refine data management practices. These collaborations were essential in shaping a process that could better track how veterans move through the homeless response system.

Through this continuous collaboration, the community was able to build trust, increase provider buy-in, and establish open lines of communication, fostering an environment for honest feedback and support. The CoC’s VA representative, Hunter Allen, noted that “system improvement has been continuous. We don’t have a planning session every year or every quarter. Instead, we’re in constant communication, fine tuning bits and pieces. Communication happens in real time.” Community improvement lead Christine Kopenick added that open lines of communication have “made it much easier to feel like I can go to colleagues and ask questions, not feel like I’m stuck, and know the work isn’t all on my shoulders.” 

Recognizing that workflows are only effective if they’re understood and agreed upon by frontline staff and those directly interacting with veterans experiencing homelessness, the community puts people over processes. According to Hunter Allen, a representative from the VA, they prioritized “breaking down some of the perceived power dynamics and ownership over the data.” They focused on making sure all providers shared in the development of processes and had a clear understanding of how accurately tracking veteran status directly impacts the outcomes for those served. 

Expanding the Reporting Group

Through BFZ coaching, the community had key “aha moments” that revealed a critical gap in only tracking veterans who were eligible for VA services and enrolled in coordinated entry (CE). This realization led to system improvements that ensured all veterans — regardless of their eligibility or program participation — were included in the dataset.

Expanding the reporting process involved considerable trial and error. Community partners came together to develop workflows that tracked veterans who were experiencing homelessness but ineligible for VA services or not yet assessed and enrolled in CE. Close relationships with the CoC’s HMIS administrator allowed for ongoing updates to the reports developed to track veterans. This effort not only improved data tracking but also helped identify additional areas where veterans were falling through the cracks.

Sophie Jednorowicz, the CoC’s dataset manager, reflected on the transition, noting, “We went from just reporting CE veterans to reporting veterans across the entire system. We relied on the data corrections spreadsheet from BFZ to pinpoint data reliability issues and discovered that a number of veterans were getting missed due to auto exits, so we had to go back and address that. The team quickly identified the errors, fixed them, and established a more efficient process for the future.”

This collaborative and iterative process ultimately led to a more comprehensive and reliable method of tracking veterans, improving the system for everyone involved.

Veteran Verification Policy  

Northern Colorado has formalized their [TEXT: Verifying Veteran Status for HMIS and Built for Zero Policy and Procedure, LINK: 8.3 Verifying Veteran Status for HMIS and Built for Zero Policy and Procedure], which outlines the specific steps taken in determining an individual’s veteran status and subsequent inclusion for BFZ reporting.

Each week, the data lead and VA representative review a report of all self-identified veterans enrolled in literal homeless projects within the CoC. The VA representative utilizes various databases, including SQUARES, Homeless Operations, Management & Evaluation Systems (HOMES), and VA Enrollment, to gather the necessary information to verify veteran status.

The CoC’s prioritization assessment features a custom field designed to capture key verification information, including whether an individual’s veteran status is VA-service-eligible, VA-service-ineligible, or if the status could not be verified. This information helps guide case conferencing conversations and determine which resources would best fit each veteran’s needs.

The veteran status data field on each client’s profile is used to determine whether someone is included in BFZ reporting. Veterans whose status has been verified are included in BFZ reporting, regardless of service eligibility or discharge status. This process ensures that the community can confidently track all veterans, not just those eligible for VA services. In cases where a veteran’s status cannot be verified, a public alert is added to their HMIS profile. This alert notifies service providers that the status remains unverified and includes information for contacting the local veteran service provider to assist in verification. Additionally, the Colorado Statewide Collaborative is in conversations to consider a custom field within each client’s profile to indicate if a veteran’s status has been verified. This additional field as part of the client profile, rather than the assessment, may support the entire state’s ability to more accurately identify and track veterans as they move between CoCs. 

Process Impact

The community’s focus on collaboration and data integrity has led to a more accurate representation of veterans experiencing homelessness in the CoC. As Jednorowicz noted, “open lines of communication and clear guidelines for data entry practices remind the community that they can contribute to the greater goal of addressing veteran homelessness by simply making sure their data is up to date.”

Allen echoed this sentiment, highlighting the cooperative nature of the effort: “The collaboration and shared responsibility has been really profound. Everyone in this work is invested because they want to make a difference.”

The close relationships formed between service providers at every level — shelters, street outreach, and veteran and non-veteran providers alike — have contributed to quicker decision-making and a more agile system. Kopenick shared, “We have the buy-in with all providers and teams working at every level. Each week, we have the same people consistently showing up to case conferencing, which allows us to make decisions quickly and share information in real time.” They also emphasized that sharing data and using these meetings to celebrate successes and address challenges has been pivotal.

At the same time, the community recognizes that their work is never finished. Allen noted, “We made these policies, and we can shift them when necessary,” underscoring the community’s commitment to continuous improvement. 

Northern Colorado’s experience shows that tracking veteran status in a homeless response system requires more than just data entry. It takes a collective effort among community partners, a commitment to improving workflows, and the flexibility to adapt processes as new needs emerge. By expanding their reporting, fostering trust and communication, and implementing clear policies, the community has created a more inclusive and effective system that ultimately improves outcomes for veterans experiencing homelessness.