Rubric
Single Adults Scorecard Rubric
The Single Adults Quality Data Scorecard Rubric is crafted to provide the clarity and direction needed to achieve a “yes” across all questions of the scorecard, ultimately steering towards the foundational goal of achieving Quality Data for this population of individuals experiencing homelessness. Quality Data standards are at the heart of efforts for communities aiming to achieve functional zero, serving as the critical linchpin in accurately understanding and effectively addressing homelessness in communities.
Quality Data transcends mere numbers; it encapsulates a holistic view of the individuals and circumstances within the homeless response system, offering insights and guiding strategic decisions towards ending homelessness. This rubric aims not only to illuminate the path to achieving Quality Data but also to foster a shared commitment to the precision, reliability, and integrity of our data practices.
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How to use the rubric
This rubric serves as a resource to identify the thresholds of a Quality Data system and lays down a roadmap of indicators for each scorecard question to help communities transition from their starting point to maintaining excellence in data quality. Quality Data indicators (the initial and advanced thresholds) have been developed for each scorecard question to help define what it means to get to “Yes.” This rubric will be updated periodically as we continue to refine our understanding of population by-name data.
The scorecard rubric can be reviewed in conjunction with the corresponding toolkit section to help determine if your community meets the Quality Data threshold, and if not, how to make progress in that area. A PDF of the rubric can be found here.
1A – Outreach Coverage
Is the geographic coverage of your outreach clearly mapped out, informed by your data and regularly assessed, to ensure you are able to reach all unsheltered individuals within your community?
Not Currently at Threshold
- The geographic area of outreach coverage is not mapped or otherwise documented.
Initial Quality Data Threshold
- There is a documented map and/or process which describes where and how outreach teams are deployed throughout the geographic coverage area.
- The documented map/process is regularly assessed by the community’s outreach teams for gaps in geographic coverage.
Advanced Quality Data Threshold
- There are community-wide documented policies and procedures in place, including an outreach map, to regularly evaluate and assess the geographic coverage of the community’s outreach teams.
- The documented policies, maps, and evaluation processes have been approved by the community’s outreach teams and are easily accessible to the broader homeless service system.
1B – Outreach Coverage
Have you coordinated your outreach, ensuring that your outreach teams are deployed at the locations and the times that they are most likely to effectively engage with unsheltered homeless individuals, while minimizing duplication between providers?
Not Currently at Threshold
- There is not a coordinated outreach process within the community.
Initial Quality Data Threshold
- The community is able to clearly articulate when and how outreach teams coordinate their efforts to maximize geographic coverage, reduce service duplication, and foster cross-team collaboration.
- Teams are strategically deployed during times when they are most likely to connect with single adults experiencing unsheltered homelessness.
Advanced Quality Data Threshold
- There are community-wide documented policies and procedures in place that demonstrate a coordinated approach to their outreach efforts by highlighting when and how outreach teams collaborate both formally and informally.
1C – Outreach Coverage
Do you have a documented outreach policy that clearly states how your outreach teams will be deployed and how they work with each other to swiftly connect individuals to their self-determined needs?
Not Currently at Threshold
- There is no written outreach policy.
Initial Quality Data Threshold
- There is a written policy that defines and describes how the community continually reassesses outreach strategy with evidence of an ability to pivot when needed.
Advanced Quality Data Threshold
- There are community-wide documented policies and procedures in place that have been co-developed with outreach teams to define how outreach teams operate and collaborate within the homeless response system.
1D – Outreach Coverage
Do you have consistent, coordinated and reliable outreach and in-reach efforts across your geographic coverage area that gives you confidence that at least 90% of the unsheltered population is captured in your by-name dataset?
Not Currently at Threshold
- Less than 90% of the unsheltered population is included on the by-name dataset.
Initial Quality Data Threshold
- The community’s outreach system and teams have demonstrated their ability to meet criteria for questions 1a, 1b, and 1c (i.e., they are able to respond “Yes”) and can connect at least 90% of the unsheltered population to the by-name dataset.
Advanced Quality Data Threshold
- The community is able to demonstrate that 90% of the unsheltered population is accounted for in their by-name dataset.
2A – Provider Participation
Are 90% of CoC-funded and non-CoC-funded providers reporting data into your by-name dataset?
Not Currently at Threshold
- Less than 90% of providers are reporting data into the by-name dataset.
Initial Quality Data Threshold
- The community is able to document all providers that are primarily serving homeless populations within the community and demonstrate who is and is not contributing data. The community is able to ensure that at least 90% of all homeless service providers are entering data or referring individuals to the by-name dataset.
Advanced Quality Data Threshold
- The community has a documented process to verify provider participation and can demonstrate with confidence (based on the HIC and/or supplement documentation) that they are accounting for 90% or more of CoC/non-CoC providers.
2B – Provider Participation
Are approximately 90-100% of single adults experiencing homelessness served by the providers reporting into your by-name dataset?
Not Currently at Threshold
- Less than 90% of single adults experiencing homelessness are being reported into the by-name dataset.
Initial Quality Data Threshold
- The providers identified in 2A as contributing to the by-name dataset serve 90-100% of single adults experiencing homelessness.
Advanced Quality Data Threshold
- The community has a documented process in place to continually evaluate provider participation to verify that 90-100% of any single adult identified as experiencing literal homelessness is included in the by-name dataset.
3A – Provider Participation
Is your by-name dataset able to collect data on all single adults experiencing homelessness in your community, including unsheltered individuals living in a place not meant for human habitation (e.g., street, cars, campsites, beaches, deserts, or riverbeds)?
Not Currently at Threshold
- The community is not able to collect data on single adults experiencing unsheltered homelessness.
Initial Quality Data Threshold
- The community is able to clearly articulate that they are able to collect data on all unsheltered single adults living in a place not meant for human habitation.
Advanced Quality Data Threshold
- The community has documented and demonstrated their ability to collect data on all unsheltered single adults living in a place not meant for human habitation.
3B – Provider Participation
Is your by-name dataset able to collect data on all single adults experiencing homelessness in your community, including individuals in shelters, safe havens, seasonal overflow beds, hotels paid for by homeless providers, or Health Care for Homeless Veterans (HCHV) beds?
Not Currently at Threshold
- The community is not able to collect data on single adults in emergency shelters and safe haven.
Initial Quality Data Threshold
- The community has identified all providers within the system that are providing emergency shelter services to single adults experiencing homelessness.
Advanced Quality Data Threshold
- The community has documented and demonstrated their ability to collect all emergency shelter program information as denoted on their most recent HIC and/or supplement documentation.
3C – Provider Participation
Is your by-name dataset able to collect data on all single adults experiencing homelessness in your community, including individuals in transitional housing, including VA-funded Transitional Housing?
Not Currently at Threshold
- The community is not able to collect data on single adults in transitional housing.
Initial Quality Data Threshold
- The community has identified all providers within the system that are providing transitional housing services to single adults experiencing homelessness.
Advanced Quality Data Threshold
- The community has documented and demonstrated their ability to collect all transitional housing program information as denoted on their most recent HIC and/or supplement documentation.
3D – Provider Participation
Is your by-name dataset able to collect data on all single adults experiencing homelessness in your community, including individuals fleeing domestic violence?
Not Currently at Threshold
- Single adults fleeing domestic violence are not included in the by-name dataset.
Initial Quality Data Threshold
- The community is able to articulate how they coordinate with VSP providers within the homeless response system to ensure that those fleeing domestic violence are included on the by-name dataset.
Advanced Quality Data Threshold
- The community has a documented agreement and understanding that they have a process for safely including single adults fleeing from domestic violence on the by-name dataset.
4A – Inactivity
Has your community established a written policy that specifies the number of days of inactivity (i.e., the person cannot be located) after which a person’s status will be changed to “inactive,” and which includes protocols to attempt to locate an individual before they are moved to inactive status?
Not Currently at Threshold
- There is no inactive policy, or the policy does not specify an inactivity duration and processes for attempting to contact single adults experiencing homelessness before changing their status from active to inactive.
Initial Quality Data Threshold
- The community has a written policy in place that specifies the number of days needed to reach the inactive threshold; indicates the provider responsible and the number, method, and frequency for attempting to contact, locate, and update the status of an individual; and applies to single adults identified as experiencing literal homelessness.
Advanced Quality Data Threshold
- There are community-wide documented policies and procedures in place for specifying inactivity duration and processes for attempting to contact single adults before changing their status from active to inactive that are applied to single adults regardless of program enrollment.
4B – Inactivity
Does that written policy account for changing an individual’s status to “‘inactive’” based on a client’s verified absence from the community before the specified number of days has elapsed? (e.g., reunited with family in a different community, death, etc.)
Not Currently at Threshold
- There is no inactive policy, or the policy does not describe the process to move a single adult to inactive prior to reaching the number of days in the inactive threshold.
Initial Quality Data Threshold
- The written policy includes protocols that allow for changing a single adult’s status to inactive prior to reaching the number of days in the inactive threshold if there is evidence that they are no longer experiencing literal homelessness in the community (e.g., moved out of the area, reunited with family or friends on a temporary basis, etc.), or the individual is deceased.
Advanced Quality Data Threshold
- There are community-wide documented policies and procedures in place that describe the process for moving a single adult to inactive prior to reaching the number of days in the inactive threshold.
4C – Inactivity
Does that written policy account for individuals in your by-name dataset who are entering an institution (e.g. jail or hospital) where they are expected to remain for 90 days or fewer?
Not Currently at Threshold
- There is no inactive policy, or it does not account for single adults who are entering an institution.
Initial Quality Data Threshold
- The community’s written policy includes protocols to ensure that an individual who enters an institution from active homelessness remains active if they are expected to remain in the institution for 90 days or fewer (i.e., an individual remains active if stay is 90 days or shorter, and moves to inactive if stay is over 90 days).
Advanced Quality Data Threshold
- There are community-wide documented policies and procedures in place that state how communities track single adults who enter an institution (e.g., jail, hospital, recovery center. etc.).
5 – Tracking Unassessed
Does your community have a way to track actively homeless individuals (i.e., single adults experiencing homelessness) who have not consented to services and/or assessment at this time?
Not Currently at Threshold
- There is not a method to track single adults who have not been assessed or consented to services.
Initial Quality Data Threshold
- The community has an established method to include single adults in the by-name dataset if they have not consented to services, have not completed the local assessment, or have not signed a release of information.
Advanced Quality Data Threshold
- There are community-wide documented policies and procedures in place that describe the process of how the system is tracking and minimizing duplication of single adults who are experiencing literal homelessness but do not consent to services or an assessment in the by-name dataset.
6 – By-Name Data Management
Does your community have policies and protocols in place for keeping your by-name dataset up to date and accurate, including timelines for provider data submission and ongoing quality assurance protocol?
Not Currently at Threshold
- There is not a written policy for keeping the by-name dataset updated and accurate.
Initial Quality Data Threshold
- The community has a written policy (or policies) that includes documentation of clear roles and responsibilities for data entry and monitoring; clear expectations for timeliness and frequency of data updates; and demonstrates that they are continuously monitoring data quality to ensure the accuracy of the by-name dataset.
Advanced Quality Data Threshold
- There are community-wide documented policies and procedures in place that describe how the by-name dataset is generated and used, including what data sources are utilized, what data is pulled, how often, and why, and how the quality of the by-name dataset is continuously monitored to ensure accuracy and timeliness.
7 – Tracking List Statuses
Does your community’s by-name dataset track the “homeless/housed status” of all individuals, including the date each status was last changed and the previous status? Homeless status fields should include at minimum: homeless, inactive, and permanently housed.
Not Currently at Threshold
- The by-name dataset does not track active, inactive, and housed statuses as of the last day of the reporting month.
Initial Quality Data Threshold
- The community has an established method to track and report on a person’s status as of the last day of the reporting month including who is actively experiencing homelessness (i.e., single adults experiencing homelessness), inactive, or housed.
Advanced Quality Data Threshold
- There are community-wide documented policies and procedures in place that define the method of tracking statuses. These practices are consistent; avoid overwriting data fields; capture a date each time a single adult’s status changes (i.e., the data someone moves from active to inactive, active to housed, housed to active, inactive to active); and indicate current status.
8 – By-Name Data Management
Does your community’s by-name dataset include a unique identifier (e.g., an HMIS ID) for each individual to prevent duplication of client records and facilitate coordination between providers?
Not Currently at Threshold
- The by-name dataset does not include a unique identifier, or the unique identifier is not unique to one person.
Initial Quality Data Threshold
- The community has an established method to assign unique identifiers (names alone are insufficient) to single adults in the by-name dataset and ensure that each unique identifier in the by-name dataset corresponds to one unique person.
Advanced Quality Data Threshold
- There are community-wide documented policies and procedures in place that define how unique identifiers are generated and utilized for the by-name dataset.
- If a community combines data from multiple lists and/or databases, the community has a process in place for automating or streamlining the duplicate cleaning process to minimize duplication across datasets.
9 – Tracking List Statuses
Does your by-name dataset track the total number of newly identified (not necessarily assessed) individuals experiencing homelessness every month? This figure represents a portion of your monthly inflow.
Not Currently at Threshold
- The by-name dataset does not track newly identified single adults on a monthly basis.
Initial Quality Data Threshold
- The community has an established method to track single adults who are newly identified as experiencing homelessness each month, including those who newly meet the population criteria of single adults.
- The by-name dataset includes the date a single adult was first identified as experiencing homelessness for the current episode of homelessness.
Advanced Quality Data Threshold
- There is a community-wide documented process and methodology to track single adults newly identified as experiencing homelessness that includes: 1) a community agreed upon look-back period to define who is considered new vs. a return, and 2) determines who is newly identified for each population (i.e., has no episodes of homelessness recorded within the look-back period under a specific population).
10 – Tracking List Statuses
Does your community’s by-name dataset track individuals returning to active homeless status within the past month?
Not Currently at Threshold
- The by-name dataset does not track single adults returning to active status.
Initial Quality Data Threshold
- The community has an established method to track returns to active status during the month in the by-name dataset and is able to identify and determine what exit type each person is returning from (i.e., retains the most recent exit type).
- The community can identify each person returning to active status each month and report the aggregate number returning in the month for any single adult identified as experiencing literal homelessness.
Advanced Quality Data Threshold
- There is a community-wide documented process and methodology to track single adults returning to active status that includes: 1) a community agreed upon look-back period to define who is considered new vs. a return, 2) determines who is returning to active status for each population (i.e., has an episode of homelessness recorded within the look-back period under a specific population, and 3) defines the type of return (from housed or from inactive) for each returning single adult.
11A – Tracking List Statuses
Does your community’s by-name dataset track individuals as they move out of active homeless status, including those who move into permanent housing?
Not Currently at Threshold
- The by-name dataset does not track single adults who move into permanent housing.
Initial Quality Data Threshold
- The community has an established method to track when a single adult exits the system to permanent housing and can report who exited to permanent housing each month.
Advanced Quality Data Threshold
- There are community-wide documented policies and procedures in place that includes methods of tracking exits to permanent housing to ensure consistency within the community (i.e., if using exit destinations, there is a crosswalk for which exits are considered permanent housing); consistency with federal consensus of what is considered “permanent housing”; and reflects when a single adult is actually housed (i.e., move-in, not date lease signed or entry into a housing program).
11B – Tracking List Statuses
Does your community’s by-name dataset track individuals as they move out of active homeless status, including those who become inactive, per your inactive policy?
Not Currently at Threshold
- The by-name dataset does not track single adults who become inactive.
Initial Quality Data Threshold
- The community has an established method that is consistent with their inactive policy to track when a single adult exits the system to inactive and can report who moved to inactive each month.
Advanced Quality Data Threshold
- There are community-wide documented policies and procedures in place that includes methods of tracking exits to inactive to ensure there is consistency within the community (i.e., if using exit destinations, there is a crosswalk for which exits are considered moved to inactive); inclusion of the date moved to inactive; and accessibility to staff responsible for data entry.
11C – Tracking Population-Based Statuses
Does your community’s by-name dataset track individuals as they move out of active homeless status, including those who no longer meet the population criteria of single adult?
Not Currently at Threshold
- The by-name dataset does not track single adults who no longer meet the population criteria of single adult.
Initial Quality Data Threshold
- The community has an established method to track changes in the household type of single adults within the by-name dataset.
Advanced Quality Data Threshold
- There are community-wide documented policies and procedures in place that include the process for identifying individuals who are removed from the single adult by-name dataset due to changes in household type.
12A – Tracking Population-Based Statuses
Does your community’s by-name dataset track population-based statuses, including: veteran, chronic, youth, and family with minor children?
Not Currently at Threshold
- The by-name dataset does not track the following statuses: veteran, chronic, youth, family with minor children.
Initial Quality Data Threshold
- The community has an established method to track population and subpopulation status, has a shared definition of each population and subpopulation, and uses consistent data field(s) to identify single adults counted in each category.
Advanced Quality Data Threshold
- There are community-wide documented policies and procedures in place that describe how each population and subpopulation are defined and what data field or combination of data fields are used to identify persons counted in each category.
12B – Tracking Population-Based Statuses
Can your by-name dataset track people with multiple population-based statuses (e.g., chronic homeless status AND veteran status)?
Not Currently at Threshold
- The by-name dataset does not track multiple subpopulation statuses.
Initial Quality Data Threshold
- The community has an established method to track multiple subpopulation statuses.
Advanced Quality Data Threshold
- There are community-wide documented policies and procedures in place that define each population and subpopulation, specifying the data fields or combinations of fields used to identify individuals in each category. Additionally, the community has an established method to track multiple subpopulation statuses.
12C – Tracking List Statuses
Can your by-name dataset track historical changes in activity status (e.g., active to inactive, active to housed, etc.)?
Not Currently at Threshold
- The by-name dataset does not track historical changes in activity status.
Initial Quality Data Threshold
- The community has an established method to track single adults’ status of active, inactive, and housed historically and over time that: assigns a distinct date of ID for each episode of homelessness/return back to active on the list (i.e., if an individual returns to the active list after being previously housed and/or moved to inactive or housed, they have a new date of identification indicating when they returned to active); retains the most recent list status.
Advanced Quality Data Threshold
- There are community-wide documented policies and procedures in place that allow the community to track a single adult’s history in the by-name dataset through tracking historical list status changes (i.e., when they previously became inactive, first time active on the list, previous housing move-ins).
12D – Tracking Population-Based Statuses
Can your by-name dataset track individuals who become chronically homeless after they are added to your single adults list?
Not Currently at Threshold
- The by-name dataset does not track single adults who become chronically homeless after they have been added to the by-name data set (i.e., after their date of identification).
Initial Quality Data Threshold
- The community has an established method to track single adults who become chronically homeless within the reporting month (i.e., count as newly identified in the chronic subpopulation after their date of identification).
Advanced Quality Data Threshold
- There are community-wide documented policies and procedures in place that describe how data is used to track when any single adult already identified as experiencing homelessness becomes chronically homeless within the reporting month.
12E – Tracking Population-Based Statuses
Can your by-name dataset track individuals who are initially assigned chronic or veteran status when they enter your system but later do not meet the criteria for these population statuses?
Not Currently at Threshold
- The by-name dataset does not track whether a single adult no longer meets the criteria for subpopulation statuses.
Initial Quality Data Threshold
- The community has an established method to track persons previously identified as veterans who no longer fit that criteria and/or persons previously identified as chronically homeless who no longer fit that criteria.
Advanced Quality Data Threshold
- There are community-wide documented policies and procedures in place that describe how those previously identified as veterans no longer meet that criteria and/or single adults previously identified as chronically homeless no longer meet that criteria.
13A – Equity
Does your community have a way to report data on key demographic characteristics in the by-name dataset for the purpose of understanding and analyzing disproportionality in system outcomes?
Not Currently at Threshold
- The by-name dataset does not have a way to report demographic characteristics of single adults. The community has not identified key demographic characteristics impacting disproportionality in system outcomes.
Initial Quality Data Threshold
- The community has identified key demographic characteristics to collect data on. The community has data fields in their by-name dataset that collect these key demographic characteristics on all single adults identified as experiencing literal homelessness.
- The community demonstrates that they have the ability to extract these demographic data points from their dataset to use for analysis purposes.
Advanced Quality Data Threshold
- The community is disaggregating system outcome data using key demographic characteristics and employing this information to evaluate disparities within system outcomes across different demographic groups.
13B – Equity
Does your data collection policy and process ensure the accuracy and self-identification of clients’ demographic data?
Not Currently at Threshold
- The community does not have a policy and process that ensures demographic data is collected in a way that respects the self-identification of single adults.
Initial Quality Data Threshold
- The community’s data collection policy includes language to ensure that data collection processes respect the self-identification of clients.
- The policy aligns with relevant data standards (e.g., HMIS data standards) and includes end-user training resources that reinforce the practice of client self-identification during data collection.
- The community provides clear guidance for clients to self-select demographic fields during data collection.
Advanced Quality Data Threshold
- There are community-wide documented policies and procedures in place to ensure that data collection processes support accurate and culturally responsive self-identification of demographic data.
- The community periodically reviews data collection practices to improve accuracy and responsiveness to the identities and experiences of people accessing services.
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We want to hear from you! Let us know if you have specific feedback, comments, or questions about the material on this page.
Submit Questions or Feedback
We want to hear from you! Let us know if you have specific feedback, comments, or questions about the material on this page.
