What does it measure?

 In Alameda County we seek to prioritize the highest need individuals for housing and support resources. Knowing the proportion of the individuals served in rapid re-housing programs who meet the criteria of chronic homelessness helps us know whether we are effectively prioritizing the highest need individuals for housing and support services. In the coming years, we anticipate seeing an increase in the proportion of individuals served who meet the criteria of chronic homelessness as a sign that we are in fact prioritizing the highest need individuals for housing and support resources.

How does it measure?

Question 5a, “Report Validations Table,” on the Annual Performance Review provides information about the number of chronically homeless persons and the total number of persons served in rapid re-housing programs. The numerator of this measure is the number of chronically homeless persons served during the reporting period. The denominator of this measure is the total number of persons served during the reporting period.

In general, to meet the criteria for chronic homeless an individual must have a disability and have been homeless for 12 months or more. For more information about chronic homelessness please see the flowchart of HUD’s definition of chronic homelessness. Chronic homelessness is calculated and reported through the HMIS. Many programs that provide housing and support resources dedicated to serving homeless people in Alameda County also use HMIS. However, this number does not include people served by organizations that do not participate in HMIS.

This performance measure is reported in cumulative, quarterly reporting periods that begin October 1st and end September 30th.