Steering Committee Meeting – October 7, 2010
In attendance: Father Stan Aksamit, Co-chair, Dave Christopolis, BCAC, Joanne Glier, Franklin County Regional and Redevelopment Housing Authority, Erica Johnson, PVPC, Peg Keller, Tri-County CoC, Jay Levy, Elliot CHS Homeless Services, Mike Longley, DTA, Jim Mazik, PVPC, Gerry McCafferty, City of Springfield, Andrea Miller, Center for Human Development, Pamela Schwartz, coordinator, Suzanne Smith, data analyst, Lynne Wallace, Co-chair
End of pilot project event: Pamela shared the Network hand-out provided at the event summarizing our Network’s accomplishments over the 18 month period. A very successful day celebrating our work and that of the entire effort statewide.
Family homelessness update: Number of families entering motels had been rising at unprecedented rate between July and September. DHCD just announced the allocation of an additional $5 million for EA shelter providers to access to assist in rehousing and diversion.
Data review: Suzanne and Andrea shared the new tool of “Tableau” which is online and allows for interactive data that captures our impact. A very exciting innovation that will be released on our blog shortly.
Continuums of Care and Data Developments:
Dave reported for the Berkshire County CoC is applying for HUD funds for a new HMIS position. Probably will take the year until position is created. Looking to have this position serve as a liaison with network data analyst
Peg reported for the Tri-County CoC that it has $80,000 to spend on HMIS-related positions. She will be posting an RFP for 2 positions to construct a system for their CoC and to get all providers to participate.
Network data analyst position:
Suzanne’s hours are currently at 7.5 hours/week due to limited funds (and requirement to have sufficient funds to cover basic reporting requirements over 6 month extension). All agreed that this is not sustainable for more than a few weeks (and in fact these few weeks, due to quarterly reporting requirements and housing court meetings, already require her to work way over her allotted hours). One the Tri-County RFP is posted, there will be further exploration about if/how the needs of the positions intersect with the needs of the network and whether Suzanne is interested in applying for one of them. After that becomes clear, we will assess funding needs for the data analyst position. There is also the new ICHH RFR, soon to be released, which could offer another resource for sustaining this position. Suzanne provided an excellent summary of her workload, the ongoing projects and the projected number of hours needed to continue them. Click here to view. A big thanks to Suzanne for this extremely useful tool for understanding the scope and potential outcomes of the Network’s data pursuits.
PVPC Fiscal Update:
The remainder of the meeting was devoted to PVPC’s presentation and accounting of the Network’s budget, both past and future. There was a good opportunity for questions and discussion, which will continue in upcoming meetings.
Leadership Council Meeting: 10/27/10 at 1 Fenn Street, Pittsfield. Agenda to be developed and circulated via email.
Next meeting: Thursday, November 4, 2010, 3-5 pm, DMH Haskell Building
