Analytics and Collaboration in the Social Sector
The approach to ending homelessness in Edmonton, of actually moving people into appropriate forms of housing, has been as successful as it has been because of cross-sector collaboration in creating data-informed strategies. Working together with frontline agencies and all levels of government has been the key to housing over 17,000 people here since 2009, and has been a key factor in the effectiveness of Edmonton’s response to protect people experiencing homelessness during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Duncan Scott, Research and Evaluation Analyst at Homeward Trust, recently presented on this topic – Analytics in the Social Sector – during a Lunchalytics webinar. Lunchalytics is a monthly speaker series showcasing interesting and innovative work in the field of analytics (also presenting were Maria Savidov, Business Analyst, and Jakob Koziel, Research Analyst, both from Bissell Centre). Duncan is part of a hard-working and talented team of data analysts at Homeward Trust.
“The spirit of collaboration has been there for some time and is one of the reasons we have been able to house as many people as we have. COVID-19 has added extra layers of urgency, a need for more refined information and data that could be shared as efficiently as possible,” reflects Duncan.
The prospect of effectively eliminating homelessness in the very near future might seem a bit daunting, but the incorporation of real-time data into the plan to end homelessness in Edmonton has helped shine a more discerning light on the problem and has also actively informed a more strategic path towards solving it for good.
Duncan, who has been with Homeward Trust for two and a half years now, has seen a significant evolution in the way data is collected and utilized in the local homeless-serving sector: increased access to up-to-date information for Housing Outreach Workers; interactive, public-facing online dashboards; and data being made available to interact with frontline operations in a more consistent way. The proof of the effectiveness of this approach is in the results–between March 1st and July 12th, even in the midst of a pandemic, 573 formerly homeless individuals have been successfully housed in Edmonton.
“We are able to use data to improve housing programs, to better identify individuals who may require a higher level of support to stay safely housed, and to minimize the cracks that people may have been slipping through before. We still have some work to do, and we also see more potential if we can continue to increase the sophistication of our data systems and improve efficiency in data collection, but the overall approach has been successful and there is more and more collaboration in the sector.”
Data System
COVID-19 has shown that housing really is the best front-line of defense against a major public health crisis, but individuals experiencing homelessness simply don’t have the ability to shelter in place. The emergency supports and services that had been offered at the Edmonton Expo Centre were a crucial part of the response effort.
“We have noticed that a proportion of individuals who have met with housing workers at the EXPO Centre are new to Edmonton’s list of people requiring housing assistance,” Duncan mused, “The exact reasons for this inflow into homelessness are unclear at this time, and right now, we do have some slack in the system. But if spacing requirements [for physical distancing] are increased, the data shows the possibility that occupancy could outstrip existing emergency shelter capacity.”
Having the use of a large, adaptable and centralized space like the Edmonton Expo Centre was an important component in being able to effectively support this vulnerable population during this time, while also adhering to the physical distancing guidelines laid out by the Province of Alberta.
“By continuing to collaborate within the sector, with all levels of government, with health and justice systems, among others, we can continue to take big strides towards ending homelessness in Edmonton during this public health crisis,” Duncan adds, “Data can point to what the potential barriers are, but it has also demonstrated just how solvable homelessness is. We will eventually move beyond COVID-19, and we can be ending homelessness while we do that, the recovery from this can be for everyone.”
