fy2017 performance accountability report mission … · fy2017 performance accountability report...

Department of Human Services FY2017

FY2017 Performance Accountability ReportThe Performance Accountability Report (PAR) measures each agency's performance for the fiscal year against the agency's performance plan and includes majoraccomplishments, updates on initiatives, and key performance indicators (KPIs).

MissionThe mission of the D.C. Department of Human Services is to empower every District resident to reach their full potential by providing meaningful connections to workopportunities, economic assistance and supportive services.

Summary of ServicesThe mission of DHS is achieved via three agency programs. Agency Management, which is standard for all District agencies, provides executive management, policydirection, strategic and financial planning, human capital management, information technology, capital programs, legislative and community relations, andperformance management. Family Services Administration (FSA) Homeless Services provides a continuum of services to individuals and families who areexperiencing homelessness or at risk of experiencing homelessness, so that they can obtain and/or maintain improved housing; FSA provides social services, casemanagement, and crisis intervention to meet the needs of vulnerable adults and families with children; Economic Security Administration administers the TemporaryAssistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, which provides temporary income support assistance for low-income families while helping them improve their long-term employability and achieve family-sustaining income; Administers the Food Stamp program, which is designed to provide supplemental nutrition assistance toindividuals and families in need, and support their return to long-term employability; and administers the District of Columbia Interim Disability Assistance program,which provides assistance to Supplemental Security Income (SSI) applicants pending SSI determination. Eligibility Determination Services determines eligibility forthe District of Columbia's child care subsidy program and an array of Federal and District medical assistance programs, including Medicaid, Children's HealthInsurance Program (CHIP), D.C. Healthcare Alliance Program.

FY17 Top Accomplishments

STEP is administered in partnership withMPD, DBH, and the Sasha Bruce Youthwork.This inter-agency collaboration will betterposition the District to locate youth who havebeen reported missing and provide criticalresources to at-risk youth who may beconsidering leaving home. DHS’ YouthServices Division will provide critical supportfor these at-risk youth in attempts to prevententry into the homeless system.

STEP supports runaway youth and their families by working to resolve issues that maycontribute to runaway behavior. STEP provides immediate outreach/assessment to youthreported missing to understand the reasons they ran away and devise individually-tailoredservice plans. Services range from Sasha Bruce Youthwork’s temporary beds andcomprehensive in-home program to less intensive behavioral health services, mentoring, andsupport groups, among others.

The BPR streamlines and standardizesoperations across the Service Centers withits “one and done” methodology. Themethodology includes: outbound “coldcalling” to reduce Service Center visits;inbound Call Center interviewing forprocessing; mandatory receipts for dropped-

The BPR Project improves the customer experience at all five Service Centers by minimizingrepeat actions such as in-person visits, phone calls, and document submissions. Byfollowing the “one and done” BPR methodology (and making better use of electronic datasources and tools), over 80% of applications, renewals, and changes are completed at thefirst customer interaction (rather than “pended” for additional information). This reduction inrepeat interactions has dropped daily Service Center visits from 200 to 150, and monthly callcenter volume from over 90,000 to under 60,000 calls. At the same time, call center

Accomplishment Impact on Agency Impact on Residents

In FY17, DHSlaunched theStrengthening TeensEnriching Parents(STEP) program.

In FY17, DHS fullyimplemented theBusiness ProcessRedesign (BPR)across all five ESAService Centers.

1 of 14

2017 Strategic Objectives

off documents with tracking numbers;combined front desk reception and triage tomove the line more quickly; centralprocessing for all system-generated andcentrally mailed/faxed work; and eligibilityprocess performance management throughmeasurements. This has improved staff’smorale, and leadership has institutionalizedoptimized communication channels. Overall,the BPR improves the agency’s accuracy,timeliness, and integrity of services.

abandonment has dropped from over 30% to typically less than 5% - which means 95% ofcallers are now getting the information they seek.

Even with this improvement, some customers still choose to line up early or end up waitingseveral hours for service, over 80% of them do not need another interaction with DHS. In thepast, customers often had to call or visit centers 5 or 6 times to get a determination, waitingfor an hour or more each time.

DHS sustained year round access to shelterfor all families in need and eliminated thedramatic and disruptive seasonal fluctuationsthat occurred in previous years.

The Family Services Administration’s (FSA) prevention program continues to have extremelyeffective outcomes. Of the 2,390 families referred to prevention support services in FY17,90% were diverted from the homeless shelter system. FSA modified FRSP casemanagement services to increase touch points and include connections to TANFemployment program providers. These changes contributed to the successful exit of 808families from rapid rehousing, an increase of 120% from FY16. DHS also implemented effortsto increase the willingness of landlords to lease units to our customers. The LandlordPartnership Fund (LPF) was recently introduced in partnership with the DowntownDCBusiness Improvement District and the Coalition for Non-Profit Housing and EconomicDevelopment. This fund will offer protections to landlords to rent to FSA customers in ourRapid Rehousing and Permanent Supportive Housing programs on the condition they relaxtheir screening criteria. The LPF will cover costs associated with property damage thatexceed a tenant’s security deposit as well as unpaid rent. Further, DHS modified thepayment structure for Rapid Rehousing to provide landlords with certainty about receiving fullrental payments each month. Finally, DHS finalized the policy and protocols for a familyCoordinated Assessment and Housing Placement system, which will provide transparencyand consistency in terms of housing placement decisions.

In FY17, the number of family households experiencing homelessness dropped 22% fromFY16. From FY16 to FY17, the number of housing placements into shelter dropped by 33%and the average monthly census in family shelter was reduced by 15%.

Develop an effective crisis response system for unaccompanied adults who experience homelessness.

Develop an effective system of care for families who experience homelessness.

Implement a system of services and supports for families and parenting youth.

Empower DHS clients to improve their economic stability and well-being.

Improve the customer experience at DHS service centers.

ObjectiveNumber

Strategic Objective

In FY17, DHS madesignificant progressin terms ofadvancing system-wide reforms andultimately reducingfamily homelessnessin the District.

1

2

3

4

5

2 of 14

2017 Key Performance Indicators

Safeguard and improve the quality of life for vulnerable adults.

Create and maintain a highly efficient, transparent and responsive District government.**

1 - Develop an effective crisis response system for unaccompanied adults who experience homelessness. (3 Measures)

Quarterly No dataavailable

116 109 143 137 126


1295 1955 836 1086 5172

Annually No dataavailable%

AnnualMeasure

AnnualMeasure

AnnualMeasure

AnnualMeasure

6%

2 - Develop an effective system of care for families who experience homelessness. (3 Measures)


289 308 335 380 328


363 216 128 154 861

Annually No dataavailable%

AnnualMeasure

AnnualMeasure

AnnualMeasure

AnnualMeasure

2%

3 - Implement a system of services and supports for families and parenting youth. (5 Measures)

Quarterly 70% 64% 68% 66% 70% 67% NearlyMet

TPAP receives referrals fromtwo streams: the EconomicSecurity Administration (ESA)and the community. Teenparents referred through ESAare required to consistentlyattend their educationalprogram in order to continuereceiving TANF. Teenparents referred through thecommunity do not have theeducational requirement. InFY17, DHS saw an increasein community referrals, whichmeant that teen parents weremore likely to not attend their

Measure Freq Target Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 FY2017

KPIStatus

Explanation

6

7

Average length of time (days)experiencing homelessness (individuals)

Individuals becoming homeless for the firsttime

Percentage of individuals returning tohomelessness within 6- 12 months

Average length of time (days)experiencing homelessness (families)

Families becoming homeless for the firsttime

Percentage of families returning tohomelessness within 6- 12 months

Percent of teen parents receiving servicesfrom the Teen Parent Assessmentprogram who are consistently attendingtheir educational program (high school,GED, or other program) or whoconsistently attended and fulfilled theother requirements to successfullycomplete their educational program

3 of 14

educational program incomparison to their TANF-referred counterparts.

Quarterly 95% 100% 99% 98% 95% 98% Met

Quarterly 85% 94% 92% 89% 85% 90% Met

Quarterly 65% 68% 76% 43% 65% 63% NearlyMet

In FY17, PASS exceeded theKPI target, but ACE reducedthe overall percentage. Youthare diverted to ACE fortruancy and delinquencyoffenses. In FY17, themajority of ACE referralswere for delinquencyoffenses. However, a largepercentage of these youthwere also truant at the time ofreferral. ACE may prioritizeservices related to thedelinquency offense overtruancy depending on theyouth’s needs.

Quarterly 85% 87% 92% 89% 85% 88.3% Met

4 - Empower DHS clients to improve their economic stability and well-being. (6 Measures)


No dataavailable

No dataavailable

No dataavailable

No dataavailable

No dataavailable

Quarterly 31% 31% 27% 25% 22.3% 26.3% Unmet Although participation washigh in the beginning of theFY, the drop may be a resultof changes to the TANF

Percent of teen parents receiving servicesfrom the Teen Parent AssessmentProgram who do not have additionalpregnancies during the reporting year

Percent of youth engaged in the Parentand Adolescent Support Services Program(PASS) and the Alternatives to the CourtExperience Diversion Program (ACE) whoshow functional improvement at closure asindicated by statistically significantdeclines in their Child and AdolescentFunctional Assessment Scale (CAFAS)scores

Percent of youth engaged in the ACE andPASS programs who show more than15% improvement in attendance whentruancy is a referring behavior

Percent of youth engaged in the ACE andPASS programs who complete theprograms without additional legalinvolvement

Number of program participants exitingTANF due to earnings

Percent of program participants fullyparticipating of those assigned to anTANF employment service provider

4 of 14

policy approved in the Spring2017. Even with the drop inthe latter part of the year,participation remained higherthan in FY16.

Quarterly 3198 689 578 596 459 2322 Unmet The number of FY17 is lowerdue to the decrease in theoverall TANF caseload. ThisKPI is not indicative ofperformance or success. Thismeasure will be adjusted inthe FY18 plan.

Quarterly 15% No dataavailable

No dataavailable

No dataavailable

No dataavailable

No dataavailable

Quarterly 1725 189 286 233 247 955 Unmet The number of FY17 is lowerdue to the decrease in theoverall TANF caseload. ThisKPI is not indicative ofperformance or success. Thismeasure will be adjusted inthe FY18 plan.

Quarterly 50% 62% 64% 66% 69% 65.3% Met

5 - Improve the customer experience at DHS service centers. (4 Measures)

Quarterly 25 118 128 114 116 119 Unmet As the BPR rolled out indifferent centers during FY17,the system for tracking waittimes migrated from an in-house queuing system to anew more robust systemcalled PaTHOS. The FY17goal was based on the oldtracking system times, whichseems to have some dataquality/completion limits. Thequeuing system changemakes the performanceagainst target lessmeaningful. Also, the waittimes did increase during theinitial BPR rollout phase, asanticipated, and have been

Number of newly employed TANFparticipants

Percent of those in active employment atthe end of the month (point-in-time)

Number of TANF participants who startednew educational and training programs

Percent of work-eligible participantsassigned to TANF employment serviceproviders (out of all work-eligibleparticipants)

Service Center: average wait time inminutes

5 of 14

gradually decreasing as thenew BPR has beenoperationalized. The centersare also experiencing areduction in backlogs andwait times for non-lobbycases as well as a decreasein repeat visitors, as the "oneand done" applicationprocessing is successfullyperformed.

Quarterly 6.8% 8% 11.4% 11% 7.9% 9.6% Unmet DHS experienced anincrease in the SNAP errorrate due to theimplementation of the newsystem. As the systemstabilizes, DHS anticipatesthe error rate will decrease.

Quarterly 25% 57% 44% 19% 18% 34.5% Unmet There was a spike in callsdue to the implementation ofDCAS. There was a largesurge of calls, which affectedthe abandonment rate(please see workloadmeasure correlation of totalnumber of calls received). Asthe system stabilized duringthe second half of FY17 (Q3and Q4), the rate significantlydecreased as did the totalnumber of calls received.

Quarterly 9 10 8 5.6 5 7 Met

6 - Safeguard and improve the quality of life for vulnerable adults. (3 Measures)

Quarterly 1100 150 251 298 408 1107 Met

Quarterly 95% 97% 99% 99% 99% 98.5% Met

Quarterly 90% 70% 73% 79% 82% 76% Unmet APS experienced a staffingshortage in FY17, which

Food Stamp Error Rate

Call Center: average abandonment rate

Call Center: average hold time

Number of families provided with crisisintervention and stabilization servicesthrough the Strong Families Program

Percent of referrals in non- emergencycases where initial client contact andinvestigation takes place within tenworking days for the Adult ProtectiveServices Program

Percent of cases where investigations,substantiation of allegations, the provision

6 of 14

We've revisited a project to standardize District wide measures for the Objective "Create and maintain a highly efficient, transparent and responsive Districtgovernment." New measures will be tracked in FY18 and FY19 and published starting in the FY19 Performance Plan.

2017 Workload Measures

decreased available staff'sability to close cases. Thestaffing shortage was theresult of employees on FMLAand a retirement that had adelayed backfill. DHSanticipates the percentage toincrease once APS staffing isstabilized in FY18.

1 - Homeless Services Continuum- Individuals (6 Measures)

Annually AnnualMeasure

AnnualMeasure

AnnualMeasure

AnnualMeasure

3583


AnnualMeasure

AnnualMeasure

AnnualMeasure

11,334


AnnualMeasure

AnnualMeasure

AnnualMeasure

285


AnnualMeasure

AnnualMeasure

AnnualMeasure

1470

Quarterly 108 85 101 98 98

Quarterly 283 96 106 83 142

2 - Homeless Services Continuum- Families (4 Measures)


AnnualMeasure

AnnualMeasure

AnnualMeasure

1166


AnnualMeasure

AnnualMeasure

AnnualMeasure

1753


AnnualMeasure

AnnualMeasure

AnnualMeasure

471

Quarterly 897 945 839 808 872

3 - Youth-Focused Diversion Services (4 Measures)

Measure Freq Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 FY 2017

of services to mitigate immediate risk havebeen completed and are closed ortransferred to the continuing services unitare completed within sixty working daysfor the Adult Protective Services Program

Number of individuals experiencing homelessness, January Point-in-Time (PIT)

Number of individuals experiencing homelessness (annual)

Number of homeless Veterans, Point-in-Time (PIT)

Number of individuals experiencing chronic homelessness, Point-in-Time (PIT)

Average monthly housing placements (Veterans)

Average monthly housing placements (Individuals experiencing homelessness)

Number of family households experiencing homelessness, January Point-in-Time(PIT)

Number of family households experiencing homelessness (annual)

Number of housing placements annually (family households)

Average monthly census in family shelter

7 of 14

Quarterly 378 329 343 383 767

Quarterly 43 55 38 31 47

Quarterly 200 205 246 232 456

Quarterly 8 8 12 27 14

4 - TANF & FSET Case Management and Employment Assistance (6 Measures)

Quarterly 15052 14543 13245 12208 13,762

Quarterly 13414 12412 11833 10549 12,052

Quarterly 278 358 580 680 474


No dataavailable

No dataavailable

No dataavailable

No dataavailable

Quarterly 10731 9930 9466 8349 9619

Quarterly 26904 24838 22569 21924 24,059

5 - Eligibility Determination and Enrollment Support (9 Measures)

Quarterly 830 No dataavailable

820 799 816

Quarterly 3844 3725 3865 3044 3620


No dataavailable

No dataavailable

No dataavailable

No dataavailable

Quarterly 113347 125502 89826 94910 423,585


AnnualMeasure

AnnualMeasure

AnnualMeasure

DataForthcoming


No dataavailable

No dataavailable

No dataavailable

No dataavailable


No dataavailable

No dataavailable

No dataavailable

No dataavailable


No dataavailable

No dataavailable

No dataavailable

DataForthcoming


No dataavailable

No dataavailable

No dataavailable

No dataavailable

Number of youth served in the Alternatives to the Court Experience Program(ACE)

Number of teen parents served by the Teen Parent Assessment Program (TPAP)

Number of youth served by the Parent and Adolescent Support Services Program(PASS)

Average monthly placements of youth experiencing homelessness placed throughthe coordinated entry system

Total number of households receiving TANF case benefits (monthly average)

Total number of adults receiving TANF cash benefits (monthly average)

Total number of families (newly approved) for TANF by month

Total number of families exiting TANF

Total number of work-eligible TANF customers (monthly average)

Total number of children receiving TANF cash benefits (monthly average)

Number of client visits at service centers (monthly average)

Number of SNAP applications (monthly average)

Number of re-certification applications accepted for SNAP

Number of calls received

Number of clients receiving a combination of 3 benefits (TANF, SNAP, andMedicaid)

Number of Medicaid applications

Number of Medicaid applications that are approved

Number of Medicaid re-certifications that are submitted

Number of Medicaid re-certifications that are approved

8 of 14

2017 Strategic Initiatives

6 - Supportive Services to Vulnerable Adults (3 Measures)


AnnualMeasure

AnnualMeasure

AnnualMeasure

1061


AnnualMeasure

AnnualMeasure

AnnualMeasure

1705


AnnualMeasure

AnnualMeasure

AnnualMeasure

20

ADULT PROTECTIVE SERVICES (1 Strategic Initiative)

In FY16, APS was awarded $200,000 from the Department ofHealth and Human Services' Administration for CommunityLiving. APS will use the second phase of the grant's funding forits initiatives. APS will implement customized assessments thatwill assist vulnerable adults in achieving consistency at criticaldecisions making points as a part of the Structured DecisionMaking model (SDM).

75-99% APS staff completed an additional ITtraining to refine technological skills.APS is now prepared forimplementing 3 of the 4 customizedassessments into Quick Base. Eachassessment is completed in real timewithin 24 hours of client contact.

The project was not fullyimplemented in FY17 dueto the federalgovernment's delay incompleting the inter-relater reliability and fieldtesting for riskassessment. Thetesting's criteria must bemet in order to gaincertification of theassessments forimplementation in thefield. Certification isbased on the data extractof one year or APScases, which requiredintense research andstatistical analysis.

ELIGIBILITY DETERMINATION SERVICES (2 Strategic initiatives)

In FY16, DHS began the rollout of the business process redesign(BPR) for the ESA service centers. DHS engaged nationalexperts to implement a business process redesign for the ESAservice centers. This redesign will ultimately reduce servicecenter wait times, reduce the amount of errors, and eliminate thenumber of backlogged cases.

Complete All five service centers are nowoperating under the new BPR. Allservice centers accomplished anoticeable decrease in the averagelobby wait time per customer.Backlogs and wait time for non-lobbycases also continue to decrease.

Title Description Completeto Date

Status Update Explanation

Number of cases investigated in APS

Number of referrals received in APS

Number of court Appointed Guardians/Conservators

Implement theElder JusticeInitiative Grant

Implement theBusinessProcessRedesign(BPR)

9 of 14

In FY17, DHS staff at the service centers will be fully trained andthe new operating standards will be used in all service centers.DHS will continue to monitor, assess, and make adjustments asnecessary to ensure the highest quality services are delivered toits customers. One of the primary goals of the BPR is to providea comprehensive, full service delivery experience for customersin one, single visit. That is, customers should be able to visit anyservice center one time to fully address their inquiry. DHSenvisions the BPR leading to an overall reduced number of visitsper client to service centers in the long-term.

Fewer customers are making repeatvisits, staff have more capacity toserve those who arrive for the firsttime and are completing moreapplications in a “one and done”manner. DHS and the BPRcontractor continue to closelymonitor any challenges and coachsupervisors and workers on how tosustain the BPR processes.

DHS is seeking to streamline its services for its customers toreduce wait times at service centers. In FY17, DHS willimplement the customer portal that will allow customers to enrollonline for services and receive status updates. Customers will nolonger need to wait in line at service centers to receive services.The customer portal will become available upon launching DCASR2.2. Additionally, DHS is targeting the roll-out of a mobileapplication to further advance these efforts.

0-24% The Online Customer Portal forDCAS has been postponed for theremainder of FY17.

OCTO provided directionthat the portal will beimplemented in late FY18or FY19.

HOMELESS SERVICES CONTINUUM - FAMILIES (2 Strategic initiatives)

DHS will continue its efforts to develop an effective system ofcare for families who experience homelessness. DHS willcollaborate with the ICH and other partners to improve itsoperations and services for families who experiencehomelessness. In FY17, DHS will focus on:

* redesigning the Family Re -Housing and Stabilization Program(FRSP);

* designing policies and protocol for the family CoordinatedAssessment and Housing Placement (CAHP) system;

* piloting a shallow rental subsidy program for working families;

* providing a stronger connection to employment services; and

* scaling homeless prevention and diversion efforts at the “frontdoor” of the homeless services system.

75-99% FSA’s prevention program continuesto have extremely effectiveoutcomes. Of the 2,390 familiesreferred to prevention supportservices in FY17, 90% were divertedfrom the homeless shelter system. FSA modified FRSP casemanagement services to increasetouch points and includesconnections to TANF employmentprogram providers. These changescontributed to an increase in RRHexits from 367 in FY16 to 808 inFY17. DHS released the shallowsubsidy rental program request forapplications and anticipates programimplementation by the end of 2017.

There were initial delayswith developing the RFAfor the shallow subsidyand the policies andprotocol for CAHP. DHSanticipates both will befinalized and launched bythe end of Q1 in FY18.

The ICH, DHS, and DCHA will work with private andphilanthropic partners to create a landlord risk reduction fundand to launch a targeted landlord outreach/engagement effort.These efforts will facilitate access to housing for households withsignificant rental barriers (including active rental debt, poorcredit, or prior evictions).

Complete Mayor Bowser launched theLandlord Partnership Fund, aprivately funded initiative that willoffer protections to landlords on thecondition that they relax theirscreening criteria (credit score andpast evictions). The protections willinclude the ability to collect

Implement theOnlineCustomerPortal

RefineStrategy toDivert and ExitFamilies fromHomelessness

Landlord RiskReductionFund

10 of 14

reimbursements to cover unpaidrent, damages to the rental unit, orother lease charges. Eligible housingprograms include Rapid Rehousingand Permanent Supportive Housing. DHS and private stakeholders arepartnering to enlist landlords tocommit to leasing units.

HOMELESS SERVICES CONTINUUM-INDIVIDUALS (2 Strategic initiatives)

DHS will continue its efforts to develop an effective crisisresponse system. DHS will collaborate with the ICH and otherpartners to improve operations to quickly stabilize and acceleratethe connection back to permanent housing for individualsexperiencing homelessness. In FY17, DHS will focus on:

* bringing rapid re-housing (RRH), permanent supportivehousing (PSH), and targeted affordable housing (TAH)programming to scale;

* strategically targeting resources through the CoordinatedAssessment and Housing Placement (CAHP) system;

* providing a stronger connection to employment services fromlow-barrier shelters;

* coordinating with key partners such as the ICH and DBH toexpand street outreach services; and

* leveraging Medicaid to pay for eligible services.

75-99% DHS built a cadre of 6 RRH and 18PSH providers to serve up to 2,189individuals and 700 families withoutcase management capacityconstraints. In TAH, DHS assigned140/140 individuals and continues torefine the CAHP system prioritizationprocess. DHS granted ~$600K for aSNAP Employment and Trainingprogram targeting homelessindividuals to 4 providers. The pilotprovided ~200 individuals withemployment training and 2 job fairs.DHS launched 2 initiatives to move21 chronically homeless women fromlow barrier shelter into PSH andTAH.

DHS continues to workwith ICH and communityproviders to leverageMedicaid to pay for casemanagement services.DHS will first need tostandardize its casemanagement servicesand rates before it is ableto work with providers onappropriate billingprocedures and receiveapproval from CMS.

Last year, DHS opened the Adams Place Day Center. The DayCenter addresses the long-standing need in the community ofhaving a safe and dignified place for individuals experiencinghomelessness to go during the day to take care of everydayneeds and access long-term services and supports. In FY17,DHS is working to identify a new, downtown site for the DayCenter, which given the more central location would allowaccess to services for a larger population. In FY17, DHS isseeking to expand partnerships and services offered at thecurrent Day Center.

50-74% Adams Place expanded servicesconsiderably to include medicalservices provided by Unity HealthCare, the doubling of computerworkstation usage, barberingservices, and laundry usage.Visitation increased by 50% on adaily basis. DHS continues to pursueexpanding day center opportunitiesfor our low barrier shelter clients inneighborhoods where services areminimal including but not limited todowntown and Anacostia. DHSfinalized a solicitation for day centerservices in FY18 to be released onceadequate resources have beenidentified.

After considerableengagement withstakeholders, thedecision to expand dayservices beyond adowntown center wasmade. The initiativecontinues to beconstrained by a lack ofresources.

Bring HousingSupportSystem forIndividualsExperiencingHomelessnessto Scale

Establish aDowntownDay Center

11 of 14

TEMPORARY ASST TO NEEDY FAMILIES (TANF) (4 Strategic initiatives)

TANF is funded through both a federal block grant and localdollars. The federal law mandated a five-year (60-month) timelimit for TANF benefits under the Personal Responsibility andWork Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996. But, the Districthas contributed local funding to cover families who exceed thisfederal time limit. As of April 1, 2011, however, the Districtbegan to roll out a 60-month lifetime limit on TANF benefits bygradually reducing benefits for recipients who have exceeded the60-month limit, by phase. The complete implementation wasinitially planned to be effective by the beginning of FY16 but hasbeen extended another year into FY17. It is expected that thesudden loss of TANF benefit is likely to significantly affect a largenumber of vulnerable children and families in the District.

During FY16 and FY17, TANF customers that have receivedTANF for more than sixty (60) months continue to receivebenefits, but at a reduced amount per month. In FY16, DHSengaged a facilitator to make a recommendation on the TANFhardship policy after conferring with a group of key stakeholders,advocates, the Council, and DHS customers In FY17, DHS willdevelop, design, and implement a TANF hardship policy forcustomers who have received TANF for more than sixty (60)months. The hardship policy shall be in accordance with DCregulations.

75-99% A new TANF policy was passed byCouncil in FY17 and will take effectin FY18. This policy eliminates timelimits for TANF customers andeliminates reduced benefits otherthan a single 6% sanction. DHS hasadopted a Two Generationalphilosophy that will be integrated intoall facets of the TANF program.

The BSA providedfunding to implement thisinitiative in the secondhalf of FY18.

In January 2012, ESA began a redesign of its TANFEmployment program (TEP). ESA has continually increased thetypes of services and program capacity each year with the intentof improving employment placement, retention rates, andeducation services for its customers. Many of DHS' TANFcustomers face multiple challenges and barriers to job placementand work readiness. TEP providers also provide casemanagement services. When customers cannot be engaged,DHS deploys home visitors in attempts to re-engage them withtheir TEP providers. As such, DHS appropriately referscustomers to TEP providers based on service type.

In FY17, DHS will be making changes to program requirementsin its human care agreements (HCA's) to better improveeducation and employment outcomes for customers. DHS willtarget the enhancement of the TEP providers’ quality of servicesby strengthening the monitoring and support functions.Furthermore, the agency will develop performance score cardsfor the TEP providers. Score cards will allow DHS to betterassess providers’ capacity and quality of services based on theirperformance and types of service delivery. This will ultimately

75-99% DHS conducted a competitivesolicitation and qualified 9 providersto serve as job placement providersand 13 providers to serve aseducational and occupationaltraining providers. Currently, there isa continuation of services of theexisting providers until TANFemployment program databasessystems are adjusted to support thecomplicated incentive system withinthe new contract model. DHS willaward the new human careagreements once the systemchanges are implemented in FY18.

The new contract modelwill not be implementeduntil the databaseupdates are completed.The requirements weremore complex thanoriginally anticipated.

Implement aTANFHardshipPolicy forCustomers

Enhance theTEPProviders'Quality ofServices

12 of 14

assist the agency in appropriately referring customers to the bestfit TEP providers based on their scorecard assessment.

In FY16, DHS explored available resources and tools to enhancethe District’s abilities to assist its staff and policy-makers in betterunderstanding the relationship between different thresholds ofincome and earnings from programs (e.g. TANF, Child Care,etc.). DHS engaged Columbia University’s National Center forChildren in Poverty (NCCP) to discuss their Family ResourceSimulator (FRS) tool and its applicability to the District.

The FRS is a tool that allows DHS staff (i.e. case workers orvocational development specialists) and policy-makers tovisualize the effects of different thresholds of income andcustomers’ potential earnings from programs. DHS willcollaborate with NCCP to tailor the FRS to District specific dataand policy regulations to simulate realistic outcomes. DHS istargeting policy formulation that does not create disincentives forprogram earnings or pursuing higher income levels. DHS willinvest a small amount of $75,000 to procure and implement thisinsightful tool in FY17.

75-99% The Family Resource Simulatorcalculator has been substantiallycompleted, tested, and presented toDHS staff. There is someoutstanding development and DHSinitiated a no cost extension on thecontract through the first quarter ofFY18 to complete the refining anddevelopment of the product.

There is someoutstanding developmentand DHS initiated a nocost extension on thecontract through the firstquarter of FY18 tocompete refine theproduct and compete thedevelopment.

DHS will target the reduction of the number of customers who donot engage through sanctions. Currently, customers receive areduction in cash benefits equal to about 20 percent of the grantwhen they do not meet the work participation requirement of fourconsecutive weeks and does not provide documented goodcause. A single reduction is designed to modify behavior andincentivize compliance (or demonstrate eligibility for anexemption), but is not often successful.

In late FY16, DHS will begin the implementation of a progressivesanction policy to encourage TANF customers to participate inrequired employment, education, and training activities. The newstructure is complemented with significant opportunities toengage and/or cure, which has three levels: a 20 percentreduction, a 50 percent reduction, and a full grant sanction. Theprogressive sanctions only follow continued lack of participation.In FY17, DHS will analyze the results of the sanction policy andits impact on work participation and/or engagement.

Complete DHS has implemented thesanctioning process at a level 1sanction (20%). Customers who donot engage are, after due process,being sanctioned in a uniformmanner. However, the Council is inthe process of passing legislationwhich effectively reduces thesanctioning process to a single levelof sanction at 6%.

Youth Services (2 Strategic initiatives)

In FY14, the DC Council passed the End Youth HomelessnessAmendment Act. In FY17, DHS will collaborate with the ICH todevelop and establish the Homeward DC Youth Plan. DHSreceived an additional $2.3 million dollars for crisis beds,transitional housing, prevention, and reunification efforts in FY17.The Youth Services Division will align the new investments to the

Complete YSD opened a new transitionalhousing site for 10 youth placedthrough DYRS, which is operated byCovenant House. YSD secured atotal of 39 additional beds in Q4.YSD is currently reviewing proposals

FamilyResourceSimulator(FRS)

Increase theEngagementLevel of TANFCustomers

RefineHomelessYouthStrategy

13 of 14

goals and objectives that will be established in the HomewardDC Youth plan. In FY17, the Youth Services Division will focuson:

* expanding bed capacity to serve more youth who experiencehomelessness;

* expanding prevention and diversion services for at-risk youththrough the establishment of a new team at DHS; and

* expanding the support of family reunification services (the vastmajority of youth who experience homeless return to live with afamily member).

to procure youth services for rapidrehousing, transitional housing,stabilization services, and streetoutreach. The Functional FamilyTherapy program continues toprovide therapy for families toprevent youth from potentiallyrunning away and experiencinghomelessness.

In FY17, the Youth Services Division will expand its personnel tomeet capacity needs. In FY16, PASS and ACE staff wereassigned a substantial number of cases with a steadilyincreasing number of referrals. In FY17, the Youth ServicesDivision will focus on:

* right-sizing the number of staff to the workload for PASS andACE to provide adequate resources that will ensure current andadditional youth are properly served;

* targeting the provision of new, tailored services for youth thatare referred to DHS based on their unique needs; and

* soliciting services from community based providers, whichincludes restorative justice for PASS and ACE.

Complete YSD partnered with OAG to launch atruancy triage taskforce to assistOAG in screening and determiningappropriate service tracks for youthreferred for chronic truancy. YSDexpanded services to youth bypartnering with DPR and local non-profit, MindRight, to offer coachingand emotional support services. YSDlaunched Strengthening TeensEnriching Parents (STEP) to assistyouth who are running away fromhome and will work to resolveindividual and family issues that maycontribute to this behavior.

Expand thePASS andACEPrograms

14 of 14

fy2017 performance accountability report mission … · fy2017 performance accountability report...

Documents