SYSTEM PLANNING:

A CASE STUDY OF THE CALGARY HOMELESS

FOUNDATION’S SYSTEM PLANNING FRAMEWORK
Calgary’s 10-Year Plan

Phase 1 Create rapid, meaningful, and visible change

Building a homeless-serving system to

Phase 2 end homelessness

Phase 3 Fine tuning the plan for sustainability

-Calgary Housing Foundation-

lead implementer of 10-Year Plan
Why System
Planning?
 The goal is to build capacity
More than 130 and improve services for
agencies in people by ensuring that:
Calgary were programs follow certain
providing standardized practices,
supports to
budgets match the level
people and intensity of the program
experiencing or model, and
at risk of
homelessness. people are accepted into
support programs that
match their level of need.
“ The intention behind the CHF’s
approach to system planning is to
use the information collected from
a variety of sources and their
feedback loops to create
purposeful and strategic processes
for decision making
H
- Annual research and public policy agenda,
O - Annual strategy review

W - Consistent methods of data collection

(annual point-in-time count and HMIS), and
- Committees and community initiatives
?
R
E
S
U
L
T
System of Care
A spectrum of effective, community-based services
Calgary’s System of Care
- Prevention
- Coordinated Access and Assessment or CAA
(Operationalizing Outreach, Triage, Assessment and Diversion)
- Emergency Shelters
- Rapid Rehousing (RR)
- Supportive Housing (SH)
- Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH)
- Graduate Rental Assistance Initiative (GRAI)
- Affordable Housing (AH)
Housing Loss Prevention
A homelessness-prevention program is designed to
target and provide short-term financial and case managed
supports to individuals and families at imminent risk of
homelessness before an experience of homelessness.

Activities include, counselling and advocacy including

information and referrals to available community resources,
cash assistance to prevent eviction, linkages to more
sustained support in the community which may include
mental health services
Coordinated Access and Assessment (CAA):
A system-wide program designed to meet the needs of
the most vulnerable and highest acuity first while ensuring all
people who come into contact with the homeless system are
assessed and provided with appropriate supports to exit
homelessness.
It creates an efficient homeless serving system by helping
people move through the system faster, by reducing new
entries into homelessness.
When a client’s complexity is not assessed, or when the
programmatic intervention chosen does not match their risk and
resiliency factors, there is a higher likelihood of poor outcomes.
Emergency Shelter
An emergency shelter provides temporary
accommodation and crisis supports. Emergency shelter
program serves as the entry point to the system.
Emergency shelters can participate in CAA in order to
facilitate referrals to housing and support programs.
Rapid Rehousing
Are designed for people who are unable to end their
experience of homelessness without support. It provides
targeted and time limited financial assistance and
supportive services to individuals and families who are
experiencing homelessness in order to quickly exit shelter
and obtain and sustain housing.
Targets individuals and families who have the ability to
live independently after a time limited rental subsidy and
supportive services.
 3
Types of
Supportive Housing supportive
housing:
Provides case
management and Place Based or
housing supports to Scattered-Site
individuals and families Harm Reduction/Low
who are considered Barrier or Abstinence-
moderate to high based
acuity. Intensive Case
Management or
Assertive Community
Treatment
Permanent Supportive Housing
A long term supportive housing model, without a
length of stay limit, for people experiencing homelessness
with major barriers and complex needs.
People referred to a PSH program are considered to
be amongst those with the most complex support needs.
PSH programs are targeted for individuals who
experience chronic homelessness and are highest acuity;
they experience extreme difficulty exiting homelessness on
their own due to multiple barriers in addition to housing cost
and financial barriers.
Graduate Rental Assistance Initiative
(GRAI)
A rent supplement program that provides financial
assistance to households in need to obtain and maintain
affordable and suitable rental accommodation.
Designed for people who have been through and
finished a housing and support program but who may still
need extra financial supports.
Affordable Housing
Are housing units with rents considered to be below
the average market rent for that unit size.
Affordable housing is primarily income based and
often provides no or minimal support interventions.
 Measuring and
Evaluating the SYSTEM OF
CARE
Homeless
Management
Information Quality Assurance
System (HMIS)
Homeless Management
Information System
The HMIS is a web-based information technology
system that is managed by the CHF and was modelled
after similar systems in the U.S.
HMIS facilitates the linking of clients to available
programs and their criteria for rehousing, counseling,
treatment, employment, etc.
HMIS is critical to understanding the client needs and
trends, but also to the design, implementation and
coordination of rehousing, prevention, and housing
intervention.
Quality Assurance

The CHF has created a system-wide annual program

review whereby they interview frontline staff, case
managers and management staff in each funded
program.
The CHF also undergoes its own annual review with its
funders through quarterly and annual reports to the federal
government and an in-person on-site review
Learnings:
1 There is no such thing as perfection in system planning.

2 Client choice must be prioritized.

3 Challenges are opportunities for learning.

The success of system planning is dependent on community

4 support and continued leadership.
References

Milaney, K. (2016). System Planning: A Case Study of the Calgary Homeless

Foundation's System Planning Framework. Canadian Observatory on Homelessness.
pp. 483-496.

CHF. (March 2014). System Planning Framework. Calgary: Calgary Homeless

Foundation.