We also know that there were aspects that were absolutely critical to the success of the plan. We know it required significant systems planning and mapping, a centralized point of intake, timing within the community for it to be able to create and maintain its own plans, and of course the collective impact approach to funding and service delivery.
Systems planning and a collective impact approach allow funding to be funnelled to those organizations that are in the best positions to create meaningful change. By building capacity within agencies that are already doing good work, we also see funding being able to be rerouted once the capacity is built.
For example, with our “housing first” programming, we actually saw agencies that came to the table and gave money back. Instead of not-for-profits saying, “Oh my gosh, we have money left. What are we going to do with it?”, they came back to the table and gave it back to the collective. I think that really speaks to that approach.
Of course system navigation and intensive case management were critically important parts of our plan to end homelessness, and they are very important in the plan to end poverty.