# Presentation: 224388

## Improving Access to Mainstream Services for “Chronically” Homeless Persons, Including Individuals with Serious Mental Health and/or Substance Abuse ProblemsPLANNING GUIDE

- Jointly Sponsored by
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
- U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
- and
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

## What is the Planning Guide?

- Guidance tool
- Purpose is to help your team:
- Prepare for the Academy
- Develop your Action Plan

## Academy Stages

- State preparation
- Site visits
- Pre-Academy assignment
- Formal Policy Academy
- Post-Academy Implementation (and technical assistance)

## State Preparation(Site Visits)

- Familiarize teams with the Action Planning process
- Discuss Academy format
- Identify key components of an integrated service system
- Begin work on vision statement and reality assessment

## State Preparation(What Needs to be Done Before the Academy)

- Formalize decision- making process/choose a leader
- Develop a common vision
- Develop an understanding of systems integration
- Begin to assess current reality
- Identify key points for team presentation
- Begin reading resource materials

## Working as a Team

- Choose a leader
- Establish tasks, time table, and timekeeper
- Select a scribe
- Develop team ground rules
- Determine decision making process
- Check-in and check-out

## Team Tips

- Try to stay focused
- Encourage ideas
- Challenge your assumptions
- Highlight and explore your differences
- Differentiate between what you are totally committed to and what you can live with

## During the Academy

- Faculty presentations on systems integration, evidence-based practices, and resources
- Teams “complete” Action Plans
- Feedback from faculty and peers

## Brief State Team Presentations

- Share your initial vision statement
- Identify key issues, circumstances, efforts in your state

## State Delegation Meetings

- Continue developing Action Plan
- Reaffirm team vision, priorities/goals
- Formulate policy and program strategies
- Assign specific action steps based on strategies
- Confer “one-on-one” with faculty, peers

## State Report-Outs

- Briefly outline Action Plan
- Discuss how priorities may have changed (or been reinforced)
- Elaborate on immediate next steps
- Identify potential technical assistance needs
- Solicit feedback from faculty and peers

## Following the Academy

- Finalize strategies (short- and long-range)
- Finalize specific action steps
- Implement the Action Plan
- Agree on a timeline
- Develop benchmarks/outcome measures
- Report on progress
- Seek technical assistance as needed

## Team Challenges

- Staying focused on issue of providing access to mainstream services
- Building team consensus around Action Plan
- Encouraging ideas
- Challenging assumptions
- Highlighting/exploring differences
- Differentiating between what team members are totally committed to and what they can live with

## Team Challenges (continued)

- Identifying politically feasible strategies
- Presenting a clear message to influential policymakers
- Generating public and political will to support Action Plan
- Implementing the Action Plan through executive, legislative, administrative, and private sector (non-government) processes

## What Should Be Accomplished Before Arriving At The Academy?

- Circulate draft vision statement to all members of team for polishing
- Provide HSR with revised draft statement to be included in Academy packet
- Select a team leader(s)
- Review resource material