The committee stated that they have identified a lot of the same barriers as HHS and that they should come together to address them at the conference, committee meetings and commission meetings. Before HHS is contacted, the committee must know exactly what the role of HHS will be. A recommendation was made for a letter to be sent by the Chair to an HHS representative, requesting a meeting. This will then be followed up by a phone call. The committee needs to identify what data there is, who is collecting it, how are they collecting it and if any of these can be consolidated.
Common terminology needs to be adopted.
How data is tracked, how it is used and how collection programs are implemented needs to be identified. Data currently collected is skewed because the only people who participate are those who are funded. The regional continuum would collect data and send it to the state to report on statewide and regional happenings. It was mentioned that Nebraska will experience more displacement of people due to the agricultural crisis. HHS was identified as the best source for this crisis.