Evaluation of the
Collaborative Initiative to Help End Chronic Homelessness

Background

A cornerstone effort of the increased focus on chronic homelessness was the development of the Collaborative Initiative to Help End Chronic Homelessness (CICH), an innovative demonstration project coordinated by the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) and jointly funded by the Departments of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Health and Human Services [HHS (SAMHSA and HRSA)] and Veterans Affairs (VA). Recognizing that homelessness is an issue that cuts across various agencies in the federal government, this unique effort across Departments offered permanent housing and supportive service funding through a consolidated application process. The evaluation of the CICH is supported by HHS (Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation), VA, and HUD, and is being conducted by the VA's Northeast Program Evaluation Center.

Initiated in 2003, this jointly funded demonstration focused on improving outcomes for chronically homeless individuals by making funding available to support 11 communities working to integrate housing and treatment services for disabled individuals who have experienced long-term and/or repeated homelessness.

Reports

The three major interim reports listed below are currently available as well as a summary of these reports. Additional reports will be posted on this website as they become available.

• Summary of CICH Interim Reports
  The summary reviews the background of the study, the methods, client outcomes, and system outcomes.
• Preliminary Client Outcomes Report, February 2007.
  This report presents data on screening, enrollment, client characteristics across sites, service use over time, and outcomes during the first 12 months of CICH participation. Data are also presented on a comparison group that received some lesser combination of housing and services than the CICH clients.
• An Evaluation of an Initiative to Improve Coordination and Service Delivery of Homeless Services Networks, February 2007.
  This report examines the service system of the CICH during the first 24 months of the program including the types of housing and service models that were available for the target population and the nature of the interaction between agencies in the CICH.
• Is System Integration Associated with Client Outcomes?, June 2007.
  This report merges network data reflecting collaboration, trust and use of evidence-based practices at the time clients enrolled in the CICH with 12-month client outcome data to examine the association of interagency relationships at the start of the program and client outcome during the first year of program participation.

How to Obtain a Printed Copy

To obtain a printed copy of these reports, send the title and your mailing information to:

You may also just print the PDF version.

Where to?

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Home Pages:
Human Services Policy (HSP)
Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE)
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

Last updated:  03/13/08