Section a Program Goals

Information by State  Print version   Shp Deskguide Contents   Introduction   Detailed Table of Contents   A. Program Goals   B. Eligible Participants   C. Program Components   D. Eligible Activities and Match   E. Reserved   F. Important Dates   G. Conditional Approval and Program Cycle   H. Site Control Requirements   I. Grantee Responsibilities   J. Reserved for Project Financing   K. Calculating Resident Rents   L. Reserved   M. Reserved for Financial Management   N. Annual Progress Reports   O. Reserved for Compliance Monitoring   P. Technical Assistance   Q. Project Renewals   R. Grant Amendments   S. Grant Extensions   T - X Reserved   Y. Spending and Recaptures   Z. Reserved for Closeouts

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Three basic goals   How to set goals for your project   How to measure success

The purpose of SHP is to assist homeless persons in the transition from homelessness, and to enable them to live as independently as possible. To that end, the program has three overall goals.

Three Basic Goals

HUD has established three basic goals for each SHP project. These are incorporated in the project's design as shown in the application and reported on each year in the APR.

1. The first goal of the SHP program is to help program participants obtain and remain in permanent housing.
   
   
2. The second goal is helping the participants increase skills and/or income. Meeting this goal will allow the participants to secure an income to live as independently as possible.
   
   
3. And finally, help the participants achieve greater self-determination. The condition of homelessness itself can be damaging to ones self-determination; achieving a greater sense of self-determination enables the participant to gain needed confidence to make the transition out of homelessness.

Establishing Performance Measures to Meet Goals

In order to meet the three basic program goals, each project should develop specific performance measures. Performance measures should include discussion of both housing and services.

Performance measures are developed as part of the project narrative in the Technical submission following conditional approval or a project.

Performance measures should and relate closely to the overall objectives of the project stated in the application. The performance measures are simply a quantifiable means of ensuring progress toward achievement of objectives and desired outcomes.

Performance measures have three key components. They must:

1. relate to outcomes. Rather than simply focusing on the services to be provided, the provider should have a broader vision of the next step for the participant once he/she leaves the program;
2. have a time frame for achievement; and
3. be measurable - that is, include a number or percentage indicating a specific level of achievement.

The more clearly the performance measure is stated, the easier it will be to describe annual performance and meet APR requirements.

HUD recognizes that the nature of the program and the subpopulations grantees work with may result in limited goal attainment. Therefore, we will not necessarily consider low levels of achievement as indications of poor performance. Rather, we are looking for strategies to effectively meet the program goals, along with efforts at continuously improving performance.

Examples of performance measures for each of the goals are:

Goal: Obtain and remain in permanent housing

	70% of those families entering the program will receive Section 8 certificates
	Of 80 families entering the program, 52 will remain in Section 8 housing for 1 year or more
	90% of those not entering the program will receive referrals to other programs
	8 of 10 Shelter + Care participants will remain in permanent S+C housing for at least 3 years

Goal: Increase skills and/or income

	80% of the participants who receive no benefits upon entry will receive entitlement benefits within 6 months
	38 participants will be enrolled in job training program by the 12th month of residency, and * 80% of that group will complete the job training program
	70% of graduates of the job training program will hold a permanent job at least 3 months

Goal: Achieve greater self-determination

	85% of clients will meet at least one goal on their Individual Service Plan
	50% of clients will meet more than one goal
	44 program participants will open a savings account and will contribute 25 % of their income monthly

Reporting on Success

The Annual Progress Report (APR) tracks program progress and accomplishments in the Department's competitive homeless assistance programs. The APR provides the recipient and HUD with information necessary to assess each recipient's program. Grantees must submit an APR to HUD within 90 days after the end of each operating year and for each year in which HUD funding is provided.

Failure to submit and APR may lead to a delay in receiving future grant funds. Exhibit 4 of the APR, Program Goals and Objectives, provides information on the recipient's progress in meeting objectives that were established in the original grant application and/or the previous year's APR. Here, the grantee is asked to list the objective(s) for each of the three basic goals, describe the progress in meeting the objectives(s), and specify the objectives for the next operating year. The established performance measures provide a benchmark for reporting successes, or explaining why the goal was not achieved.

By specifying the objectives for the next operating year the grantee is required to not only consider last year's performance but also given the opportunity to revise objectives for the next operating year based on last year's experience. Additional information on Annual Progress Reporting is included in Section N.

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