Center for Social Policy
John W. McCormack Graduate School
University of Massachusetts, Boston
100 Morrissey Blvd.
Boston, MA 02125-3393
Phone: (617) 287 5550
Fax: (617) 287 5544

EVALUATION PROJECTS

*Please click on the links for the full reports (in pdf format).

• Neighborhood Transformation and Family Development Initiative in the Dudley Area of Boston: Local Learning Partner.

Center staff are working with a Neighborhood-Based Team on a Casey Foundation project aimed at strengthening families and the neighborhood in the Dudley area of Boston. The Center's work is focused on engaging neighborhood residents in having a substantial role in the community planning decisions and in documenting effective approaches for sustaining this important role for residents.

• National Technical Assistance through the Aspen Systems Corporation

CSP staff are currently involved in a national HUD funded project. As subcontractors to the Aspen Systems Corporation, CSP is responsible for three primary tasks:

• An in-depth review of the known universe of off-the-shelf and 'homegrown' homeless management information systems to determine the common data elements, to make recommendations to HUD regarding national reporting standards for the future APR, and to estimate the potential costs to localities of implementing and supporting these tracking systems.
• An in-depth technical review of the best automated systems from among the universe of off-the-shelf homeless services software. Each of these systems is being evaluated for: user-friendliness; information sharing architecture; privacy protections; reporting capabilities, including APR and other national funder requirements; capacity for customization; real-time data access; database robustness, scalability, and speed; personnel requirements, including local and server skill level; hardware requirements; quality and availability of support; and ease of installation, including documentation and support.
• Data gathering and analysis for participation in a national prevalence study being coordinated by University of Pennsylvania researchers as part of the larger project. Massachusetts will be contributing data for the greater Boston area to the national study.

• Consultation with Seattle and King County, Washington State

CSP is currently working with Seattle and King County regions of Washington State to design and implement a homeless services information management system, Safe Harbors. This extensive project entails working closely with a broad group of local stakeholders to:

• articulate community needs, vision, and mission for the system;
• assess current technological resource capacities;
• provide information on detailed system requirements and economic feasibility;
• recommend technical infrastructure, including privacy protection and access to data policies;
• design decision, coordination, and evaluation structures; and
• develop an implementation strategy

CSP's role includes facilitation of local community processes in order to develop a shared vision and plan of action. At the conclusion of this project, CSP will have developed a model that can be applied to other localities nationwide in systems design and implementation.

• Evaluation of Lake County, Illinois TIAP Project

The Planning Department in Lake County, Illinois is the recipient of a Department of Labor TIIAP grant aimed at improving access and delivery of human services for low-income residents. The project will also strengthen community planning and resource allocation, and enhance understanding of how data on homelessness can be gathered and aggregated on local and national levels to accurately capture the scope of the problem and efforts to ameliorate it. The project will utilize the Internet, Interactive Voice Response, Geographic Information System interfaces, touch-screen kiosks, and interactive multi-media centers to implement a state of the art information and referral system, and a networked case management system for homeless and human service providers. CSP is contracted to evaluate the implementation of this multi-year innovative project.

• Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative (DSNI) Community Mobilization Project.

In Summer 1998, DSNI staff enlisted Center staff as research consultants to assist them in surveying businesses, human service agencies, churches, schools, health centers, child care agencies, Community Development Corps., and community residents regarding impacts of welfare reform on these sectors and families in the community.

• Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD) Needs Assessment.

In 1999, the Center assisted Navin Associates in carrying out a comprehensive needs assessment of Boston-based ABCD, one of the largest Community Action Programs (CAP) in the state. In particular, Center researchers assisted with designing the research methodology and data collection instruments, conducted focus groups in ten very low income, ethnically diverse Boston neighborhoods, analyzed the survey data, and contributed to the synthesis of findings and final report.