Title
A Housing Solutions
Bundle (HSB) – Published
Centered about a dedicated Housing Help Line
Context
Innovation (INN): The
dedicated INN funding component is removed. Innovation projects can now be
integrated as "Innovative Behavioral Health Pilots and Projects"
within the BHSS component.
OCHCA BHSA Project
Idea Plan (PIP)
Housing Project Idea
(HPI)
Submitted
Via Email
1st Submission
– 2023 March 29
Told to be “patient”
New Revision and Submission
– 2026 January
Means to Submit (Via
Email)
OCHCA
or
By
Mail
HCA
MHSA / BHSA Coordinator
600 W.
Santa Ana Blvd. Suite 510, Santa Ana, CA 92701
Metadata
>MSG-Base >Search “HSB HPI”
06_MHSA_BHSA_HSB_HPI_25040801_V_Submit V2025
06_MHSA_BHSA_HSB_HPI_25040801_V_Pub2026
Image Up Front
Capturing Our Community
Outreach Work
Homeless Older Adult
February 13, 2023 (M)
Santa Ana, California
- Bristol & Warner
Photo Credit – Keith Torkelson MS
Principal Writer’s Mini-Bios
Torkelson
received his B.S. in Avian Science (Bird Biology), graduating with honors from
UC Davis, and later received his M.S. in Comparative Pathology from UC
Davis. Additionally, he attended the UC Davis
School of Veterinary Medicine. This was
when Torkelson fell ill. Later, he
attended Cal State University @ Fullerton Secondary Teaching Credential Program
with a concentration in Science. He held
an Emergency Teaching Credential for three consecutive years. He has been “Helping” the Orange County
Health Care Agency (OCHCA) since 2009.
Currently, he is a Housing and Living Arrangement Advocate. He has substantial lived experience working in call centers. He is promoting a dedicated
Housing Call Center or Housing Help Line (HHL) as part of a Housing Solutions
Bundle (HSB).
Challenging
For many, staying trained for
prolonged periods on housing the disadvantaged can be a bit challenging. On and off, we have appealed to others for
inspiration. Just in the nick of time, Dr. Casey Dorman OCHCA Retired (2023) writes:
Circa 2010, Dr. Dorman
Attends (On the Right)
OCHCA MHSA WET Funded
Consumer Training Program
To Create Mental Health Worker Paraprofessionals Graduation
Key Events & Chronology
SECTION I
PROJECT ELEMENTS
2023_0322-W: Insert – Executive Summary (ES)
With the guidance of Dr. Casey Dorman (OCHCA Retired)
ES - Resources & Peers with
Lived Experience
After this
Executive Summary (ES) our proposal here follows closely a Standardized MHSA
Innovations Project Idea format. In
addition, we selected to use single line spacing for the published version. A Housing Solutions Bundle (HSB) in part
addresses the need of providing guidance and services to individuals who are
homeless or at risk of homelessness in securing the highest quality housing for
their individual needs. In this proposal certified peer support specialists as
housing assistants…will use their knowledge of available housing options to
guide clients with securing suitable housing.
The project is also designed to serve those with criminal justice
involvement, Substance Use issues, and those hospitalized.
ES - Housing - An “Unfulfilled Need”
Many studies indicate that there are hurdles to overcome with respect to housing our disadvantaged peoples including our homeless are facing. Presently, helpers such as social workers and family members find it terribly difficult to place a loved one in a safe and secure bed that meets their individual needs. In addition, this stands true with respect to Consumers that place themselves. The basic need is finding a proven Good Bed (GoodBed). We propose a Housing Solutions Bundle (HSB) to meet the demand for efficient Bed Finding and follow-up. We predict a HSB will save money, especially, by securing a bed for someone who is hospitalized, costing approximately $4,000 per day. Standardized methods will be employed at every stage in a housing-centered process to fill numerous gaps. The HSB is assessment-driven in that somewhere around half of a dozen or so evaluations will support the HSB process. Of the HSB staff, we propose about a quarter to be Certified Peer Support Specialists with a unique understanding of Consumer housing needs. In addition, the peer specialists’ with lived experience might better empathize about their clients’ during this challenging stage in their recovery.
ES - Peers and Standards
At the core of a Housing Solutions Bundle
(HSB) are the peer specialists that staff the five HSB elements: Housing Help
Line, Housing Work Group, Housing Advisory, the Technological Infrastructure
and project metrics. Again, it would be
beneficial if the peer specialist had lived experience with challenges about
housing our disadvantaged including the homeless. In addition, the peers might best have Call
Center experience. In the project’s
first year there is considerable training to put forth. This plan also asks the Consumers as well as bed
owning providers to participate about longitudinal assessment. One of the basic measures is capturing how
and in what manner the providers, users and Consumers are helped by this Housing
Solution Bundle (HSB) experiment.
Overall we need to determine how much a HSB benefited the system of care
and our community versus the costs.
Costs and benefits will be logged for the purposing of formative and
summative reporting. The project is
designed to capture break-even statistics.
ES - Assessment Brief
In order to
determine that the Housing Solutions Bundle (HSB) was a success, we need to
collect some performance data. Data will
be collected using existing (standardized) and derived assessment: Instruments,
measures, tools, etc. Some
pre-implementation statistics will be researched and recorded. We have the
beginnings on a cost / benefit analysis.
The project is carried by placing those in the hospital. The performance of this project will be
determined on the population level, individual level, the provider level and
about the project as a whole. Of
importance is capturing the Consumers’ experiences. We include more details about measurement in
the outcome measures section.
ES - Setting a Standard for
Perfection
The results of
this project can be repurposed for other counties to fast-track their own HSB. The HSB is expected to improve conditions,
particularly situations centered on securing a Good Bed for our Mentally Ill / Behaviorally
Challenged including the homeless, hospitalized and those incarcerated. Re-purposing the Final Report (FR), funding
streams such as Behavioral Health Service Act (BHSA) the final Bundle may be a
sustained and shared practice. After
Orange County tests its’ HSB and proves the concept as a promising practice, other
counties will be invited to implement it using available monies. There is a chance that other counties could use
BHSA monies for their HSB.
ES - HSB Money Matters
We
estimate a startup cost for the first year of a HSB to fall near $3,000,000. This cost is based on the adjusted annual (2023)
operating cost for the local MHSA-funded call center service called OC-LINKS. OC-LINKS is a referral service, whereas a
Housing Solutions Bundle (HSB) is not. The
HSB is a closed-loop service. After
some one-time purchases we estimate a decrease [in annual] cost. It may be advantageous to find a server that
the county already owns on which to piggyback.
Insider news has it that the Warmline’s server may be freed up.
D. Impetus
Housing for the seriously
Behaviorally Challenged has been and remains a substantial concern in
California and abroad. Within our Orange
County community, there are tens of facilities that provide short and long term
Beds for Seriously and Persistently Mentally Ill (SPMI) – Seriously and
Persistently Behaviorally Challenged (SPBC) peoples. One of the most important
services the Housing Solutions Bundle (HSB) helpers of our SPMI and our SPBC citizens
provide is Bed Finding (BedFind). People
including the SPMI & SPBC Homeless find it hard to trust the Housing System
of Care. For many due to not securing a
Good Bed their conditions deteriorate. “When
an individual or a family develops a mental health problem, particularly a severe
one, such as one requiring psychiatric hospitalization or involving law
enforcement, they are faced with the question of whom to turn for finding
assistance and resources.” A Housing
Solutions Bundle will assistance them and provide resources for helping them
place in a Good Bed (GoodBed) if not the elusive Great Bed.
A Housing Solutions Bundle (HSB)
A Housing
Solutions Bundle (HSB) will fix many problems with Housing. When the HSB elements mesh the HSB will
constitute a Solution. A HSB includes five
(5) elements, a: Housing Advisory Board, Housing Help Line, Housing Work Group,
a Technological Needs Infrastructure, and project Metrics. These together form a scaffold for a number
of community providers, families, and individuals to collaborate for delivering
the person in need into a pre-screened GoodBed.
With a GoodBed the Consumers will be less likely to: Opt for going Homeless, call “911”, end
up in jail, take more risks, act out or die
prematurely.
Figure – “Venn
Diagram” – Homeless Landscape (Beta)
HAB = Housing
Advisory
The center circle
represents those in need for securing a Rent a Shared Room bed
E. Project Description
Five Elements
For each Consumer in need a Housing Solutions Bundle (HSB) will mature into a three day effort from first contact to gathering a Bed Folio for: Community-based services, families, and / or individuals in need of a Better Bed (BetterBed). It will serve members in the community coping with Behavioral Health Challenges, substance use issues (SUD), and other behavioral health concerns such as criminality. We propose that homelessness is a behavioral health issue as is depression. A HSB will be staffed with workers divided about five different fronts (elements): Housing Advisory Board, Housing Help Line, Housing Work Group, Technological Needs Infrastructure and project Metrics. All fronts are supported with a state-of-the-art custom Technologic Needs Infrastructure. Many of the HSB workers will be Certified Peer Support Specialists. Certified Peer Support Specialists provide housing centered: Service, support and resource management.
Housing Network
A Housing
Solutions Bundle (HSB) will assist family members in strengthening
communication and efficiency about finding their loved one in need a Good Bed. A HSB will improve navigating the existing
Housing System of Care (H-SOC or SOC-H)).
A HSB will improve responses to situational crises and reduce the number
of crises centered about Housing. Eventually
the HSB will reduce the number of 911 calls.
If the consumer knows they can’t return to where they are living,
pre-hospitalization, they might best call the HSB Housing Help Line before they
call “911”. By this route their bed
portfolio (BedPort) can be ready and applied upon release. In creating a superior Housing centered
network Consumers and Families will discover more empowerment with finding
solutions to for their non-housing concerns.
Housing First: Four of the priority populations to serve are our: Older
Adults, in-patients, incarcerated, substance users, homeless.
F. Innovation
Placement Challenge
While many
services offer direct services to individuals suffering from mental illness and
behavioral challenges, a Housing Solutions Bundle (HSB) is an Innovative
program that focuses specifically on the Righting Action Plan (RAP) Process (Model)
securing for those in need a Good Bed. The
“Bed is the bedrock for other services and supports such as therapy, medication
and case management”. Many case managers
indicate that one of the most frustrating parts with their work is finding a
Bed period for their charges. Some
people are put on LPS Conservatorship while they wait for a Good Bed. In addition, frustration holds true for
family members trying to secure a Bed for their loved ones with behavioral
health and social concerns. A HSB takes
many existing processes about housing and integrates them into a unique
(Innovative) product (HSB) as well as introduces some new procedures that do
not presently exist in public mental health.
Certified Peer Specialists
As an additional
innovative component, a HSB is provided by Certified Peer Support Specialists
who “utilize their lived experience to build trust, empower families, instill
hope, and model Righting (the Righting Action Plan Process) for HSB participants
and their loved ones”. Housing-centered Certified
Peer Providers will augment services with lived experience about mental health and
Housing. These peer providers are
expected to increase overall access to Good Beds for those in need including
our homeless about the community.
G. Research & Like Programs
Keith
Torkelson MS, BS is the principal researcher and writer on this proposal. We have searched within the Orange County
Healthcare Agency (HCA) Directory, consulted with individuals familiar with
mental health services in Orange County, and contacted 2-1-1 OC for similar
programs. We also conducted an internet
(Google and Bing) search for local, statewide, and national programs, using
search terms related to this Housing Project Idea proposal and a Housing
Solutions Bundle (HSB) in general. Our
research found programs similar in label yet not identical in content to this HSB
idea.
Housing Help Line (HHL) -
Uniqueness
The most online hits we scored were
associated with the Housing Advisory Board (HAB) element. Next in frequency are a few hits about the
Housing Work Group (HWG) element. When
it comes to a dedicated Housing Help Line (HHL) there appears, on the Internet,
to be nothing like it locally, regionally, nationally or globally. Various local programs engage with Housing
Help provided by Housing Helpers. One
example is the Mental Health Association of Orange County (MHAOC). Although the MHAOC provides help with housing,
the MHAOC’s seasoned program isn’t very strong as reflected in Orange County’s
homeless.
Empowerment
A Housing Solutions Bundle (HSB) will progressively
bridge more and more gaps for getting our Consumers in need into a Good Bed. Many Housing Helpers underutilize the family
as a resource while placing a Consumer into a Good Bed. Family members will be encouraged to use the HHL. In this way family members may enjoy an
elevated level of empowerment. Certified
Peer Support Specialists with substantial experience with Housing and the Rent
a Shared Room (RASR) environment can offer a superior empathic approach.
Navigation
Our research indicates that there is
nothing like a comprehensive housing program driven by a passionate Housing Work
Group combined with a state-off-the-art dedicated Housing Help Line. The Housing Solutions Bundle (HSB) will help Consumers,
family members; those helping Consumers and [families] navigate the housing tangle
then support and move the Consumer forward into a Good Bed. The HSB will consider stepping the bed down.
Novel Aspects of a Housing Solutions Bundle
Goals: On the way to the ultimate goal, securing
a Great Bed, each objective step is a Fix.
Putting it all together equates to a Solution. Note: All Consumers and / or their helpers will
not need all provisions available for Anything It Takes or Housing First.
Like Programs
There
are programs offering some of the housing centered aspects listed below, yet,
none come close to integrating and delivering the whole “Bundle”
·
72-Hour turnaround target
·
Assessment Driven (Metrics)
·
Bed Portfolio (BedPort) = 3 Choices
·
Call Interceptors & Profilers - Certified
Peer Housing Specialists
·
Champion Older Adults
·
Best Bed Approach (BBA)
Cost / Benefit Tracking – Tendency towards Breaking Even
Create and Maintain Facility & Bed Directory (OC
Navigator)
Dedicated Housing Help Line
Defend the (Vulnerable) Consumer’s Position
Effective Consumer Housing Centered System of Care &
Housing Education
·
Housing Advocacy for the Consumer
·
Move Insurance (Separate Effort)
·
Open Sharing of Resources [Duplication is a
measure of success]
Reduce Homelessness
Reduce Jail Revolving
Reduce Referrals
Reduce Premature Deaths
Save on Hospital Costs
·
Reduce “911” calls for housing issues
·
Save Money
·
Etc.
New Service – New Value
In the next few
pages, we revisit the research we completed to determine that this project is
unique, innovative and needed in the field of behavioral health. Of the some odd dozen features we listed
above describing a Housing Solutions Bundle (HSB) we find that the majority are
unique. We take an existing model for a
call-center and apply it to a dire need: Helping the disadvantaged including
the homeless and hospitalized with securing a Good Bed in the community. Many with behavioral health issues need aid
in securing a GoodBed on their journey to the Best Bed. A HSB is the practical implementation of an
idea that introduces a new service. A HSB
is innovative in that it is “a new entity realizing value”.
Where did you look?
The Search
Engines we used are: Microsoft Bing (Web Browser Edge) and Google Basic (Web
Browser Chrome). We were looking
specifically for information that demonstrates our Housing Solutions Bundle (HSB)
is in part or totally being offered anywhere.
While doing our research we accessed the following: Bed Owners, Brand
New Day a Special Needs insurer, Conferences and Fairs including the Meeting of
the Minds, and our Department of Health Care Services online materials. We also reviewed Hard Copies of Orange County
Health Care Agency (OCHCA) handouts, Mental Health Association materials, the Mental
Health Services Act (MHSA) database, OC-LINKS (Call Center), OCHCA Websites and
virtual materials, Behavioral Health Services Act (BHSA) materials, 211, and the
Warmline Call Center. We researched
relying on word of mouth from: Consumers, Housing Specialists and Bed
Owners. We watched a few You Tube videos
including one where Dr. Clayton Lon Chau then OCHCA Director briefly discusses
Housing and Housing needs.
What did you find?
The deeper you explore,
one will find that there is no service (product) that even comes close to a
Housing Solutions Bundle (HSB). A HSB
project is different for the aspects listed above as well as those below.
Housing
Solutions Bundle (HSB) Elements - Like Programs Version
We decided to look for similar services and or programs using key search phrases. We also investigated housing centered programs within and about the OC Health Care Agency (HCA). Below is a table that clarifies a Housing Solutions Bundle’s (HSB’s) novelty or uniqueness. After reviewing the literature we find that there are far more unique features and differences to a HSB than are similarities with other programs and services.
HSB
Uniqueness – Helps Clarify the Nature of a HSB
|
Element Housing…
|
Like (Similar) |
Uniqueness |
|
Tech Infrastructure |
Hardware Training Call Centers |
Software - Housing centered applications BedFind Algorithm - Tracking Costs and Benefits – Build metrics into software |
|
Help Line |
Fielding calls from eligible Consumers - Screen considering Eligibility Criteria - Call center - Incoming |
Collect information about a standardized housing centered E-format - Transfer this Consumer profile information within the same provider (OCBeds) - No Referring away of those in dire need to solve their Housing Concern(s) - Surveying |
|
Work Group |
Make the calls to find Beds (BedFind) - Call Center – Outgoing calls to Bed Owners, consumers and others |
Take case handoff directly from the Housing Help Line (Call center) - A handoff and not a referral - Generate a BedCall List Deliver the Bed Portfolio (BedPort) - Offer 3 choices - Turnaround time target 72-Hours - Arrange free transportation if needed - Measurements |
|
Advisory |
Others Housing Advisories exist in name only |
Advocate for those using the service and those in need - Report Cost-Benefit- Educate community – Market the service to the community - Reporting PRN - Author Formative and Summative Implementation Reports - Sell the Product OCBeds - Assessments |
|
Metrics |
Team Metrics |
Decide on and improve measurement tools – Including performance metrics collected about the Help Line and Work Group [More on Metrics later on] |
Like Programs: Orange County
Housing Services Screening
Test -
Contact Each by Telephone as ask:
Reference
Only
Programs
centered about the OCHCA MHSA for meeting Local Housing Needs. In the face of the Behavioral Health Services
Act (BHSA), much of this information is subject to change.
|
Acro Code
|
Program |
Contact Info |
|
PEI |
BHS Outreach and Engagement |
800-364-2221 |
|
CSS |
Bridge Housing for the Homeless |
Bridges at Kraemer Place Homeless Shelter (714) 836-7188 |
|
CSS |
CHS Jail to Community Re-Entry |
Correctional Health Services (714) 834-2178 |
|
*H |
Housing Support |
Promotes OCLINKS and OC Navigator |
|
CSS |
MHSA/CSS Housing Program |
Directs to a short report |
|
CSS |
MHA-OC Multi-Service Center for Homeless Adults |
Phone (714) 668-1530 |
|
PEI |
OC-LINKS |
Mental Health and Recovery Services & Clinics (855) OC-Links (625-4657) |
|
CSS |
Services for the Short-Term Residential Therapeutic Program |
855-895-4468 Mental Health Residential TX Program for Young Adults Ages 18–32 |
|
CSS |
Year-Round Emergency Shelter |
Contact Pending |
Research - Search Phrases – Using Google
Addressing similar services and
programs
|
Query Phrase |
Hits by Name |
Hits by Concept |
|
Dedicated Housing Help Line |
No Hits |
Closest thing would be 211OC |
|
Housing Solutions |
Informative Hit Weingart Center |
No Help Line element - Scope of mission greater than a HSB |
|
Housing Advisory Board |
LA County |
Ours is Moderately Unique - LA has some odd 20 members – Their role is different than our Housing Advisory Element |
|
Housing Work Group |
Many Hits |
Ours is Moderately Unique - Yet none perform the work group roles as specified in a Housing Solutions Bundle |
|
Housing Help Line |
Many Hits |
Ours is Utterly Unique - Existing services are not in scope serving the needs that our HSB will |
|
Housing Help Line TechInfrastructure |
No Hits |
None |
|
Call Center Infrastructure |
Many Hits |
Of the eight types of call centers the Housing Help Line is mostly an Inbound-Outbound Call Center - Much of the HSB’s infrastructure could mimic OC-LINKS |
|
Call Centers in Orange County |
No hits |
Existing call centers are primarily referral - Yet their business models can be used as templates - It would be nice to piggyback the HSB on an existing server to save money |
H. Learning and
Evaluation
Section I – Item H - Learning and
Evaluation
Evaluation/Outcome Measurement -
Instructions
“How will you
track or measure what you are planning to learn? Think about what needs to be measured to learn
what you want to learn? "For each
learning question, list one or more outcome measures that could be tracked.”
Figure – Nature of Assessment – An Assessment Framework
Reference
Commercial-of-the-shelf
V Created V Combination
A Commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) assessment tool or
instrument is one that exists in a form that is implemented in a hardcopy (or
electronic) form without substantial modifications. A created assessment tool or intrument is one
where there isn’t an existing COTS tool and therefore has to be written. A Combination assessment tool or instrument
is one that is written built around one of more existing tools as a
template. Tools for capturing the Consumer’s
bed-centered experience such as roommate Matching may likely require
creating. Summative assessments with the
Consumer will vary with individual, time and place. Some Consumers will be satisfied with little
work from a Housing Solutions Bundle (HSB) whereas others will not be satisfied
when the project comes to a close.
Applying the Whatever It Takes model the Housing Solutions Bundle will
stick with the consumer until they are measureably Satisfied with their: Bed,
roommate, Sleep, etc. It would be
prudent to write the measurment tools into the software. The following are four tables regarding
measurement. Only a select few need be
implemented. The cost / benefit study is
at the core of the HSB Project (Product, Service).
Learning and Evaluation –Alpha of 4
|
Learning
Question(s)/Goal(s)
|
Evaluation/Outcome
Measurement |
|
Can bed quality be measured? |
Consumer and family member testimonies Quantitative bed quality measurement instrument(s) such as
Roommate Matching |
|
Can a well-trained Consumer and/or family member be an
effective housing specific call center operator? |
Number of call records (profiles) completed correctly as gauged
by Housing Work Group staff – Call center performance measures will be
included in the software |
|
What is the overall effectiveness of the Housing Solutions
Bundle service? |
Conversion of work group cases to GoodBed placements - Number
Served: Older Adults, incarcerated, SUD, in-patients & homeless –
Criteria will be expanded |
|
Did the participants experience a reduction of their
symptoms related to their individual housing centered survival, security and
safety needs? |
COTS Anxiety measure - COTS Health measure such as Health
Risk Assessment – Severity of Symptoms Assessment |
|
Did
participants experience improved Quality Of Life? |
World Health Organization
Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF) to measure overall satisfaction in various
domains - Professional Quality Of Life (ProQOL) for staff |
|
After being served how would the Consumer rate the quality
of their bed? |
Formulated Bed Quality Assessment (BQA) - Formulated Sleep
Quality Assessment (SQA) |
First Generated: 20230323-TH: Last Reviewed: 20250521-W:
COTS = Commercial-off-the-shelf
Table - Evaluation/Outcome
Measurement
Formative and Summative
Assessment
Learning and Evaluation –Beta of 4
|
Learning Question(s) / Goal(s)
|
Evalution / Outcome Measurement |
|
Can
a well-trained Consumer and/or family member be effective in resolving
Housing Issues that include yet are not limited to homelessness and Substance
Use Disorder (SUD)? |
Staff Evaluation of Peer
Satisfaction Survey Project Satisfaction Survey Program Satisfaction Survey |
|
Can
a fully trained Certified Peer Housing Specialist be effective in resolving
Housing Issues that include yet are not limited to the homeless and SUD? |
Placement rates - Turnaround
times - Reduction in homelessness rates – Reduced “911” calls - Reduced
hospitalizations – Shortened hospital stays |
|
What
is the overall effectiveness of the project? |
Various Counts - Consumer
& User Satisfaction - Benefits exceed costs – Staff Satisfaction |
|
Did
participants experience a reduction of their symptoms |
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
(GAD-7) Patient Health
Questionnaire (PHQ-9) Protective Factors for
measuring Resiliency Mental Status Exam (MSE) Conditional Health Fitness
Score (CHFS) |
First
Generated: 20230302-TH: Last Reviewed: 20250401-TU:
Learning and Evaluation – Gamma
of 4
Summative Assessments
|
Learning Question(s) / Goal(s)
|
Evalution / Outcome Measurement |
|
Long Term Will people flock to the OC to solve their HOUSING
concerns |
Housing Flux Count - Homeless
Immigration Count & Rate SPBC (Seriously and
Persitently Behariorally Challenged) Immigration Count & Rate |
|
Will a state-of-the-art Housing Solutions Bundle including
the Housing Help Line reduce housing related suicides |
General suicide count measure Housing specific suicide count measure |
|
Are the Consumers more satisfied
with their Housing situation |
Housing Satisfaction
Assessment Formulated Bed Quality Assessment (BQA) Formulated Sleep Quality Assessment (SQA) |
|
After being served are the Consumers
more satisfied with their lives in general |
Satisfaction with life in
general survey |
First
Generated: 20230302-TH:Last Reviewed: 20250521-W:
Many
of these measurement tools need to be created anew.
Learning and Evaluation – Delta
of 4
Summative Counts for Proof of Concept (POC)
|
Learning Question(s) / Goal(s)
|
Evaluation / Outcome Measurement |
|
At what point will the concept
become proven? A majority of favorable numbers Benefits exceed costs |
1 - Benefits far exceed costs 2 - Reduction in suicides 3 - Reduction in
re-incarceration 4 – Reduction in
hospitalizations Average savings Average turnaround time Move Insurance Policies Sold
(*) Number bettered Number more hopeful about Bed
situation Number of placements Number served Project Performance Earned
Value Substantial
number of Rent a Shared Room GoodBeds identified |
First
Generated: 20230302-TH: Last Reviewed: 20250521-W
(*)
Move Insurance (MoveIns) is a separate effort.
Aside - Move Insurance Policies
Sold (MoveIns*)
Move Insurance is actually a separate project idea. Many Consumers when they move end up paying rent on more than one bed. Bed owners are often not forgiving with either Consumer separation or the pro-rating of rent (refund) that needs to occur. Those people on Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and even others cannot afford paying for more than one bed at a time. Some opt for homelessness, panhandling, the hospital or even jail. Jail may require the consumer to pay for their jail bed while at the same time pay for your bed on the outside. On top, few of the beds the bed owners’ are renting qualify as Good Beds. Move Insurance would help Consumers, Consumers’ families and other helpers immeasurably. The same as homeowners feel they need homeowners insurance Consumers need Move Insurance (MoveIns).
I. Timeline
Modeled after an OCHCA MHSA INN Project previously delivered
Project Year Milestones / Key
Activities – Example 1 of 2
A Sample Gantt Chart
Project
Timeline V Service Timeline
The revised start date for this effort is March 29,
2026. We now have to take into
consideration the Behavioral Health Service Act (BHSA). We expect it to take no longer than five (5) years
to fully develop this concept, share this Housing Solutions Bundle (HSB) idea,
submit this idea, receive acknowledgement, obtain county approval, submission
and approval if need be by the Behavioral Health Service Oversight and
Accountability Commision (BHSOAC), execute and implement the approved plan,
build the service, sustain the service, answer the study questions, stablize
the service, evaluate the service, have the winning contractor submit a Final Project
Report (FPR), sell the mature project for replication, sell for continuance,
and coummunicate results both to speciality and general stakeholder groups.
Timelines - Breakdown by Elements
and Years
For the timeline
we model quite a bit after the OC-LINKS project idea when it was in
development. We plan to submit at least
one addendum document concentrating about greater granularity and addressing
new findings such as costs and benefits.
Addendum items will be submitted separately and progressively. Some of the addendum items we plan to address
include: Statistics, cost / benefit, risk management, project metrics, and
project management.
Key
Events and Milestones – Example 2 of 2
(*) Last time we checked Cerner
is the contractor that built and maintains the OCHCA Electronic Health Record
hardware and software.
J. Services
A Housing
Solutions Bundle (HSB) will offer brief individual, family, and helper services
with the overarching goal to place the Consumer in a Good Bed (GoodBed). Certified Peer Housing Support Specialists
will deliver in part on each element of the HSB. The Housing Help Line (HHL) will intercept
and capture cases (profiling) over the phone and hot transfer the Consumer Housing
Profile (CHP) to the Housing Work Group (HWG).
In other words, The HHL will transfer standardized call capture
information to the HWG. Next the HWG
will actually track down three bed options (3Beds) per case based on the
profile. A target time for turnaround on
each bed finding (BedFind) effort is seventy-two (72) hours from when a valid call
was first received. The Housing Advisory
Board (HAB) element will process overall project information and deliver on interim
reports and the Final Project Report (FPR).
A key element in the FPR is the benefit-cost material that will support this
projects Proving its’ Concept (POC). We
recommend the FPR be shared both with the BHSOAC and locally.
Branding
and Criteria for Services
A Housing Solutions Bundle (HSB) will
offer an intensive housing service we call Bed Find. A HSB is not designed to be a referral
service because all aspects of finding a Good Bed will be handled by the same contracted
organization or the Health Care Agency itself.
We suggest this experimental innovative HSB effort be branded as OCBeds. The Housing Advisory Board element will
educate the community including Consumers about housing those with behavioral
health challenges. This includes our
homeless (*), older adult populations, substance users, in-patients and those
incarcerated. (*) We propose that
homelessness is a behavioral health disorder in and of itself. This concept might find its’ way into an
addendum for further discussion.
Rule Making
What is the rule making process?
“The informal
rulemaking process, which often is referred to as “notice-and-comment
rulemaking,” requires that an agency first issue a notice of proposed
rulemaking and provide an opportunity for public comment on the proposal before
it can issue a final rule.”
Supports - Advocacy
Advocacy is an
area where community input will come in handy.
Some rules and policies need to be ironed out in order to make a Housing
Solutions Bundle (HSB) highly effective without excessive scope. Many agencies and organizations while
describing their services and supports: List “Housing”. Often is the case, many entities concentrate
about one cookie cutter mold such as Section 8 and don’t focus so much on bed
quality or the huge diversity of both Consumer needs and bed quality. As far as comprehensive supportive services a
HSB is not designed deliver on many. The
primary ongoing support is Housing Advocacy and Bed Finding.
Services
Provided with a Housing Solutions Bundle
Foremost is finding a GoodBed (GoodBed) for the: Consumers
of Behavioral Health Services. The service also targets those: With Substance
Use Issues, residing in the Orange County Jails, homeless or at risk, and going
to or are in a hospital. Again, a Housing Solutions Bundle (HSB) will provide
minimal supportive services. The
supports it will provide center about The Bed Continuum (BetterBed, GoodBed and
BestBed). When the Consumer is overwhelmed,
in crisis and have exhausted most of their coping tools they may have to ask
for help finding a Good Bed. In this
helping capacity: A HSB offers a degree of Crisis Intervention. In general the intervention is finding the Consumer
a Better Bed and eventually securing a Good Bed. A HSB will advocate and arrange between the Bed
Owner and the Consumer. As far
medications only those that have a measureble impact on the bed, sleep and the
room will be considered. For example the
Consumer may require sleep medication. Consumers
who take their own meds and those who can’t will be discovered in the Help Line
intercept / triage / profiling phase.
Luck
– Matching and Turnover
Some Housing Solutions Bundle (HSB) supports for the Consumer
are: Bed Find, transportation, housing advocacy, improving Consumer awareness
via assessment including measurement, and sustaining a position to advocate for
and defend the Consumer. This includes support
and services to divert the Consumer from the “911” route to the hospital when
the Consumeris overwelmed with their Bed / Room issue. Note: Just because you reside in a Good Bed
this month doesn’t guarentee it will persist.
The process of room turnover (RoomTurn) can severely disrupt the
equilibrium and hard earned harmony.
Sometimes it is just plain luck when the Consumer lands in a Good Bed. We have a roommate matching process including
quantitative assessment in the works.
Indicator
= Sleep & SleepAbility
If a Consumer suffers problematic sleep three nights
in a row & are on the verge of calling 911 they qualify for immediate elgibility
for Housing Solutions Bundle (HSB) assitance and service. They stand a good chance of needing temporary
placement (TPlace) in a transitional bed.
The projects goal is to place them in a semi-permanent bed within 72
hours. Additionally, they will be offered
three beds fitting their profile to choose from. This comes in the form of their
individualized bed portfolio (BedPort).
The Housing Work Group (HWG) researches and assembles the bed
portfolio. The HWG will very likely if
need be provide transportation management.
Intuitively, if the HSB can’t provide a sound solution another support
such as the Centralized Assessment Team (CAT) might be called in to divert from
“911” calls over housing issues. Often
is the case, the Consumer has to repurpose their bed for extended activities of
daily living (E-ADLs) such as watching media and / or working with their
Smartphone or laptop. These Consumer
needs might best come into consideration with the placement using Bed Finder
(BedFind). If a Consumers medication,
money, glasses, dentures, keys or other essential or prized belongings get
stolen: They are immediately eligible for HSB assistance. If the Consumer gets beaten up in their room
they are immediately eligible for HSB assistance. The writing of rules, regarding criteria to
qualify for HSB services and supports, need authoring. Note: Remember on average we spend about 1/3
of our lives trying to get a good night’s sleep. Sleep is a high weight indicator of a Shared
Roommate Match.
Transistional
Beds
One of the pre-eminent resources that the Housing Work
Group and Housing Advisory Board (And possibly OC Navigator) will develop and
maintain are locations and numbers for a substantial portion of all
transitional beds in the OC. We are
hoping to sell OC Navigator, via their request shared on their website, to
develop housing resource materials in advance.
Transitional beds might best be free for the Consumer. This is an aspect of Move Insurance
(MoveIns). With free transistional beds the
Consumeris less likely to be burdened by paying for two or more beds as the
same time. Moving in and about the Rent
a Shared Room (RASR) environment is nearly always: An ordeal and adjustment. We need to help the Consumer as much as is
reasonably possible. The consumer's first
move into the Rent a Shared Room (RASR) environment is a critical control point
(CCP). Roommate matching will be
evaluated using a derived measurement tool.
Waiting
Lists
Any Beds that have waiting lists such as Section 8 and
Permanent Supportive Housing are not fair game for a collaboration with a Housing
Solutions Bundle. The project will
address criteria in the rule making effort.
Housing Solutions Bundle Elements - Services Version
K. Target Population
A Housing Solutions Bundle (HSB) is a generalized term for addressing this Health and Human Service Project Idea or Concept. We first tried to sell this concept as BedBusters. BedBusters did not go over well. For example, back in late 2020 Dr. Clayton Chau thought BedBusters was unremarkable. Again, we suggest the HSB brand be called OCBeds or something really remarkable and exciting. A HSB will serve a few priority populations: Older Adults (60+), our homeless, those incarcerated, substance users and those exiting the Psych Ward. The program will serve Consumers that find themselves chronically unserved and underserved, particularly when it comes to Housing. The HSB Project will take some time to gear up for serving identified threshold communities such as: Iranian, Korean, Latino and Vietnamese. Third year services may also be extended to Orange County residents with various demographic backgrounds, including: U.S. Veteran or family member, those suffering dementia, physically disabled, and LGBTIQ.
L. Number
Served
Number Served – Reference Model (OC-LINKS)
Estimated Number of People Served
per Year using OC-LINKS as model versus and an alternative Build up model.
We have a separate study: 04_HHL_Number_Served_20022207_Notes
V2023: Source OCHealthInfo: OC-LINKS Years 1, 2 and 3
Rough Estimate 10,000 Total Calls per Year: Target number served is less than yet close to the number of total calls.
Number
Served – Build Up Model
“What
is the estimated number of people to be served per year.”
If we served only the homeless – 2019 OC Count
Approximately 6860 (LA Times, 2019). The
definition of “Served” needs working out.
It might best be when the Consumer secures a measured Good Bed.
M. Community Partners
A Housing
Solutions Bundle (HSB) will collaborate closely with OC-LINKS and the
Warmline. News as of April 2, 2025 indicates
that the Warmline may be shutting down. The
National Alliance on Mental Illness Orange County (NAMI-OC) might be leveraged
as one agency to promote the HSB service.
Through active promoting of program services, via a NAMI-OC route, a HSB
can receive consistent referrals from: The OC Warmline, OC-LINKS, Family-to-Family
groups and other support groups. In
turn, HSB service participants unfamiliar with Community Housing Resources will
discover direction in helping them or their loved one place in a (Certified) Good
Bed. The Housing Advisory Group element
will teach members of the community and other stakeholders the Bed Find
process.
Marketing Penetration
Using Behavioral
Health Service Act (BHSA) funds we deem it prudent to offer a class at the BHSA
supported Recovery Education Institute (REI) that addresses only Housing. REI may facilitate with workshops with the
goal of increasing the knowledge about the impact that housing has on Aging, Behavioral
Health, Hospitalization, Substance Use and Crime. Program brochures can be placed regularly at
REI and other locations to increase knowledge of a Housing Solutions Bundle
(HSB). A HSB might best be presented at
the annual Mental Health Associations (MHA-OC) Meeting of the Minds (MOMs). This is one effort for the Housing Advisory
Board. The program / service can also partner with the MHSA BHSA
Wellness Centers for the purpose of building a housing centered support network
for family members and Consumers in the Behavioral Health Community (BHC).
Collaboration
A HSB program Housing
Advisory Peer Specialist or Certified Peer Housing Specialist can regularly
staff events at the MHSA BHSA supported Wellness Centers promoting
services to active members. A HSB can
also partner with (was OC-BHS) the now Mental Health & Recovery Services
(MHRS) through collaboration with the Centralized Assessment Team (CAT) during
crises associated with Housing such as: Harm-to-self, harm-to-others, and grave
disability. This collaboration can
result in regular housing centered case management and coordination to increase
the quality of Bed Finds and placements.
From BadBed to GoodBed
Similarly, a
Housing Solutions Bundle (HSB) can partner with any worker associated with the
psychiatric ward and / or incarceration to help bridge the gap in housing
services and support for those most
vulnerable to the adverse effects (affects) associated with poor
placements (BadBed). A Consumer
placement for the first time in a Rent a Shared Room (RASR) environment is a
crucial and challenging event. In other
words it is a critical control point. As Judge Judy is documented saying in the
record of television:
“I protect those that can’t protect themselves.”
Consumers Voice
A case is not
closed until the Consumer declares via self-assessment they are in a Good Bed (GoodBed)
or the elusive Great Bed (GreatBed). Lastly,
the HSB program can collaborate and partner with those institutions that
provide transportation.
SECTION II
Money Matters - Budget
A.
Expenditure Plan (Housing Solutions Bundle Short Forms)
Budget - Expenditure Plan –
Staffing
Financial Considerations
What follows are
two (2) Budget – Expenditure Plans. The
first one is centered about Staffing.
The second one is a short-form Operations Budget. We estimate that a reasonable amount to
invest for a Housing Solutions Bundle during the First Year is: $3,000,000 (USD). We base this on the amount that OC-LINKS was
recently approved with their annual renewal.
Associated Document
Ø
Metadata >06_HHL_Financial_Budget_20060705_Notes
V2023
Creating New Jobs - Approximately
13.0 FTEs
Implementation
of a Housing Solution Bundle (HSB) will create a dozen or so jobs. In other words a HSB will increase the
behavioral health workforce. We estimate
a maximum of 13.0 Full Time Equivalents (FTEs).
Again, many of our estimates come from comparing with operating budgets
of OC-LINKS, another call center in Orange County. Some of the job descriptions for workers for
the Housing Solutions Bundle we find rather unique. For example the employee proficient with the
hardware and software we call a Super User.
Matrix
- Staffing Budget – First Year Start Up Costs
Financial Considerations
BUDGET - Section II (A Housing
Solutions Bundle)
Budget - Expenditure Plan –
Operations
Matrix
- Operations Budget – First Year Start Up Costs
Operations
for a Housing Solutions Bundle
Operating Cost Matrix - First
Version: 20191206-F: Again, the first
year mimics a yearly budget close to that of OC-LINKS
Reference
Finance Scheme 2 Operating Costs takes into account an Expenditure Plan from a prior MHSA Innovations project. Sample of an MHSA Expenditure Plan - Health Care Agency - Behavioral Health Services - MHSA Innovation Projects
List of Expenses and Other Features
Moderate Itemization
- Personnel
- · (Staffing expenses, number of staff, classifications)
- · Personnel Description
- · Project Manager – One
- · Masters Level – One for each element
- · (Certified) Peer Support Specialists
- · Technician (IT SuperUser (*))
- Operations
- · (Services and supplies)
- · Basic facility services
- · T1
- · Computers - Server support
- · Computers workstations – Work station build and support
- · Computers – Software and Software Updates
- · Office supplies
- · Office equipment
- · Program Promotion Materials
- · Brochures
- · Transportation
- · Utilities
- Non-recurring
- · (Start-up and one-time expenses)
- · Non-recurring Costs
- · Server Purchase
- · First build of software
- · Telephony equipment
- · Report writing software
- Contracts
- · Evaluation consultants
- · Trainings
- Evaluation Costs
- · Project Manager role until fourth year
- · Fourth Year Cost
- · Cost / Benefit
- Other Expenses
Images @ The End
Author’s Lived
Experience and Outreach Work
“Every Picture Tells
a Story”
End of Report
Refer to Addendum Reports
To Be Submitted at a
Later Time
A Magnus Botrus fragmentum (Great Cluster of Peace)
999
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