Table 1.
Suggested federal activities to improve the collection, exchange, and infrastructure for data on Homelessness and Health *
| Strategic Objective 1 (SO1): Support Community-Based Organizations’ data collection by providing technical assistance and resources. |
|---|
| Support Data Warehouses |
| Study the utility and cost-effectiveness of state data warehouses to improve data collection and evidence-based interventions. |
| Provide Technical Assistance & Guidance |
| Develop standard technical guidance and assistance to assist CBOs with the collection of accurate data. |
| Create turn-key templates, tools, and guidelines needed by CBOs to enhance data activities (e.g., data sharing agreements). |
| Assist with the creation of standards around the ethical collection of behavioral and mental health related data. |
| Provide trainings on HMIS and data quality improvement. |
| Strategic Objective 2 (SO2): Enhance housing and health interoperability by strengthening interagency partnerships and collaboration. |
| Establishing Common Definitions |
| Develop a common data dictionary (standardized definitions across state, federal, and local agencies) and a common data model |
| Provide Best Practices for Data Reporting |
| Encourage regular data feedback from public agencies to community-based organizations. |
| Streamline reporting to Federal agencies by mapping and de-duplicating data submission requests across multiple grantors |
| Foster Data Sharing Among Partners |
| Provide tools, templates, and resources (e.g., plain language guidance on relevant legal principles) to assist CBOs with data sharing. |
| Develop a validated and standardized instrument to capture housing and homelessness status. |
| Promote interagency technology and training efforts related to health and housing data |
| Coordinate CBO Learning Collaborative Networks |
| Facilitate CBO sharing of best practices for data and data-sharing |
| Utilize learning collaboratives to gather CBO perspectives on data issues (e.g., feedback on data elements within reporting requirements, development of use cases) |
* Solutions proposed by the Technical Expert Panel (TEP) that represented approaches to issues that fall outside of the scope of federal public health for direct action are included in Supplemental Table 3