Drafter
Clerk 11/12/2015
Title
A MOTION expressing the council's support for transferring the administration and management of the Seattle-King County homeless management information system from the city of Seattle to King County and directing the executive to develop and transmit a work plan for implementing this transfer.
Body
WHEREAS, a homeless management information system ("HMIS") is a locally administered, electronic data collection system that stores information about people who use homeless services, and
WHEREAS, since 2007, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development ("HUD") has required that jurisdictions operate, enter information into and prepare reports from a local HMIS as a condition of remaining eligible to receive federal homeless services funds, and
WHEREAS, HUD assigns responsibility for the HMIS to the locally designated continuum of care, and
WHEREAS the locally designated continuum of care for Seattle and King County is All Home, formerly known as the Committee to End Homelessness in King County ("CEH"), and
WHEREAS, the HMIS for the Seattle-King County continuum of care is jointly funded by King County, the city of Seattle and United Way of King County, and
WHEREAS, the HMIS for the Seattle-King County continuum of care is administered and managed by the Seattle human services department, and
WHEREAS, the HMIS for the Seattle-King County continuum of care uses database software that is provided and maintained by a vendor operating under a statewide contract with the Washington State Department of Commerce, and
WHEREAS, the 2009 federal homeless emergency assistance and rapid transition to housing ("HEARTH") act requires that local continuums of care develop coordinated entry systems to ensure that all people experiencing a housing crisis have fair and equal access and are quickly identified, assessed for, referred and connected to housing and assistance based on their strengths and needs, and
WHEREAS, the HEARTH act encourages but does not require local continuums of care to use their HMIS as part of their coordinated entry systems, and
WHEREAS, the Seattle-King County continuum of care developed coordinated entry systems for families and young adults that were operated separately from the HMIS, and
WHEREAS, in March 2015, in response to evaluations of these coordinated entry systems, and in preparation for developing a coordinated entry system for single adults, the CEH interagency council approved a plan for coordinated entry for all populations that would unite the coordinated entry systems and integrate them into the HMIS, and
WHEREAS, the development of coordinated entry for all populations and the integration of coordinated entry into the HMIS is being administered and managed by CEH, which is now known as All Home, in its capacity as the Seattle-King County continuum of care, and
WHEREAS, in November 2015, the Washington State Department of Commerce announced that it had procured a new HMIS vendor and database software and that it would help local continuums of care transition their HMIS operations to the new software during the first two quarters of 2016, and
WHEREAS, alternative options for administration and management of the Seattle-King County HMIS have been evaluated in the past, most recently in response to Ordinance 17619, which directed the executive to work with the city of Seattle, United Way of King County and provider agencies to develop a plan to strengthen HMIS governance and operations and to study alternative options for the management of the HMIS, including but not limited to moving the administration and management of the HMIS to King County, and
WHEREAS, All Home, as the locally designated continuum of care, is responsible for both the HMIS and the development of coordinated entry for all populations and the integration of coordinated entry into the HMIS, and
WHEREAS, All Home is physically colocated with the King County department of community and human services, and
WHEREAS, transferring the administration and management of the HMIS from the city of Seattle to King County will provide for more efficient coordination between the HMIS and coordinated entry for all populations and will ensure that people experiencing a housing crisis are assisted as quickly and effectively as possible, and
WHEREAS, the transition to the new statewide HMIS software in 2016 will provide a timely opportunity in which to implement a transfer of the administration and management of the HMIS from the city of Seattle to King County, and
WHEREAS, the All Home coordinating board is expected to consider the potential for transferring the administration and management of the HMIS from the city of Seattle to King County at its December 2015 board meeting;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT MOVED by the Council of King County:
A. The King County council expresses its support for transferring the administration and management of the Seattle-King County HMIS from the city of Seattle to King County. Transferring the HMIS to King County will provide for more efficient coordination between the management of the HMIS and the development and management of coordinated entry for all populations and will ensure that people experiencing a housing crisis are assisted as quickly and effectively as possible.
B. The executive is requested to develop and transmit to the council a work plan and the necessary legislation for transferring the administration and management of the Seattle-King County HMIS from the city of Seattle to King County. The work plan should include but not be limited to:
1. Verification that the city of Seattle has consented to the transfer;
2. Verification that All Home has consented to the transfer;
3. Verification that United Way of King County has consented to the transfer;
4. Identification of the department and division within King County in which the HMIS will be located and an organizational chart with a list of existing and proposed staff positions or outside vendors that will manage, administer and operate the HMIS, as well as any legislation needed to provide position authority or procurement authority for the administration and management of the HMIS;
5. A description of how the administration and management of the HMIS will be funded, identifying any legislation necessary to provide appropriation authority for the administration and management of the HMIS or to change the terms of the agreements that govern the HMIS funding structure;
6. A description of how the administration and management of the HMIS will be coordinated with King County information technology, as well as a benefit achievement plan for the HMIS as required by K.C.C. 2.16.025;
7. A description of how the administration and management of the HMIS will be coordinated with All Home, including a timeline that shows the transfer of the HMIS in relation to the development of coordinated entry for all populations;
8. A description of how the administration and management of the HMIS will be coordinated with the Washington State Department of Commerce and its HMIS vendor, including a timeline that shows the transfer of the HMIS in relation to the transition to the new HMIS software;
9. A description of how governance for the HMIS will be provided, including a description of any necessary changes to the charter of the steering committee that currently oversees HMIS operations; and
10. A description of the steps that will be taken during the transfer of the HMIS, the development and implementation of coordinated entry for all populations and the transition to the new HMIS software to communicate with, seek input from and minimize disruption to provider agencies and the people they serve.
C. The executive should transmit the work plan and necessary legislation to transfer the administration and management of the HMIS to King County by March 15, 2016, in the form of a paper original and an electronic copy to the clerk of the council, who shall retain the original and provide an electronic copy to all councilmembers, the council chief of staff, the policy staff director and the lead staff for the health, housing and human services committee, or its successor.