Warm Beds Homeless Program Outcome Evaluation Plan

docx

School

University of California, Los Angeles *

*We aren’t endorsed by this school

Course

121D

Subject

Sociology

Date

Nov 24, 2024

Type

docx

Pages

Uploaded by Osenaa75

1 Warm Beds Homeless Program Outcome Evaluation Plan Students Name Course Title Institution Affiliation Professors Name Due Date

2 Warm Beds Homeless Program Outcome Evaluation Plan Introduction Homelessness is a major public health concern in Alaska. Homeless people are everywhere, especially in Anchorage. No matter where one turns, they are likely to see a homeless person holding a placard asking for a sleeping bag, blanket, or food. During winter, homeless people in Alaska find themselves between trees lined along the streets and highways. As a result, most homeless people are found dead due to the extreme winter cold as they are frozen to death (Christensen et al., 2017). Therefore, the warm beds homeless program was developed to get the homeless people off the streets and highways during the night by giving them shelter in various homeless shelters spread across Alaska. Program Evaluation Goal This program outcome evaluation aims to determine the effectiveness of the warm beds homeless program in getting the homeless off the streets and giving them a decent shelter that protects them from harsh weather conditions experienced at night in Anchorage, Alaska. The outcomes of this evaluation will be used to determine the needs and resources for the warm beds homeless program for the following year. Program Evaluation Team The program evaluation team consists of warm a social worker who has a history of working with homeless people in Alaska. The social worker will be the lead evaluator. Their role will be to oversee all activities of the evaluation program to ensure that they are conducted as planned and coordinate all meetings. In addition, the evaluation team will consist of the warm

3 beds homeless program’s manager, who will help the team to navigate different areas of the program and grant access to all team members. The team will also have a community health outreach worker who will act as the community liaison and help in data collection and review. Lastly, the team will have a country health commissioner who will serve as an advisor and stakeholder. He will provide the support and guidance needed by the team to disseminate the evaluation results. Assessment of Stakeholders During the warm beds homeless program’s previous meeting, the program's evaluation was discussed. Various stakeholders were identified and their interest and involvement in the program and its evaluation. The first identified stakeholders are the program’s staff, and their interest is jobs. The staff’s role in the evaluation is defining the program, identifying data sources, collecting data, interpreting data, and disseminating and implanting the outcomes. The homeless people were also identified as key stakeholders in the program. The interest of these homeless people is to get access to better shelter and other needs like food, and their role will be to provide their perspectives about the program that will be done through surveys. Community health commissioners and community-based organizations whose interests are to improve housing and community well-being. The role of community health commissioners and community-based organizations will be to provide funding, interpret and disseminate findings, and modify the program if needed. Background and Description of the Warm Beds Homeless Program Need

Your preview ends here

Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version

Access to all documents
Unlimited textbook solutions
24/7 expert homework help

4 The warm beds homeless program is needed to combat the homeless crisis in Anchorage. According to the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (n.d.), Anchorage is home to about 1949 people. These people are exposed to extreme weather conditions like cold during winter, which freezes some of them to death. However, Kesslen (2019) states that homeless programs such as the warm beds homeless program provide basic needs, including shelter; thus, preventing more homeless people from dying due to freezing. Therefore, there is a need for the warm beds homeless program to provide shelter and save the lives of homeless people. Context Homelessness in Anchorage, Alaska, has been a problem of concern for some years now. According to a special report by Dobbyn (2020), the increase in homelessness in the city and Alaska, especially among Alaska Native and non-Native children, is due to high poverty rates and increased drug abuse. In addition, the report shows that child abuse, sexual assault, and domestic violence are prevalent throughout Alaska, which makes most residents vulnerable to becoming homeless. The warm beds homeless program targets these homeless residents to provide shelter during the night when the weather is often harsh. Target Population The target population of this program is the homeless people sleeping under trees and along the streets in Anchorage. Objectives of the Program The goal of the warm beds homeless program is to provide a warm bed for the night to the homeless people. To achieve this goal, the program has the following objectives:

5 1. To increase the number of homeless people getting a warm bed for a night at Anchorage. 2. Provide adequate and appropriate shelter for the homeless. 3. Improve the health and well-being of homeless people. Stage of Program Development The program is at its mature phase since it has been operational for more than 3 years. Inputs/ Resources Community-based organizations, the warm beds homeless program staff, community drug and alcohol addiction shelters, and the local government agencies are key inputs or resource providers of the warm beds homeless program. Activities Staff training, community outreach and education distributing fliers about the program to the homeless people and visiting the homeless people. Outputs As a result of the efforts done in the warm beds homeless program, the programs staff, social worker, and a community health outreach worker were hired and trained on how to conduct the evaluation using the interviews and survey. Outcomes 1. Increased number of homeless people getting a warm bed for a night at Anchorage. 2. Adequate and appropriate provision of shelter for the homeless. 3. Improved health and well-being of the homeless people.

6 Focus of the Program Evaluation The Needs of Stakeholders From the beginning, the programs staff, social workers, community health outreach workers, representatives from the community-based organizations, and community health commissioners were identified as the key users of this program outcome evaluation findings. Generally, these stakeholders will need to know the program’s outcomes, whether the program is working or not, and how to enhance or refine the warm beds homeless program. Evaluation Questions The following outcome evaluation questions were prioritized for the examination of this program: 1. How many homeless people do the warm beds homeless program help? 2. How many homeless people accepted the program’s services? 3. How many homeless people come back for the program’s services? 4. How has the program improved homeless people’s health and well-being? Evaluation Design The evaluation team agreed to use multiple data sources due to the small size of the warm beds homeless program, the high need to obtain information to improve the program, and the in- depth data needed. The team also decided to benchmark the obtained information against the

Your preview ends here

Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version

Access to all documents
Unlimited textbook solutions
24/7 expert homework help

7 benchmarks set by the warm beds homeless program. The data would also be used as a reference for future evaluations. Resources Considerations There are limited resources available for the outcome evaluation of the program. Therefore, a social worker and a community health outreach worker will be on full-time employment and will devote at least 6 hours a day to evaluate for one week. The other team members will be on temporary employment and devote a few days and hours to the evaluation. In addition, due to resource constraints, the evaluation will be done as part of the warm beds homeless program’s existing routines to utilize the program’s staff and existing sources of data. Evaluation Standards The evaluation team agreed to seek consent, promote confidentiality, and conduct outcomes benchmarks to address concerns about utility, feasibility, propriety, and accuracy of data collected. Gathering Credible Evidence: Data Collection Indicators The indicators for the program's success would include the increased number of homeless people getting the services offered by the program, the high number of homeless people accepting the program’s services, increased number of people coming back for the program’s services, and improved health and well-being for the homeless.

8 Data Collection The outcome evaluation utilizes interviews, surveys, and observation data collection methods. The social worker and community health outreach worker will conduct interviews administered to the program’s staff and the homeless people to assess their perception about the warm beds homeless program. In addition, the social worker and the community health outreach worker would conduct observations of the program’s staff behaviour in providing their services. Timeline for the Evaluation The warm beds homeless program outcome evaluation would take 6 hours daily for 1 week. Justifying Conclusions: Data Analysis and Interpretation Analysis Quantitative and qualitative data analysis methods would be used to analyze the information obtained. In quantitative analysis, the content analysis would be used to analyze the observations made. On the other hand, in qualitative analysis, the thematic analysis will be used to analyze the comments made by the staff and the homeless people during interviews and surveys. Interpretation All stakeholders of this program will be involved in interpreting the outcomes of this evaluation. They will all be allowed to justify the outcomes and give their recommendations. Use of Collected Information: Report and Dissemination

9 Dissemination The findings of this program’s outcome evaluation will be disseminated through presentations given to all stakeholders during the program’s general meeting and a short report given to the local government and county health commissioners. In addition, an article will be written on the city’s health department website and local newspaper for public view. Use The findings will be used to improve the warm beds homeless program by suggesting strategies that can refine or support the program. Social workers, community-based organizations, and public health agencies will use the program’s outcome evaluation findings to address homelessness better and improve people’s well-being in Anchorage.

Your preview ends here

Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version

Access to all documents
Unlimited textbook solutions
24/7 expert homework help

10 References Christensen, J., Arnfjord, S., Carraher, S., & Hedwig, T. (2017). Homelessness across Alaska, the Canadian North, and Greenland: A Review of the Literature on a Developing Social Phenomenon in the Circumpolar North. Arctic, 70(4), 349–364. https://doi- org.libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/10.14430/arctic4680 Dobbyn, P. (2020, October 16). Special report: Anchorage faces a homeless crisis – and the challenges may be increasing. https://www.adn.com/alaska- news/anchorage/2020/06/06/special-report-anchorage-faces-a-homeless-crisis-and-the- challenges-may-be-increasing/ Kesslen, B. (2019, September 22). Homeless services in Alaska face uncertain future as state cuts back. NBC News . https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/death-sentence-homeless- services-alaska-face-uncertain-future-state-cuts-n1057021 United States Interagency Council on Homelessness. (n.d.). Alaska Homeless Statistics. Retrieved on January 23, 2022, from https://www.usich.gov/homelessness-statistics/ak/

Warm Beds Homeless Program Outcome Evaluation Plan

Related Documents