Capability Traps Impeding Homeless Services: A Community-Based System Dynamics Evaluation

Abstract

Continuums of Care (CoCs) are the primary coordinating bodies for homeless services in the United States. However, the complexities involved in delivering homeless services across interagency networks challenges coordination and system improvement. CoC governance, planning, and service provision have received little attention in academic literature, and thus, Continuums attempt to manage complex systems with little guidance. This evaluation applied community-based system dynamics with homeless consumers and service providers to (1) identify capability traps that impede services delivery and to (2) engage stakeholders in a structured system improvement process. Results revealed organizational structures for governance and planning that inhibit system outcomes. Insights led to policy and practice recommendations for the homeless system.

Solving Homelessness from a Complex Systems Perspective: Insights for Prevention Responses

“…Recurrent constraints on the availability of supports often require further tailoring of homeless assistance on the basis of resource accessibility. The resulting combinatorial complexity of housing interventions challenges sustained, systematic responses to homelessness (35).…”

“…Actual efficiencies of the system depend on the mutually agreed upon rules that drive resource allocation (8, 82). Partnerships must continuously devote time toward planning and monitoring mutually agreed upon goals, which shifts resources away from the core service missions of each agency (35). Given the constant pressure for social services, a dynamic emerges that threatens continued investment in collaboration (59).…”

Assessing the efficacy of group model building workshops in an applied setting through purposive text analysis

“…Overall, we have demonstrated that substantial changes in alignment can be achieved through a low-resource GMB workshop that can be implemented in a substantially shorter time frame (SI 7) than much of the existing work in the community-based system dynamics literature (e.g. Fowler et al, 2017;Ballard, 2018). Considering both the high content and complexity of the models presented in this work, it is unlikely that traditional group facilitation techniques (i.e.…”

“…Recently, there has been an increased focus on the use of GMB approaches for engaging local stakeholders at a community level in more informal and applied settings (Hovmand, 2014a;Amadei, 2015;Neely, 2019). Examples include modeling complex watershed management (RESLIM, 2015), understanding the delivery of mental health services in conflict areas (Trani et al, 2016), assessing drivers of solar energy adoption (Walters et al, 2018), and developing innovative policies for reducing urban homelessness (Fowler et al, 2017). While these works have greatly expanded the scope and potential use of GMB beyond its traditional realm, there remains limited documentation of GMB within these contexts.…”

Allocating Interventions Based on Predicted Outcomes: A Case Study on Homelessness Services

“…Homelessness represents a long-standing problem with considerable individual and social costs. Homeless services coordinated at the community level (i.e, homeless system) struggle to keep up with demand for housing assistance, and little evidence supports the accuracy of current decision making in the allocation of limited homeless services (Brown et al 2018;Fowler et al 2017;Shinn et al 2013). Advances in machine learning and AI techniques have made it possible to apply learning algorithms to social problems ranging from police patrol to poaching.…”