TA Providers Interview

2528-XXXX

XX-XX-XXXX

TA Providers Interview

Introduction

Thank you for taking the time to talk with us today. As you know, HUD has contracted with Westat to conduct a cross-site evaluation of the Youth Homelessness Demonstration Project (YHDP). In each of the demonstration and comparison sites, we are interviewing a number of people to learn more about the community’s efforts to serve youth who are homeless or at risk of homelessness and [for YHDP sites] how the YHDP is unfolding here. In the interview today, I am especially interested in learning about your organization’s involvement in ____________________ [community].

Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 60 minutes per response for this TA provider interview. HUD may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection information unless that collection displays a valid OMB control number 2528-xxxx, expiring xx-xx-xxxx.

The information requested under this collection is protected and held private in accordance with 42 U.S.C. 1306, 20 CFR 401 and 402, 5 U.S.C.552 (Freedom of Information Act), 5 U.S.C. 552a (Privacy Act of 1974) and OMB Circular No. A-130.

Before I get into more of the specifics of the interview, do you have any questions for me?

[See if there are any questions, comments, concerns.]

We’d like to record the session to make sure we get your answers accurately. Following our visit, the recording will be transcribed and used for analysis. At the end of the study in 2021, we will give copies of the transcription without names or any identifying information to HUD for their records. The recordings will be destroyed. You can ask us to turn off the recording at any time if you would prefer to talk about something and not have it recorded. Do we have your permission to record the interview?

[If permission is granted, turn on recorder.]

1. Background

I would like to begin with a few questions about your background and role in the demonstration.

1. What is your background in youth homelessness? Other areas of homelessness? Other service areas for youth and young adults?

2. Which CoCs do you work with? How long have you been working with each?

3. [For comparison sites] Are there any initiatives to address youth homelessness happening in the community (i.e., 100 Day Challenges, etc.)? What are their scopes and timeframes?

2. Plan Development, Overview, and Implementation

I would now like to learn a bit more about the ____________________ [community] YHDP plan. We have a recent version but would like to know a bit more detail about its status, development, and current implementation.

4. [For comparison sites] Does the community have/is the community developing a plan to address youth homelessness? [If no, skip to Q.8]]

Plan Overview and Structure

5. Can you give us a brief overview of the plan’s key components? What programs/initiatives is the CoC planning to implement? What does the system already have in place? [For follow-up interviews] Are these elements being modified in any way?

5. What innovations has the CoC developed as part of its plan? This could include something new to the CoC that is widely used in other places or something that has recently been identified as a promising practice.

Youth Involvement

5. Did you work with youth in the planning process? [Prompt for their involvement at both the systems and organizational level.]

8. Did you work with youth in the plan’s implementation? [Prompt for both their involvement at both the systems and organizational level.] Are they the same youth as those involved in the plan development?

8. [For YHDP sites] What is your perspective on the role that the Youth Board has played? What has it offered? Are there ways to improve its contribution?

8. [For comparison sites] Are youth involved in decision-making in the community? If so, in what ways?

Technical Assistance

8. What technical assistance (TA) have you provided to the community?

   • On what topics/areas do you provide TA?

   • To which organizations?

   • In what ways do you provide the assistance?

   • How often do you meet with the sites? In-person? Over the phone?

   • What type of assistance have you provided?

8. Was the site receptive to the TA? Did that change over time?

8. How has the TA influenced the efforts?

   • What areas have been the most difficult for the site to resolve?

Challenges

8. What areas have been the most difficult to plan? Implement? Why?

8. [For YHDP sites] What challenges has the CoC faced during the planning process for the YHDP?

   • What strategies have they used to try to overcome these challenges?

   • What were the results?

   • Have you provided any TA to help with these challenges?

   • Did it help?

8. [For YHDP sites] What challenges has the CoC faced in implementing the plans for the YHDP?

   • What strategies have they used to try to overcome these challenges?

   • What were the results?

   • Have you provided any TA to help with these challenges?

   • How has it helped?

8. [For comparison sites] What challenges has the CoC faced in developing the youth homeless system?

   • What strategies have they used to try to overcome these challenges?

   • What were the results?

   • Have you provided any TA to help with these challenges?

   • How has it helped?

8. What have you learned to date about what works or doesn’t work in this community?

8. Is there additional TA planned for the future?

8. What additional resources are needed to address challenges? [Probe for funding, TA.]

2. Systems Issues

21. Currently, what do you see as the key gaps in this community in meeting the needs of youth experiencing homelessness? Where are youth most likely to fall through the cracks in the system? Are there certain characteristics or subpopulations of youth who are more likely to fall through the cracks or not get the services they need?

21. What would you say are the main unresolved issues in the youth homeless system in this community that you are confronting?

21. What are the tensions in the system?

21. Are there disagreements in what the system should look like? What are the various views?

21. What additional resources are needed to address the systems issues? [Probe for funding, TA.]

3. Context

26. [For YHDP sites] Are there other initiatives to address youth homelessness happening in the community in addition to the YHDP (i.e., 100 Day Challenges, etc.)? What are their scopes and timeframes?

26. [For Ohio Balance of State ( BOS), Kentucky BOS, and Northwest Michigan] Are there other youth homelessness initiatives happening at a state level or in the broader CoC area? What are their scopes and timeframes?

26. Are there any other factors that are important for us to understand in characterizing the context of the community? Economic factors? State or local political factors? Anything else (such as geography, transportation, culture, growth of the population)?

26. Is there anything else that stands out to you as different about this community than the other communities you are familiar with or have worked with?

3. Developments

26. My final question is: What do you see as the most exciting developments under way or being considered that are relevant to youth homelessness? [Probe for developments in this community, other communities, nation-wide.]

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