In September 2024, ODFC and CT BOS authorized the formation of the Housing and Homelessness Data Strategy Board (referred to as the Data Strategy Board or DSB) to cultivate a statewide coalition of funders, providers, and key partners in a collective mission to enhance and optimize Connecticut’s Homelessness Data Infrastructure. The DSB aspires to create a collaborative data environment that facilitates data-informed decision making for the benefit of individuals, youth, and families experiencing homelessness, and the agencies who serve them.
The purpose of the DSB, which replaces the HMIS Steering Committee as the governing body of CT HMIS, is to provide oversight of a statewide data strategy that is carried out collectively by designated partners and to make statewide strategic decisions and recommendations impacting the governance of HMIS operations. Additional information on the Data Strategy Board and Charter is available on the CT HMIS Governance website.
Meredith Clay, Chief Quality and Compliance Officer at New Reach, and Lauren Sheehan, Chief Operating and Strategic Officer at The Housing Collective, have been selected by the board to serve as co-chairs for a two-year and three-year term, respectively. There are seats on the board open for housing/homeless providers and CAN backbone agencies. The DSB is in the process of developing an application process and will send out instructions on applying by the end of January.
For the remainder of the 2024-25 state fiscal year (ending June 30, 2025), the Data Strategy Board will primarily focus on the transition to a new HMIS Lead (CCEH is set to step down from this role effective June 30, 2025), and a migration from the current self-hosted CaseWorthy environment to a co-hosted CaseWorthy cloud environment. We anticipate that there will be minimal impact on providers and users due to the migration which is currently scheduled for March. Additional details, on-going communication, and a plan for technical support will be forthcoming as we get closer to the migration date.
The Data Strategy Board would like to thank the HMIS Steering Committee members for their dedication and hard work over the years. We look forward to continuing their effort to serve the CoCs and statewide partners.