Washington State Department of Commerce

Implementing the Self-Sufficiency Matrix

June 22, 2011

Staff Training ToolFor the Independent Youth Housing Program

•Based on Abt Associates Training and Michigan’s and Minnesota’s Implementation

Training Overview

•What is the self-sufficiency matrix?

•Using the matrix assessment

•Assessment timelines

•Self-sufficiency domains and flowcharts

Background

•Used to measure need, target services, and evaluate supportive service provision.

•First implemented by The Arizona Homeless Evaluation Project.

•Tested for validity and reliability.

Using the Matrix

•Who: IYHP participants

•When: Entry, interim, exit

•Why: Excellent engagement tool (meant to be completed jointly by client and case manager), provides valuable information on participant needs and outcomes and program benchmarks and outcomes.

Assessment Timeline – Current Participants

•Complete initial assessments by September 2011.

•Back date to match entry date.

•Recreate status immediately prior to entry.

•Interim completed at 12-month anniversary of entry.

•If the best score is somewhere between two numbers, score using the lower number.

Assessment Timeline – New Participants

•Complete within 30 days of entry.

•Measure person’s status before program entry.

•Select one and only one status level in each of the domains .

•If the best score is somewhere between two numbers, score using the lower number.

Assessment Timeline – Interim

•Assess every 12 months after entering program.

•Complete assessment with the participant.

•If the best score is somewhere between two numbers, score using the lower number.

Assessment Timeline – Exit

•Complete as close to actual program exit as possible.

•If the best score is somewhere between two numbers, score using the lower number.

Matrix Assessment Tips

•Process for completion can vary – entered directly into the computer, done on paper; in conversation with participant, by observation and case notes.

•If not scored accurately on entry assessment (because of undisclosed information, e.g., chemical health), assessment scores should be re-done.

The Self-Sufficiency Matrix

Two Key Features:

•18 domains – do not cover every possible life domain.

•5-point scale – will not fit all unique situations; choose closest response.

Domain Scale1. Income

1 = In Crisis

2 = Vulnerable

3 = Safe

4 = Building Capacity

5 = Empowered

2. Employment3. Shelter4. Food5. Childcare6. Children’s Education7. Adult Education8. Legal9. Health Care10. Life Skills11. Mental Health12. Substance Abuse13. Family Relations14. Transportation/Mobility15. Community Involvement16. Safety17. Parenting Skills18. Credit History

1. Income1. No income

2. Inadequate income and/or spontaneous or inappropriate spending

3. Can meet basic needs with subsidy; appropriate spending. (If client is receiving income supports like SSI, but still lacks enough income to meet all basic expenses, use a 3 rating)

4. Can meet basic needs and manage debt without assistance. (If client is receiving income supports like SSI, and is able to balance their budget, use 4)

5. Income is sufficient, well managed; has discretionary income and is able to save

1. Income – Notes from Meeting

• IYHP is considered assistance. When scoring, determine whether or not the client could make it on her/his own without this assistance and score accordingly.

Does the client have income?

No

Can client meet basic needs without assistance?

Is the income adequate to at least meet basic needs?

#1

Does client have discretionary income and can save?

No

No

#2

#3

#4

#5

No

1. Income – Decision Tree

2. Employment

1. No job

2. Temporary, part-time or seasonal; inadequate pay; no benefits

3. Employed full-time; inadequate pay; few or no benefits

4. Employed full-time with adequate pay and benefits

5. Maintains full-time permanent (at least 6 months) employment with adequate income and benefits

2. Employment – Notes from Meeting

• A full-time job is the number of hours the employer considers “full-time” (e.g. 32 hours, 35 hours, 40 hours, etc.).

• “Benefits” are those benefits associated with the job. A youth may or may not take advantage of these benefits if other options are available.

• Consider employment history when choosing between a score of 4 and 5

Does the client have a job?

No

Does the full-time job pay adequately with benefits?

Is the job full time?

Is the full-time job permanent?

No

No

No

#2

#3

#4

#5

#1

2. Employment – Decision Tree

3. Shelter (Housing)

1. Homeless or threatened with eviction

2. In transitional, temporary or substandard housing; and/or current rent payment is unaffordable

3. In stable housing that is safe but only marginally adequate

4. Household is in safe, adequate, subsidized housing

5. Household is in safe, adequate, unsubsidized housing

3. Shelter (Housing) – Notes from Meeting

• At entry, a youth coming directly from foster care should be scored at a 2 (transitional/temporary housing).

• For an interim assessment, a youth in IYHP would be scored at a 4.

Is the client housed and not at imminent risk of losing that housing?

No

Is the housing adequate?

Is the housing stable and/or affordable?

#1

Is affordable housing unsubsidized?

No

No

No

#2

#3

#4

#5

3. Shelter (Housing) – Decision Tree

4. Food

1. No food or means to prepare it. Relies to a significant degree on other sources of free or low-cost food

2. Household is on food stamps (limited to meet all food needs)

3. Can meet basic food needs but requires occasional assistance (includes lives at a site with food service)

4. Can meet basic food needs without assistance

5. Can choose to purchase any food household desires

4. Food – Notes from Meeting

• WIC is another source of free/low-cost food.

4. Food - Food Stamp Use

•If client uses food stamps to meet all or most of their food needs, score at 2

•If client uses small amount of food stamps as a supplement, but otherwise meets most of their food needs through own income, score at 3

•If client does not receive food stamps and can afford to buy food, score at 4

Does the client have food and means to prepare it?

No

Can the client meet basic food needs without any assistance?

Can the client meet basic food needs without food stamps/food banks?

#1

Can client satisfy any food need?

No

No

#2

#3

#4

#5

No

4. Food – Decision Tree

5. Childcare0. N/A

1. Needs childcare, but none is available/accessible and/or child is not eligible

2. Childcare is unreliable or unaffordable; inadequate supervision is a problem for childcare that is available

3. Affordable subsidized childcare is available but limited

4. Reliable, affordable childcare is available; no need for subsidies

5. Able to select quality childcare of choice

5. Childcare – Notes from Meeting

• Select N/A if youth is not parenting

• Select N/A if youth has a child but does not have some level of shared custody

Does the client have access to some form of childcare?

No

Is the childcare unsubsidized?

Does the client have access to reliable or affordable childcare?

#1

Can client select any type of childcare?

No

No

No

#2

#3

#4

#5

5. Childcare – Decision Tree

6. Children’s Education (K-12)0. N/A

1. One or more eligible children not enrolled in school

2. One or more eligible children enrolled in school but not attending classes

3. Enrolled in school, but one or more children only occasionally attending classes

4. Enrolled in school and attending classes most of the time

5. All eligible children enrolled and attending on a regular basis

6. Children’s Education (K-12) – Notes from Meeting

• Select N/A if youth is not parenting

• Select N/A if youth has a child but does not have some level of shared custody

Is one or more eligible children enrolled in school?

No

Is one or more children attending classes most of the time?

Is one or more children attending classes?

#1

Are all children attending class regularly & making progress?

No

No

No

#2

#3

#4

#5

6. Children’s Education (K-12) – Decision Tree

7. Adult Education

1. Literacy problems and/or no high school diploma/GED are serious barriers to employment

2. Enrolled in literacy and/or GED program and/or has sufficient command of English to where language is not a barrier to employment

3. Has high school diploma/GED

4. Needs additional education/training to improve employment situation and/or to resolve literacy problems to where they are able to function effectively in society

5. Has completed education/training needed to become employable. No literacy problems

Does the client have a high school diploma or GED?

No

#1

#2

Is literacy a serious barrier to employment?

Does the client have the education/literacy skills to function effectively in society?

No

Has the client completed education/training needed to become employable?

No #4

#5

Yes

#3

7. Adult Education – Decision Tree

8. Legal1. Current outstanding tickets or warrants or other serious unresolved legal issues

2. Current charges/trial pending; noncompliance with probation/parole; legal issues impacting housing qualifications

3. Fully compliant with probation/parole terms; working on plan to resolve other legal issues

4. Has successfully completed probation/parole within past 12 months; no new charges filed; recently resolved other legal issues

5. No active legal issues in more than 12 months and/or no felony/significant legal/criminal history

8. Legal – Notes from Meeting

• Generally, if a client has legal issues involving fees or fines that have been sent to collections, score at a 2 in Legal and also score at a 2 in Credit History. If the youth has fees or fines that are in collections and she/he is actively working on a plan to pay the fees or fines off, score at 3 in Legal and 3 in Credit History. Note, the score may actually be lower in either domain if there are additional issues in the domain at the time of the assessment.

8. Legal - Types of Legal Issues

If multiple issues, calculate average rating or best fit. • Civil judgments

• Bankruptcy

• Family law – divorce/custody/child support

• Sex offender status

•Drug charges

• Violent crimes

8. Legal - FAQ

How do I score for criminal history for sex offenders or other felonies that stay on a person’s record?

•If a client is currently in housing, score at 3 (safe, compliant, but limited in choice)

•If a client loses their housing or is trying to access housing, rate at 1 or 2 depending on their situation

Does the client has unresolved legal issues in the past 12months?

Yes

Client has litigation pending?

Client been on parole/probation in court in the past 12 months?

#1

Is client compliant with parole/probation?

Yes

#2

#3

#4#5

Yes

Yes Does client have outstanding tickets or warrants?

No

8. Legal – Decision Tree

9. Health Care (Coverage)1. No medical coverage with immediate need

2. No medical coverage and great difficulty accessing medical care when needed. Some household members may be in poor health

3. Some household members (e.g. children or disabled) but not all, have coverage

4. All members can get medical care when needed but may strain budget

5. All members are covered by affordable, adequate health insurance

Does the client have medical coverage?

No

Does the client or some household members have health care coverage

Is the health insurance affordable?

Yes

No

#3

#4

#5

#1

#2

Does the client or household member have an immediate health care need?

Yes

9. Health Care (Coverage) – Decision Tree

10. Life Skills

1. Unable to meet basic needs such as hygiene, food, activities of daily living

2. Can meet a few but not all needs of daily living without assistance

3. Can meet most but not all needs of daily living without assistance

4. Able to meet all basic needs of daily living without assistance

5. Able to provide beyond basic needs of daily living for self and family

10. Life Skills – Areas of SkillSelect most frequent rating and apply to the overall Life Skills rating.• Hygiene

• Food preparation

• Time management

•Maintain living space

•Money management

• Basic communication (including responses to authority)

• Anger management

10. Life Skills - Examples• A client doesn’t know how to cook, but has a partner who

does all the cooking. Even though he may earn a “1”, this is not a crisis situation overall. All other ratings reflect good knowledge. The case manager decides the overall rating is “4” with a need for the client to improve in this area.

• A client has good ratings in all areas but money management. However, the degree of crisis generated from that single issue has resulted in homelessness. The client is anxious to improve and most issues can be addressed with training. The case manager wishes to recognize both the significant deficit and the desire to change and gives a “3” rating.

Can client meet some basic living needs without assistance?

No

Can client meet all basic living needs without assistance?

Can client meet most basic living needs without assistance?

#1

Is client able to provide beyond basic living needs to self (and family)?

No

No

No

#2

#3

#4

#5

10. Life Skills – Decision Tree

11. Mental Health

1. Danger to self or others; recurring suicidal ideation; experiencing severe difficulty in day-to-day life due to psychological problems

2. Recurrent mental health symptoms that may affect behavior but not a danger to self/others; persistent problems with functioning due to mental health symptoms

3. Mild symptoms may be present but are transient; only moderate difficulty in functioning due to mental health problems

4. Minimal symptoms that are expectable responses to life stressors; only slight impairment in functioning

5. Symptoms are absent or rare; good or superior functioning in wide range of activities; no more than every day problems or concerns

11. Mental Health - FAQ

Timeframe of measure – is it today or the last 6 months?

•It is how the person is currently doing at the time of the assessment. If they fluctuate quite a bit over time, consider how they have been doing for the last month for an overall rating. If they are between two scores, choose the lower one.

Does client have mild or no mental health symptoms?

No

Do the symptoms impair functioning only slightly?

Are the symptoms rare and does the client have good/superior functioning?

No

No

#2

#3

#4

#5

Is the client a danger to self or others?

Yes #1

11. Mental Health – Decision Tree

12. Substance Abuse1. Meets criteria for severe abuse/dependence; resulting problems so severe that institutional living or hospitalization may be necessary

2. Meets criteria for dependence; preoccupation with use and/or obtaining drugs/alcohol; withdrawal or withdrawal avoidance behaviors evident; use results in avoidance or neglect of essential life activities

3. Use within last 6 months; evidence of persistent or recurrent social, occupational, emotional, or physical problems related to use (such as disruptive behavior or housing problems); problems that have persisted for at least one month

4. Client has used during last 6 months but no evidence of persistent or recurrent social, occupational, emotional, or physical problems related to use; no evidence of recurrent dangerous use

5. No drug use/alcohol abuse in last 6 months

Is client seriously dependent on drugs or alcohol?

Yes

Does client show evidence of recurrent social, emotional, or physical problems associated with drug or alcohol use?

Client is free from substance abuse problems during past 6 months

Yes

No

#2

#4

#5

Does client require hospitalization or institutional living?

Yes #1

#3

12. Substance Abuse – Decision Tree

13. Family/Social Relations1. Lack of necessary support from family or friends; abuse (DV, child) is present or there is child neglect

2. Family/friends may be supportive but lack ability or resources to help; family members do not relate well with one another; potential for abuse or neglect

3. Some support from family/friends; family members acknowledge and seek to change negative behaviors; are learning to communicate and support

4. Strong support from family or friends; household members support each other's efforts

5. Has healthy/expanding support network; household is stable and communication is consistently open

Does client have support from family or friends?

No

Does client have strong support from family/friends and do family/friends support one another?

Do family/friends relate well and are active in changing negative behaviors?

#1

Is the support network expanding?

No

No

No

#2

#3

#4

#5

13. Family/Social Relations – Decision Tree

14. Transportation/Mobility1. No access to transportation, public or private; may have car that is inoperable

2. Transportation is available but unreliable, unpredictable, unaffordable; may have car but no insurance, license, etc.

3. Transportation is available and reliable but limited and/or inconvenient; driver(s) is licensed and minimally insured

4. Transportation is generally accessible to meet basic travel needs

5. Transportation is readily available and affordable; car is adequately insured

Does client have access to transportation?

Is the transportation generally accessible and/or convenient?

Do family/friends relate well and are they active in changing negative behaviors

#1

Is the transportation affordable?

No

No

No

#2

#3

#4

#5

No

14. Transportation/Mobility – Decision Tree

15. Community Involvement

1. No community involvement; in "survival" mode

2. Socially isolated and/or no social skills and/or lacks motivation to become involved

3. Lacks knowledge of ways to become involved

4. Some community involvement (church, advisory group, support group) but has barriers such as transportation, childcare issues

5. Actively involved in community

Is the client in crisis mode?

Is the client involved at some level?

Does client have the skills, motivation, and knowledge to become involved?

#1

Is the client actively involved?

No

No

No

#2

#3

#4

#5

No

15. Community Involvement – Decision Tree

16. Safety

1. Home or residence is not safe; immediate level of lethality is extremely high; possible CPS involvement

2. Safety is threatened, temporary protection is available; level of lethality is high

3. Current level of safety is minimally adequate; ongoing safety planning is essential

4. Home is safe, yet future is uncertain; safety planning is important

5. Home is apparently safe and stable

Is the client in crisis mode?

Safety minimally adequate?

Threat is high/protection is available?

#1

Environment appears safe?

No

No

No

#2

#3

#4

#5

No

16. Safety – Decision Tree

17. Parenting Skills

0. N/A

1. Parenting skills are lacking and there are safety concerns regarding parenting skills

2. Parenting skills are minimal

3. Parenting skills are apparent but not adequate

4. Parenting skills are adequate

5. Parenting skills are well developed

17. Parenting Skills – Notes from Meeting

• Select N/A if youth is not parenting

• Select N/A if youth has a child but does not have some level of shared custody

Is the family in crisis mode?

Safety minimally adequate?

Family is vulnerable and needs support

#1

Environment appears safe?

No

No

No

#2

#3

#4

#5

No

17. Parenting Skills – Decision Tree

18. Credit History

1. Bankruptcy/foreclosure

2. Outstanding judgments

3. Has a credit repair plan

4. Moderate credit rating

5. Good credit/manageable debt ratio

18. Credit History – Notes from Meeting

• “No credit” should be scored at a 3.

Bankruptcy/foreclosure/evictions?

Has credit repair plan?

Does client have judgments/garnishments?

#1

Has working budget that meets needs?

No

No

No

#2

#3

#4

#5

No

18. Credit History – Decision Tree

Scoring Key

If struggling to determine how to score a participant on any domain, refer to the scoring key descriptor:

1. In crisis

2. Vulnerable

3. Safe

4. Building Capacity

5. Empowered