vi-spdat v2.0 training - cohhio€¦ · vi-spdat v2.0 training this is the quiz text from the...

VI-SPDATv2.0Training

ThisisthequiztextfromtheClassMarkerVI-SPDATOnlineTrainingQuiz

ThiscourseoutlineshowtocompletetheVulnerabilityIndex-ServicePrioritizationDecisionAssistanceTool(VI-SPDAT),ascreatedandownedbyCommunitySolutionsandOrgCodeConsulting,Inc.

TheVI-SPDATistheresultofacombinationoftwotools–theVulnerabilityIndex(VI)surveycreatedbyCommunitySolutionsforuseinstreetoutreach,whichhelpstodeterminethechronicityandmedicalvulnerabilityofhomelesspersons,andtheServicePrioritizationDecisionAssistanceTool(SPDAT)createdbyOrgCodeasanintakeandcasemanagementtool.

Uponcompletingthiscourse,practitionerswillhaveadetailedunderstandingofhowtheVI-SPDATcanbeusedaspartofacoordinatedentrysystem,howitshouldnotbeused,andhowtoimplementthetoolwithclients.

1.AbouttheVI-SPDAT

WhatistheVI-SPDAT?

TheVI-SPDATisapre-screening,ortriagetoolthatisdesignedtobeusedbyallproviderswithinacommunitytoquicklyassessthehealthandsocialneedsofhomelesspersonsandmatchthemwiththemostappropriatesupportandhousinginterventionsthatareavailable.

Comparehomelessnessinyourcommunitytoamasscasualtyeventthatsendsmanypeopletothehospitalemergencydepartment:therewillbesomeseriousinjuriesthatrequireimmediateintervention,whileothersmaybeabletowaittobetreated,andsomeinjuriesmaynotneedmedicalattentionatall.Theemergencydepartmentstaffwillneedtoidentifywhomtotreatfirstandwhy,baseduponthebestavailableevidence.

AtriagetoolliketheVI-SPDATallowshomelessserviceproviderstosimilarlyassessandprioritizetheuniverseofpeoplewhoarehomelessintheircommunityandidentifywhomtotreatfirstbasedontheacuityoftheirneeds.Itisabriefsurveythatserviceproviders,outreachworkers,andevenvolunteerscanusetodetermineanacuityscoreforeachhomelesspersonwhoparticipates.Thescorescanthenbecomparedandusedtoidentifyandprioritizecandidatesfordifferenthousinginterventionsbasedupontheiracuity.UsingtheVI-SPDAT,providerscanmovebeyondonlyassistingthosewhopresentattheirparticularagencyandbegintoworktogethertoprioritizeallhomelesspeopleinthecommunity,regardlessofwheretheyareassessed,inaconsistentandtransparentmanner.

SometimestheVI-SPDATisconfusedwithorusedinterchangeablywiththeSPDAT.WhereastheVI-SPDATisatriagetool(alsoreferredtoasapre-screentool),theSPDATisanassessmenttool.TheSPDATdigsdeeperintothecontext,history,environmentandseverityofanissueinamorenuancedmanner

thantheVI-SPDAT.Toreturntothemetaphorofahospitalemergencydepartment,theVI-SPDATisthetriagestationaskingaseriesofquestionstoconfirmwhatisoccurringandtounderstandaparticularpatient’sneedsincomparisontoallotherpatients;theSPDATiswhathappenswhenthedoctorseesthepatient,roundsouttheunderstandingoftheissue,andadvisestheappropriatetreatmentprotocolforthatindividual.TheVI-SPDATisdesignedtodeterminethepresenceandacuityofanissueandidentifyclientstoreferforassessmentforspecifichousinginterventions,butitisnotintendedtoprovideacomprehensiveassessmentofeachperson’sneeds.

ItisrecommendedthattheVI-SPDATbeusedtogetherinacommunitywiththeSPDAT,astheyarecomplementarytools.However,communitiesmaystartwithusingonlytheVI-SPDATandreferringclientsdirectlytodifferenthousinginterventionsbasedontheirVI-SPDATscores,althoughthisapproachislessprecisethanusingamorecomprehensiveassessment.

Wherethereisflexibilityinthewording/content,andwherethereisnot

EachquestionintheVI-SPDATtiesintooneormoreofthecomponentsoftheSPDAT.Theinclusionofeachquestionissupportedbyanextensivebodyofevidencefrompeer-reviewedstudiesandgovernmentdocuments,and/orextensivedatafromprogramoperations.

Eachwordandphrasewithinthetoolhasbeencarefullyandrigorouslytested.Somequestionspermitadjustmentstothewordingtoallowfordifferencesinthelocalcontext:forexample,inQuestion3,“emergencyroom”maybechangedto“emergencydepartment”incommunitieswherethelatterismorecommonlyused.Asyougothroughthiscourse,youwillseewhereyouhavesomeflexibilitytoalterawordorphrasewithoutithavingabearingontheintentofthetool,andwhereyoucannotchangethewording.

Makingchangestothewordingofaquestion,otherthanthosethatareidentified,maymeanthatthequestionwillnolongerbegroundedinevidenceandmaynotelicittheinformationforwhichitwasdesigned.PermissionisrequiredfromCommunitySolutionsandOrgCodeConsulting,Inc.tomakeamendmentsbecausetheyowntheintellectualpropertyofthetool.

UnliketheSPDATassessment,whichusesmultiplemethodsforinformationcapture,theVI-SPDATisdesignedandstructuredtoonlyuseself-report.ApersonwhoisbeingsurveyedusingtheVI-SPDATshouldbeabletocompleteitwithanyone,notjustthepeoplewhoknowher/hiscasehistoryorhaveotherinformationfromothercircumstancesorsources.

TheorderoftheVI-SPDATcannotchange.Asaself-reportedtool,thesequenceisvitallyimportantandlinksitbacktotheSPDATforthosecommunitiesthatareusingbothtools.

YourcommunitymaychoosetoaddmorequestionstotheVI-SPDAT,aslongastheyarenotusedforscoringinanyway.Forexample,itiscommonforcommunitiestoaddscreeningquestionsthatcaptureinformationthatmaybeimportantforunderstandinglocalneedsortomeetfundingrequirements,suchasexperienceofdomestic/intimatepartnerviolence,militaryserviceandnatureofdischarge,and

whethertheindividualmeetsthefederaldefinitionofchronichomelessness.Additionally,somedemographicinformationcanbegatheredthatmayberequiredforHMISentry.

Consent

AnindividualmustprovideinformedconsentpriortotheVI-SPDATbeingcompleted.YoucannotcompleteaVI-SPDATwithaclientwithoutthatperson’sknowledgeandexplicitagreement.YoualsocannotcompletetheVI-SPDATsolelythroughobservationorusingknowninformationwithinyourorganization.

AbouttheVI-SPDATQuiz

2.TheStructureoftheVI-SPDAT

Domains&Components

TheVI-SPDATisorganizedacrossfourdomains.EachdomainisdirectlyalignedwiththedomainsofinquiryusedintheSPDAT.

A.HistoryofHousing

B.Risks

C.SocializationandDailyFunctions

D.Wellness

E.FamilyUnit

EachquestionwithintheVI-SPDATisdirectlyrelatedtooneormorecomponentswithintheSPDAT.The“components”arethesubsectionsofeachdomainarea.

• HistoryofHousing• HistoryofHousingandHomelessness• Risks• RiskofHarmtoSelforOthers• InvolvementinHigh-Riskand/orExploitiveSituations• InteractionswithEmergencyServices• LegalIssues• ManagingTenancy

• SocializationandDailyFunctions• Self-CareandDailyLivingSkills• PersonalAdministrationandMoneyManagement• MeaningfulDailyActivities• SocialRelationsandNetworks• Wellness• MentalHealthandWellnessandCognitiveFunctioning• PhysicalHealthandWellness• Medication• SubstanceUse• ExperienceofAbuseand/orTrauma• FamilyUnit• SizeofFamily• InteractionwithChildProtectiveServicesand/orFamilyCourt• NeedsofChildren• StabilityandResiliencyoftheFamilyUnit• ParentalEngagement

Remember:ThereisabsolutelynothingarbitraryaboutwhytheVI-SPDATasksthequestionsthatitdoesinthemannerthatitdoes.

TheTypesofQuestionsintheVI-SPDAT

EachquestionintheVI-SPDATlinksintooneormorecomponentsoftheSPDAT.Asapre-screentoolthatisusedtotriageclientsacrosstheentirehomelesspopulation,thequestionslookforthepresenceofamoreacuteissueineachcomponentarea.TheSPDATlooksdeeperintothenuancesoftheseissues.

AllVI-SPDATquestionsresultin“Yes”,“No”,“Refused”,orone-wordanswers.ThereisnoelaborationornarrativerequiredorrecommendedintheVI-SPDAT,unliketheSPDATandsimilartoolswheredoingsoispartoftheassessment.

HowthequestionsarestructuredisimportantintheVI-SPDAT,asistheorderingofthequestions.SomequestionsarewhatareknownasLinkedQuestions.LinkedQuestionsaresetsoftwoormorequestionsthattogetherhelpdetermineasinglescoringpoint.AStand-AloneQuestioniswhenjustonequestionisaskedtodetermineascoringpoint.

Everyquestionmustbeasked,andaresponsemustberecordedforeveryquestion–evenifthatresponseis“Refused.”Thisruleappliesevenifyouknowthatapersonmeetsallofthecriteriatogetapointforthequestionsetoncetheyhaveansweredthefirstquestion.

IfapersonrefusestoansweroneofthequestionsinaLinkedQuestionset,mark“Refused”andkeepaskingtheotherquestionsintheset.Dependingonwhichquestionsare“Refused”,itmaystillbepossibletoassignascoretotheLinkedQuestionset.ALinkedQuestionsetisunusableifallofthequestionsthatarelinkedtogetherare“Refused”.

AllofthequestionsintheVI-SPDAT,andthescoringsystemusedforeachStand-AloneQuestionandLinkedQuestionset,aredescribedindetailinthiscourse.

TheStructureoftheVI-SPDATQuiz

3.SettingUptheVI-SPDAT

BasicInformation

Thesurveyactuallybeginswiththecollectionofsomebasicinformation,suchastheclient’sname,age,andidentifyinginformation.

Samplescript

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Mynameis[interviewername]andIworkforagroupcalled[organizationname].IhaveashortsurveythatIwouldliketocompletewithyou.Theanswerswillhelpusdeterminehowwecangoaboutsupportingandhousingyou.MostquestionsonlyrequireaYesorNo.Somequestionsrequireaone-wordanswer.I’llbehonest,somequestionsarepersonalinnature,butknowyoucanskiporrefuseanyquestion.Theinformationcollectedgoesinto[dataprivacyrequirements].

Ifyoudonotunderstandaquestion,letmeknowandIwouldbehappytoclarify.Ifitseemstomethatyoudon’tunderstandaquestionIwillalsodomybesttoexplainittoyouwithoutyouneedingtoaskforclarification.

Onelastthingweshouldchatabout.I’vebeendoingthislongenoughtoknowthatsomepeoplewilltellmewhattheywantmetohearratherthantellingme–oreventhemselves–thetruth.It’suptoyou,butthemorehonestyouare,thebetterwecanfigureouthowbesttosupportyou.Ifyouaredishonestwithme,reallyyouarejustbeingdishonestwithyourself.So,pleaseanswerashonestlyasyoufeelcomfortabledoing.

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IntroductoryScript

Itisrecommendedthateveryoneinyourcommunityusethesameintroductoryscript.CreateonethatexplainshowyourcommunityisusingtheVI-SPDAT,howtheinformationisstored,andwhathappenswiththeinformationcollectedfromtheVI-SPDAT.Inyourscript,youshouldrelaythefollowing:

• thenameoftheassessorandtheiraffiliation(organizationthatemploysthem,volunteeraspartofaPointinTimeCount,etc.)

• thepurposeoftheVI-SPDATbeingcompleted• thatitusuallytakeslessthan7minutestocomplete• thatonlyYes,Noorone-wordanswersarebeingsought• thatanyquestioncanbeskippedorrefused• wheretheinformationisgoingtobestored• thatiftheparticipantdoesnotunderstandaquestionortheassessordoesnotunderstandthe

questionthatclarificationcanbeprovided• theimportanceofrelayingaccurateinformationtotheassessorandnotfeelingthatthereisa

correctorpreferredanswerthattheyneedtoprovide,norinformationtheyneedtoconceal

AdministrativeInformation

ThefirstsectionoftheVI-SPDATrequirestheinterviewertocompletesomeadministrativefields,includingtheinterviewer’sname,theagencyconductingtheinterview,theinterviewer’srole,andthesurveydate,time,andlocation.Thisinformationisalladministrative,andcanbecompletedbeforeorafterthesurveyitself.

Ifyouarecompletingthissurveythroughyourcommunity’sHomelessManagementInformationSystem(HMIS)thissectionmaybeautomaticallycompletedforyouthroughyourlogininformationandyourcomputer’stimestamp.However,hard(paper)copiesoftheVI-SPDATrequirethissectiontobecompleted.

Family

AgeisimportantbecausethefirstpartoftheVI-SPDATthatisscorediswhethertheindividualis60yearsofageorolder.Iftheyare,thepersonsurveyedreceivesapoint.Thisreflectstheincreasedvulnerabilityofhomelessseniors.NotethatthereisalsoayouthversionoftheVI-SPDAT.Iftherespondentisaged24orunder,makesureyouarefillingoutthecorrectversionofthesurvey.

Sometimespeoplewanttoknowwhyapersonisaskedboth“Howoldareyou?”and“What’syourdateofbirth?”Thereasonisthatitisfasterforpeopletostatetheiragethanforthesurveyortocalculatetheiragefromthedateofbirth,butaskingbothquestionsensuresaccuracy.

IfyouarecompletingtheVI-SPDATwithinyourcommunity’sHomelessManagementInformationSystem(HMIS),itispartoftheintegratedclientrecordinalmostallinstances.Whatthismeansisthat

youalreadyhavesomebasicinformation,andthisportionmaybealreadycompletedforyou.Differentprogramsmayrecordthisinformationdifferently,andyoumaybeaskedforaclient’sIDnumberinstead.

However,ifyouaredoingtheVI-SPDATonpaperorinanExcelorAccessdatabase,thissectionwillneedtobecompleted.

Children

Whileobtainingbasicinformationaboutmembersofthefamily,itisimportanttorecordinformationaboutthechildreninthehouseholdaswell.Childrendirectlyimpacthousingbecausetheyincreasethenumberofbedroomsrequiredandalsoimpacthousingaffordabilityandfinancesinotherways.

Firstrecordthenumberofchildrenthatcurrentlylivewiththefamily,followedbythenumberofchildrenexpectedtomoveinwiththefamilyafterhousing.Althoughthesechildrenmaynot,infact,movein,thisquestionisassessingwhetherthehouseholdisactivelylookingforhousingthatwouldsupportthosechildrenaswell.

Ifthereisafemaleinthehousehold,alsoaskifanyoneinthefamilyiscurrentlypregnant.Thisquestionshouldbeaskedifthereisafemalepresent(oranyonewhoidentifiesasfemale),regardlessoftheageofthefemale.Ithelpstoreducesurveyorbiasifeveryhouseholdthatincludesafemaleisaskedthisquestion,evenifitisunlikelythattheyarenotofanagewherepregnancyislikely.

Recordingthenames,ages,anddatesofbirthofthechildrenisrequiredforrecord-keeping,butthereisanaddedpurposetothis.Thenumberofchildren,agesofchildren,andcurrentpregnancyareusedtoassignapointforfamilysize.

ScoringQuestions1-4

Questions1-4ontheFamilyVI-SPDATareLinkedquestions.Thescoringforthissectionissomewhatcomplex.

-Ifthefamilyhastwoparents,score1ifthereare3ormorechildreneithercurrentlywiththehouseholdorexpectingtolivewiththemoncehoused,and/orifanychildrenareaged6oryounger,or,

-Ifthefamilyhasoneparent,score1ifthereare2ormorechildreneithercurrentlywiththehouseholdorexpectingtolivewiththemoncehoused,and/orifanychildrenareaged11oryounger,or,

-Score1ifanyoneinthefamilyiscurrentlypregnant

-Score0foranyotherresponse,including“Refused”

Individuals

AgeisimportantbecausethefirstpartoftheVI-SPDATthatisscorediswhethertheindividualis60yearsofageorolder.Iftheyare,thepersonsurveyedreceivesapoint.Thisreflectstheincreasedvulnerabilityofhomelessseniors.NotethatthereisalsoayouthversionoftheVI-SPDAT.Iftherespondentisaged24orunder,makesureyouarefillingoutthecorrectversionofthesurvey.

Sometimespeoplewanttoknowwhyapersonisaskedboth“Howoldareyou?”and“What’syourdateofbirth?”Thereasonisthatitisfasterforpeopletostatetheiragethanforthesurveyortocalculatetheiragefromthedateofbirth,butaskingbothquestionsensuresaccuracy.

IfyouarecompletingtheVI-SPDATwithinyourcommunity’sHomelessManagementInformationSystem(HMIS),itispartoftheintegratedclientrecordinalmostallinstances.Whatthismeansisthatyoualreadyhavesomebasicinformation,andthisportionmaybealreadycompletedforyou.Differentprogramsmayrecordthisinformationdifferently,andyoumaybeaskedforaclient’sIDnumberinstead.

However,ifyouaredoingtheVI-SPDATonpaperorinanExcelorAccessdatabase,thissectionwillneedtobecompleted.

SettingUptheVI-SPDAT

4.DomainA:HistoryofHousingandHomelessness

CurrentSleepingArrangement

Family

Note:fromhereon,thenumberingwillbedifferentforthefamilyversionversustheindividualversion.However,thequestionsarelargelythesame,withtheexceptionofchangingwordingfrom“you”to“yourfamily”inmostquestions.Whentherearemoresignificantdifferencesbetweentheindividualandfamilyversions,theywillbenoted.

Canadian

Question1:Wheredoyousleepmostfrequently?(checkone)

ThisquestionactuallyassessesRisk(seeDomainB),butisusefultoestablishabaseline,andisdirectlyrelatedtoaperson’shistoryofhousingandhomelessness.

Forthisquestion,ifapersonisstayinganywhereotherthanahomeless-servingprogram,thisisconsideredtobehigherrisk.Therefore,ascoreof1isprovidedifthereisanythingotherthan“Shelter”selected.

Frequentlythequestioncomesupwithwhystayingwithfriendsorfamilyisconsideredhigherrisk.Asthenatureofthedoubled-uporcouchsurfingsituationisunknown,andmaybeharmful,itisconsideredhigherriskinthiscircumstance.

For“Other”itisimportanttospecify.

ScoringQuestion1

Question1isaStand-Alonequestion.

-Score0iftherespondentisstayinginaShelter

-Score1foranyotherresponse,including“Refused”

American

Question1:Wheredoyousleepmostfrequently?(checkone)

ThisquestionactuallyassessesRisk(seeDomainB),butisusefultoestablishabaseline,andisdirectlyrelatedtoaperson’shistoryofhousingandhomelessness.

Forthisquestion,ifapersonisstayinganywhereotherthanahomeless-servingprogram,thisisconsideredtobehigherrisk.Therefore,ascoreof1isprovidedifthereisanythingotherthan“Shelter,”“TransitionalHousing,”or“SafeHaven”selected.

NotethatSafeHavenreferstoSafeHavensforhomelessindividualswithseriousmentalillness,althoughthetermmaybeuseddifferentlyindifferentcommunities.

Frequentlythequestioncomesupwithwhystayingwithfriendsorfamilyisconsideredhigherrisk.Asthenatureofthedoubled-uporcouchsurfingsituationisunknown,andmaybeharmful,itisconsideredhigherriskinthiscircumstance.

For“Other”itisimportanttospecify.

ScoringQuestion1


Score0iftherespondentisstayinginaShelter,TransitionalHousing,orSafeHaven

Score1foranyotherresponse,including“Refused”

ChronicHomelessness

Canadian

Thefollowingtwoquestionsareaskedtodetermineacuity,butalsohelpcommunitiesmeasurechronicandepisodichomelessnessundertheHomelessPartneringStrategy.TheHPSdefineschronichomelessnessasexperiencing6ormoremonthsofhomelessnessinthepastyear,andepisodichomelessnessisdefinedas3ormoreepisodesofhomelessnessinthepastyear.Questions2and3assistinmeasuringthis.

Question2:Howlonghasitbeensinceyoulivedinpermanentstablehousing?

Thisquestionisinterestedinthedurationofthecurrentepisodeofhomelessness.Sincepersonsexperiencinghomelessnessmaysleepinmultipleplaceswhilehomeless,wefinditiseasiertosimplyaskhowlongithasbeensincetheywerehoused.

“Permanent,stablehousing”hastwocomponents.

Permanenthousingishousingthatisnottemporary(i.e.halfwayhouse,TransitionalHousing)inthattherewasnotimelimitimposedonthepersonlivingthere.Apersonwhomovedinwiththeirfriend“untiltheycouldfindanotherplace”isconsideredtemporary,butiftheylivedwithafriendwhohadaspareroomandtheysharedtherentandthefriendwasokaywiththemlivingthereindefinitely,thatisconsideredpermanent.Ifthepersonisunsure,askiftheyfeltitwasapermanentarrangement.

Stablehousingishousingthatisreliableandthatthepersoncanreturntoeverydaywithoutfearofbeinglockedout,orhavingtomovefrequently.Itishousingthatthepersonfeelscomfortableenoughsayingitistheirhome.Ifthepersonisunsure,askiftheyfeltitwasastablearrangement.

Question3:Inthelastyear,howmanytimeshaveyoubeenhomeless?

Thisincludesanyandalltypesofhomelessness.Thismayincludelivinginacar,transitionalhousingstays,doubledup,couchsurfing,livingoutdoors,stayinginshelters,etc.Thisalsoincludeshomelessnessduringperiodsofincarcerationorduringhospitalstays.ThisdoesNOTincludeadultchildrenlivingwithparents.

Sometimes,forpeoplewhoarechronicallyorepisodicallyhomeless,itcanbeeasiertocountthenumberoftimestheyhavebeenhousedandbecamehomelessagain.Movingfromanencampmenttoahospitaltoasheltermightseemlikemorethanoneepisodeofhomelessness,butsincetheywerenothousedatanypointduringthistime,itisstilloneepisode.

Question3canbemodified.Insteadofsaying“Inthepastyear”youmayreplaceitwith“Sincelast[insertmonthorseasonequaltooneyearago]howmanytimeshaveyoubeenhomeless?”

ScoringQuestions2-3

Questions2and3areLinkedQuestions,meaningthattheresponsestobothquestionsimpacttherespondent’sVI-SPDATscoreinthisdomain.

Score1iftherespondenthasbeenhomelessfor6ormoremonths,ortherespondenthasbeenhomeless3ormoretimes,orboth.


American

Thefollowingtwoquestionsareaskedtodetermineacuity,butalsohelpcommunitiesmeasurechronichomelessnessundertheDepartmentofHousingandUrbanDevelopment(HUD).HUDhasdefinedchronichomelessnessasanindividualorfamilywithadisablingconditionwhohasbeencontinuouslyhomelessforayearormoreorhashadatleastfourepisodesofhomelessnessinthepastthreeyears.Questions2and3assistinmeasuringthis.

Question2:Howlonghasitbeensinceyoulivedinpermanentstablehousing?

Thisquestionisinterestedinthedurationofthecurrentepisodeofhomelessness.Sincepersonsexperiencinghomelessnessmaysleepinmultipleplaceswhilehomeless,wefinditiseasiertosimplyaskhowlongithasbeensincetheywerehoused.

“Permanent,stablehousing”hastwocomponents.

Permanenthousingishousingthatisnottemporary(i.e.halfwayhouse,TransitionalHousing)inthattherewasnotimelimitimposedonthepersonlivingthere.Apersonwhomovedinwiththeirfriend“untiltheycouldfindanotherplace”isconsideredtemporary,butiftheylivedwithafriendwhohadaspareroomandtheysharedtherentandthefriendwasokaywiththemlivingthereindefinitely,thatisconsideredpermanent.Ifthepersonisunsure,askiftheyfeltitwasapermanentarrangement.

Stablehousingishousingthatisreliableandthatthepersoncanreturntoeverydaywithoutfearofbeinglockedout,orhavingtomovefrequently.Itishousingthatthepersonfeelscomfortableenoughsayingitistheirhome.Ifthepersonisunsure,askiftheyfeltitwasastablearrangement.

Question3:Inthelastthreeyears,howmanytimeshaveyoubeenhomeless?

Thisincludesanyandalltypesofhomelessness.Thismayincludelivinginacar,transitionalhousingstays,doubledup,couchsurfing,livingoutdoors,stayinginshelters,etc.Thisalsoincludes

homelessnessduringperiodsofincarcerationorduringhospitalstays.ThisdoesNOTincludeadultchildrenlivingwithparents.

Sometimes,forpeoplewhoarechronicallyorepisodicallyhomeless,itcanbeeasiertocountthenumberoftimestheyhavebeenhousedandbecamehomelessagain.Movingfromanencampmenttoahospitaltoasheltermightseemlikemorethanoneepisodeofhomelessness,butsincetheywerenothousedatanypointduringthistime,itisstilloneepisode.

Question3canbemodified.Insteadofsaying“Inthepastthreeyears”youmayreplaceitwith“Since[insertdateandyearequaltothreeyearsago]howmanytimeshaveyoubeenhomeless?”

ScoringQuestions2-3

Questions2and3areLinkedQuestions,meaningthattheresponsestobothquestionsimpacttherespondent’sVI-SPDATscoreinthisdomain.

Score1iftherespondenthasbeenhomelessfor1ormoreyears,ortherespondenthasbeenhomeless4ormoretimes,orboth.


DomainA:HistoryofHousingandHomelessnessQuiz

{Questionsremoved…}

5.DomainB:Risks

EmergencyServiceUse

Question4examinesthefrequencyoftherespondent’sinteractionwithvariousemergencyservices.

4.Inthepastsixmonths,howmanytimeshaveyou…

Theliteratureconfirmsthattoincreaseaccuracy,youshouldassisttheclient’srecallbyputtingthepast6monthsincontext.Thebestwaytodothisistocountback,outloud,withtheindividual.Forexample,let’ssaytoday’sdateisJuly14.Youwouldsay,“Thenextquestionsareaboutthingsthathavehappenedinthelastsixmonths.Let’scountback:JulytoJuneisone,JunetoMayistwo,MaytoAprilisthree,ApriltoMarchisfour,MarchtoFebruaryisfive,FebruarytoJanuaryissix.So,sincethemiddleofJanuaryhowmanytimeshaveyou…”Itisalsohelpfultoincludealandmarkdatewhenappropriate;forexample,atthebeginningofJuly,youmightask“SinceNewYear’s,howmanytimeshaveyou…”

a)Receivedhealthcareatanemergencydepartment/room?

Inyourcommunity,usewhicheverisusedmostcommon–emergencydepartmentoremergencyroom.Thisquestionisexaminingthenumberoftimestheindividualhasengagedwithemergencyresourcesforthepurposesofhealthcare.Timeswhenanindividualgoestotheemergencydepartmentforpurposesotherthanhealthcare(forexample,towarmuponacoldnightbutdoesnotengagewithhealthcare;tousetherestroombutdoesnotengagewithhealthcare)arenotcounted.

b)Takenanambulancetothehospital?

Ultimatelythisisaboutanyincidentwhereacostisincurredthroughanambulance/EMSinteraction.Theinteractionwiththeambulanceisalsoaboutthepurposesofhealthcare.LetussayJohngetshurtandhisfriendBobridesalongwithJohntothehospital.ThatisJohn’sinteractionwiththeambulance,notBob’s.

c)Beenhospitalizedasaninpatient?

Hospitalizationsshouldnotbeconfusedwithlengthofhospitalstay.Forexample,someonethathasaheartattackmaybeinhospitalforsevendays.Thatisonehospitalization.

d)Usedacrisisservice,includingrapecrisis,mentalhealthcrisis,domesticviolence,distresscentersandsuicidepreventionhotlines?

Thisincludesanyinteractionwithacrisisserviceontheperson’sownbehalf,whetherthatisinpersonorthroughothermeanslikeoverthephone.Dependingonyourcommunity–orthelocationwhereyouarecompletingthesurvey–youmayaddsomethinglike“…oryouthrunawayhotline,orbaddatecrisisline?”

e)Talkedtopolicebecauseyouwitnessedacrime,werethevictimofacrime,ortheallegedperpetratorofacrimeorbecausethepolicetoldyouthatyoumustmovealong?

Aninteractionwithpolicehastobeforthepurposeoflawenforcement:thisincludescircumstanceswherethepersonwasthevictimofacrime,thewitnesstoacrime,ortheallegedperpetratorofanoffence.Apoliceofficersayinghellotosomeonewouldnotbeconsideredaninteraction;apoliceofficerthreateningsomeonewithaticketiftheydonotmovealongwouldcount.

f)Stayedoneormorenightsinaholdingcell,jailorprison,whetherthatwasashort-termstaylikethedrunktank,alongerstayforamoreseriousoffence,oranythinginbetween?

Aswithhospitalizations,thelengthofstayshouldnotbeconfusedwithnumberofinteractions.Ifapersonwassuspectedofinvolvementinacrimeandheldinpolicecustodyfortwonightsbeforebeingreleased,thatisoneinteraction.Again,weareultimatelylookingforanyincidentwherethereisacostincurred,directlyrelatedtoprovidinglodgingforsomeoneinvolvedwithlawenforcement.

ScoringQuestion4

ThescoringforQuestion4isslightlydifferentthanotherquestions.

Score1ifthetotalnumberofinteractionswithemergencyandhealthservicesidentifiedinquestion4is4ormore.

Score0ifthetotalnumberofinteractionsidentifiedinquestion4islessthan4.

RiskofHarm

Question5:Haveyoubeenattackedorbeatenupsinceyou’vebecomehomeless?

Thisquestionexamineswhethertheindividualhasbeeninanaltercationand/orharmedatthehandsofanother.Thiscoverstheentiretimetheyhavebeenhomeless,includingeveryinstanceofhomelessnessintheirlifetime(notjustthemostrecentconsecutiveperiodofhomelessness).

Question6:Haveyouthreatenedtoortriedtoharmyourselforanyoneelseinthelastyear?

Thisquestionexamineswhethertheindividualhassuggested,throughwordsoractions,thattheyweregoingtoharmhim-orherselforanotherperson,aswellasiftheyhaveactuallyattemptedtoharmthemselvesoranyotherpersoninthelast12months.Thepersondoesnotneedtohavebeenhomelessatthetimeofthesethreatsorattempts.

ScoringQuestions5-6

Questions5and6areLinkedQuestions.

Score1iftheresponsestoQuestions5or6is“Yes”

Score0iftheresponsestoQuestions5and6aresomecombinationof“No”or“Refused”

LegalIssues

Question7:Doyouhaveanylegalstuffgoingonrightnowthatmayresultinyoubeinglockedup,havingtopayfines,orthatmakeitmoredifficulttorentaplace?

Thephrase“legalstuff”includesanytypeoflegalmattersuchasbeingonaregisteredoffenderlist,outstandingwarrants,movingviolations,pendingcharges,etc.Theterm“legalstuff”isusedherebecausetestingoftheSPDATandVI-SPDATindicatesthatthisphrasingwasbestunderstoodbyrespondentstoincludeabroadrangeofjusticesysteminteractions.Forthe“legalstuff”tocountinthisquestion,itmustbeanissuethatcanresultineitherbeingincarceratedorhavingtopayafineforanoffence.

Ultimately,thisquestionislookingfortheimpactoflegalissuesonhousingstability.Ifapersonislikelytobeincarcerated,theylikelywon’tbeabletopaytheirrent.Ifapersonislikelytohavetopayfinesthatimpacttheirabilitytopayrent,again,theirhousingstabilityisatrisk.Otherlegalissuesmayalsoimpacthousingstabilityonasimilarlevel.

ScoringQuestion7

Question7isaStand-AloneQuestion.

Score1iftherespondentanswers“Yes”

Score0iftherespondentanswers“No”or“Refused”

Exploitation

Question8:Doesanybodyforceortrickyoutodothingsthatyoudonotwanttodo?

Thisquestionisexaminingtheissuesofexploitationandvictimization.Theuseofforcemaybethroughphysicaloremotionalmeans.Theuseof“trick”isoftenonlyunderstoodthroughhindsight.Theindividualdidnotknowtheywerebeingtrickedatthetimeoftheactivity,butrealizesordiscoverstheywereafterthefact.

Question9:Doyoueverdothingsthatmaybeconsideredtoberiskylikeexchangesexformoney,rundrugsforsomeone,haveunprotectedsexwithsomeoneyoudon’treallyknow,shareaneedle,oranythinglikethat?

Itshouldbenotedatthestartofthisquestionthatitstates“consideredtoberisky”soastoconveythatthequestioniswithoutjudgment.

Thisquestionisoftenthefirsttimeinthesurveythatsomeonewillattempttoprovidemoreinformationthanwhatyouareaskingfor–andshouldthatoccur,politelyinterruptandletthemknowthatyouareseekingtoknowiftheydoanyofthesetypesofthings,notwhichspecificthingorthecontextinwhichthatoccurred.Surveyorshavealsofoundithelpfultoputtheemphasisonthelastpartofthesentence…”oranythinglikethat”soastoverballyconveythatyouarenotseekingspecifics.

ScoringQuestions8-9

Question8and9areLinkedQuestions.

Score1iftheresponsestoQuestions8or9is“Yes”

Score0iftheresponsestoQuestions8and9aresomecombinationof“No”or“Refused”

DomainB:RisksQuiz

6.DomainC:Socialization&DailyFunctions

MoneyManagement

Question10:Isthereanyperson,pastlandlord,business,bookie,dealer,orgovernmentgroupliketheIRSthatthinksyouowethemmoney?

Note:TheCanadianversionreplacesthereferenceto“IRS”with“CRA”

Thisquestionshouldnotbeconfusedwithaskingwhetherthepersonowesanybodymoney.Thisquestiongetsattherisksofindebtednessoraperceptionofindebtedness,inadditiontothepossibilityofdebt.

Question11:Doyougetanymoneyfromthegovernment,apension,aninheritance,workingunderthetable,oraregularjob,oranythinglikethat?

Thisquestionexamineswhetherpeoplehaveasourceofmoney.Puttheemphasisonhowyouask“oranythinglikethat?”soastobeclearthatyouarenotlookingforspecificsofhowtheygetmoney.

ScoringQuestions10-11

Question10and11areLinkedQuestions.

Score1iftheresponsetoQuestion10is“Yes”and/ortheresponsetoQuestion11is“No”

Score0iftheresponsetoQuestion10is“No”or“Refused”andtheresponsetoQuestion11is“Yes”or“Refused”

MeaningfulDailyActivity

Question12:Doyouhaveplannedactivitiesotherthanjustsurvivingthatmakeyoufeelhappyandfulfilled?

Thisquestionconsiderswhethertherespondentregularlyengagesinactivitiesthattheychooseandthatprovidepersonalsatisfactionandasenseofintellectual,emotional,social,physicalorspiritualfulfilment.

ScoringQuestion12


Score1iftherespondentanswers“No”

Score0iftherespondentanswers“Yes”or“Refused”

Self-Care

Question13:Areyouabletotakecareofbasicneedslikebathing,changingclothes,usingarestroom,gettingfoodandcleanwaterandotherthingslikethat?

Thisquestionisassessingwhethertherespondentself-reportsbothhavingaccesstoandtheabilitytotakecareofbasicneeds,includingpersonalhygiene.

ScoringQuestion13


Score1iftherespondentanswers“No”

Score0iftherespondentanswers“Yes”or“Refused”

SocialRelationships

Question14:Isyourcurrenthomelessnessinanywaybecauseofarelationshipthatbrokedown,anunhealthyorabusiverelationship,orbecausefriendsorfamilycausedyoutobecomeevicted?

Thisquestionisdesignedtoexplorewhethertherespondenthasrelationshipsthatmayhavesomenegativeconsequencesforhisorherhousingstability.AswithQuestion9,therespondentmayfeelthe

needtoelaborateontheirresponse.Ifthisoccurs,gentlyremindthemthatyouareonlylookingfora“yes”or“no”answer.

ScoringQuestion14




DomainC:Socialization&DailyFunctionsQuiz

7.DomainD:Wellness

PhysicalHealth

Question15:Haveyoueverhadtoleaveanapartment,shelterprogram,orotherplaceyouwerestayingbecauseofyourphysicalhealth?

Thisquestionisassessingwhethertherespondent’sphysicalhealthisimpactingtheirhousingstability.Itdoesnotmatterwhetherthereasonwasofficialorunofficial;theimportantpartiswhethertherespondentfeelsthatphysicalhealthwasthereason.

Question16:Doyouhaveanychronichealthissueswithyourliver,kidneys,stomach,lungsorheart?

ThisquestionisderivedfromtheVulnerabilityIndexandisassessing,inpart,riskofheightenedmortalitywhilehomelessduetoseriousphysicalhealthissues.Again,wearenotinterestedinthedetailsofthechronichealthissue,simplyayesornoresponse.

Question17:IftherewasspaceavailableinaprogramthatspecificallyassistspeoplethatlivewithHIVorAIDS,wouldthatbeofinteresttoyou?

ThisquestionisnotassessingwhetherthepersonhasHIV/AIDS.Instead,itisassessingwhether,iftheylivewithHIV/AIDS,theyareinterestedinreceivingprogramsorservicesforthathealthissue.

Note:theCanadianversiondoesnotaskthisquestion.

Question18:Doyouhaveanyphysicaldisabilitiesthatwouldlimitthetypeofhousingyoucouldaccess,orwouldmakeithardtoliveindependentlybecauseyou’dneedhelp?

Thisquestionisnotaskingwhetherthepersonhasaphysicaldisability,butlikemanyotherquestionsisinquiringwhetherthedisabilitywouldimpacthousingstabilityortheirabilitytofindandmaintainhousing.

Question19:Whenyouaresickornotfeelingfeel,doyouavoidgettinghelp?

Thisquestionisaskingspecificallyaboutmedicalattention.Thequestionassesseswhether,whenahealthissuearises,itistypicallyaddressedorignoredforanyreason.Itisimportanttonotethatsomeindividualsmayprefertoseekmedicalattentionbutmaybeunabletodosoforvariousreasonsincludingfinancials–thisisconsideredavoidinggettinghelp,sincetheyarechoosingnottoreceiveassistanceatthattime.

Question20:Forfemalerespondentsonly:Areyoucurrentlypregnant?

Thisquestionshouldbeaskediftherespondentisfemale(oridentifiesasfemale),regardlessoftheageofthefemale.Ithelpstoreducesurveyorbiasifeveryhouseholdthatincludesafemaleisaskedthisquestion,evenifitisunlikelythattheyarenotofanagewherepregnancyislikely.

Note:theFamilyversiondoesnotaskthisquestion,becauseithasalreadybeenaskedearlier.


Question15through20areLinkedQuestions.

Score1iftheresponsestoanyofQuestions15-20is“Yes”

Score0iftheresponsestoallofQuestions15-20aresomecombinationof“No”or“Refused”

SubstanceUse

Question21:Hasyourdrinkingordruguseledyoutobeingkickedoutofanapartmentorprogramwhereyouwerestayinginthepast?

Thisquestionisinquiringwhetherthishashappenedatanypointinher/hislifetime.Itisnotinquiringwhetherapersondrinksalcoholorusesdrugs;insteaditfocusesontheimpactofthatonhousingstability.Perhapsdrinkingordrugusemeanttherewasnomoneyleftforrent,orperhapspartyingledtolandlordorneighbordisputesthatresultedineviction.Iftherespondentwasstayingwiththeirparentsorafriendandwerekickedoutduetodrugoralcoholuse,thatiscountedasa“yes.”Theimportantpartiswhethertherespondentfeelsthattheylosttheirhousingbecauseoftheirdrinkingordruguse.

Question22:Willdrinkingordrugusemakeitdifficultforyoutostayhousedoraffordyourhousing?

WhileQuestion21asksaboutthepast,Question22isinquiringaboutthefuture.LikeQuestion21,however,theresponsetothisquestiondependsontheperson’sperceptionofthemselves.Theimportantpartiswhethertherespondentfeelstheirfuturehousingstabilitywillbenegativelyimpactedbytheirdrinkingordruguse.



Score1iftherespondentanswers“Yes”toeitherQuestion21or22

Score0iftherespondentanswers“No”or“Refused”tobothQuestion21and22

MentalHealth

Question23:Haveyoueverhadtroublemaintainingyourhousing,orbeenkickedoutofanapartment,shelterprogramorotherplaceyouwerestaying,becauseof:

Thisquestionisinquiringwhetherthishashappenedatanypointinher/hislifetime.Itisnotinquiringwhetherapersonhasanissuerelatedtomentalhealth;insteaditfocusesontheimpactofthatonhousingstability.Thereasondoesnotneedtobeexplicit;theimportantpartiswhethertherespondentfeelsthattheylosttheirhousingbecauseoftheirmentalhealthconcern.

a)Amentalhealthissueorconcern?

Thisdoesnotneedtobeadiagnosedorevendiagnosablementalhealthissue.Itisonlyconcernedwithwhethertherespondentconsiderstheirmentalhealthareasonforlosingtheirhousingatsomepoint.

b)Apastheadinjury?

Thisquestionisinquiringaboutharmtothebrain,whichincludesbothacquiredandorganicbraininjuriesregardlessofhowtheharmoccurred.

c)Alearningdisability,developmentaldisability,orotherimpairment?

Thisquestiondetermineswhetherthepersonmayhavethesetypesofdisabilities.Again,thecircumstancesdonotmatter,simplywhethertherespondentfeelsthattheirdisabilityorimpairmenthasinsomewayresultedinalossofhousing.

Question24:Doyouhaveanymentalhealthorbrainissuesthatwouldmakeithardforyoutoliveindependentlybecauseyou’dneedhelp.

WhileQuestion23asksaboutthepast,Question24isinquiringaboutthefuture.LikeQuestion23,however,theresponsetothisquestiondependsontheperson’sperceptionofthemselves.The

importantpartiswhethertherespondentfeelstheirfuturehousingstabilitywillbenegativelyimpactedbytheirmentalwell-being.



Score1iftherespondentanswers“Yes”toeitherQuestion23(anypart)or24

Score0iftherespondentanswers“No”or“Refused”tobothQuestion23(everypart)and24

Tri-Morbidity

Tri-Morbidityoccurswhenthepersonhasaphysicalhealthissue,mentalhealthissueandsubstanceuseissueatthesametime.ThepresenceofTri-Morbidityisdeterminedbyexaminingtherespondent’sscoresinthesectionsoftheWellnessdomainthataddressPhysicalHealth,MentalHealthandSubstanceUse.

IfyourVI-SPDATisbeingenteredintoyourHMIS,thisismostlikelyauto-calculatedforyou.IfyouaredoingtheVI-SPDATonpaper,youwillneedtosearchfora“1”ScoreforPhysicalHealth,a“1”ScoreinMentalHealth,anda“1”ScoreinSubstanceUse.”Iftheseconditionsaremet,thepersonreceivesascoreof1forTri-Morbidity.

ScoringTri-Morbidity

Score1iftherespondenthasascoreof1inallofPhysicalHealth,MentalHealth,andSubstanceUse

Score0iftherespondenthasascoreof0inanyofPhysicalHealth,MentalHealth,orSubstanceUse

Medications

Question25:Arethereanymedicationsthatadoctorsaidyoushouldbetakingthat,forwhateverreason,youarenottaking?

Thisistryingtodetermineifthepersonisnottakingamedicationthatahealthcareprofessionalbelievesshe/heshouldbetaking.Ifyouliveinalocationwherenursepractitionerscanprescribemedications,thatwouldbeincludedequallyto“doctor.”Alsonotethat“doctor”includesmentalhealthprofessionalssuchaspsychiatriststhatcanprescribemedications.

Question26:Arethereanymedicationslikepainkillersthatyoudon’ttakethewaythedoctorprescribedorwhereyousellthemedication?

Thisquestionisafollow-uptoQuestion25,andistryingtogetatwhetherthosewhotaketheirmedicationsdosoinawaythatisnotspeedingrecovery.Again,“doctor”canincludeanyhealthormentalhealthprofessionalsthatcanprescribemedications.



Score1iftherespondentanswers“Yes”toeitherQuestion25or26

Score0iftherespondentanswers“No”or“Refused”tobothQuestion25and26

ExperienceofAbuseorTrauma

Question27:YesorNo–Hasyourcurrentperiodofhomelessnessbeencausedbyanexperienceofemotional,physical,psychological,sexual,orothertypeofabuse,orbyanyothertraumayouhaveexperienced?

WhilemostquestionsuptothispointhavebeenYesorNoquestions,thisquestionstartsinthatwaysoastoremindtherespondentindirectlythatnoparticulardetailsarebeingsought.Thisquestionisinquiringabouttwodifferentthings–iftheyhaveexperiencedabuse/traumaandnotsoughthelpforit,and/oriftheyhaveexperiencedabuse/traumaandbelievethatabuse/traumacausedtheirhomelessness.

NotethatthisistheonlyquestionintheVI-SPDATthatwasnotwrittenbytheprimaryauthorsofthetool(OrgCodeConsultingandCommunitySolutions).Thisquestionwaswrittenbyexpertsintraumaandabuseandisspecificallywordedtodecreasethelikelihoodofre-traumatizingsomeonethroughtheaskingofthequestion.

ScoringQuestion27

Question27isaStand-AloneQuestion.



7.DomainD:WellnessQuiz

8.CalculatingtheVI-SPDATScore

OnceyouhavecompletedtheVI-SPDATsurvey,thescoresforeachquestionwillbeaddedtocalculatesub-totalsforeachdomainandatotalVI-SPDATscore.

IfyouusetheVI-SPDATalongwiththeSPDAToranotherassessmenttool,thescoringoftheVI-SPDATinformswhoshouldbeassessedforwhichtypeofhousingintervention(e.g.,RapidRe-HousingorPermanentSupportiveHousing/HousingFirst).

IfyouaresolelyusingtheVI-SPDATatthispointinyourcommunity,insteadoftheVI-SPDATsuggestingaparticulartypeofassessment,itmaybeusedtoidentifywhichclientswillbereferredtospecifichousinginterventions.However,thisislessprecisethanusingtheVI-SPDATinconjunctionwithanassessmenttool.Forexample,afullassessmentforindividualswhoseVI-SPDATscoresplacethematthecut-offpointfromoneinterventiontoanother(i.e.3/4,or7/8)resultsingreaterclarityastowhereandhowthehouseholdwillbebestsupportedandhoused.

CalculatingtheVI-SPDATScoreQuiz

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