Evaluation of Homeless Initiatives in

Corpus Christi, Texas

PADM 5335-001 TAMUCC MPA Students

Program Evaluation Dr. Sarah Scott
CC Advisory Council Program Recommendations
• Coordinated Entry
• This process ensures that “all people
experiencing a housing crisis have fair
and equal access and are quickly
identified, assessed for, referred, and
connected to housing and assistance
based on their strengths and needs.”
• Family Reunification
• This program, based on municipal
reunification programs across the
country would provide the homeless
with assistance in reuniting with family
support networks outside of Corpus
Christi.
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• Homeless Workers Program **
• This program would provide the
homeless with opportunities for daily
employment as part of community
beautification programs.
• Tiny Homes Program **
• This program would provide low cost
housing to the chronically homeless.
** Denotes Programs currently being
researched by TAMUCC MPA Graduate Students
 PADM 5335 – Program Evaluation Objectives

1. Assess the Need for Housing

2. Establish Measurable Goals & Outcomes
3. Assess Development Requirements & Infrastructure for Housing
4. Establish Best Practices in Housing Programs
5. Establish Best Practices in Employment Programs

* Descriptions and Responsibilities of each group are located in footnotes.

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 Needs Assessment
M. Trevino & R. Schreiber

• Purpose: To provide an updated, evidence-based needs assessment that describes the

major issues facing the homeless population in Corpus Christi, Texas.
• What we did:
• Analyzed two sources of data
• Point-in-Time (PIT) Count
• CCPD Homeless Survey
• Analyzed trends in data and demographics to find problem points
• Identified available and unavailable resources for the homeless in the community
• Began to develop the framework for a survey to assess the needs of the target population

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 Key Findings
• Finding #1: Out of an estimated total of 611 homeless individuals, the majority
of the population is: white, non-Hispanic, mid-aged, male and without children.
Race Age

White Asian 17 & Under 18 - 24 25-64 65 & Older

American indian or Alaskan Native Black
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander Two or More

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 Key Findings
• Finding #2: According to the PIT Survey, 52.9% of homeless people are most
likely to stay in an emergency shelter while 36.5% stay in a place not meant for
habitation.
Nighttime Residency

According to the CCPD Survey, 29% of

homeless individuals said they would
sleep outside regularly and 89% had said
they slept in the “streets” the night before.
This would suggest that transitional and/or
affordable housing is lacking.
Emergency Shelter Transitional Shelter Hotel/Motel (Voucher) Place Not Meant For Habitation

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 Key Findings
• Finding #3: About 15% of homeless individuals are veterans.
• Finding #4: Case management and ID cards are major needs that the homeless
would like to have.
• Finding #5: Substance abuse is prevalent.
• 71% of homeless individuals say they have seen the use of synthetic marijuana in the past six months
• Substance abuse is the 3rd highest reason for homelessness
• 45% of surveyed homeless admit to having alcohol/substance problems
• Finding #6: 86% of homeless individuals say they would work part-time or full-
time jobs.

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 Needs Assessment – Pilot Survey
• Demographic Questions
• Homeless Preference
• Tiny Home Specific Question
• Needs Assessment Question

(Refer to Handout)

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 Needs Assessment - Recommendations
1. Survey the homeless veteran population to assess their needs.
2. Work with the Veteran’s Affairs Office (VA) to streamline benefits to
homeless individuals in Corpus Christi, TX.
3. Offer case management opportunities in conjunction with the program.

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 Establishing Measurable Goals & Outcomes
O. Adeoye, S. Miears, C. Ortiz

• Purpose: To assist stakeholders in articulating program goals and objectives that will
facilitate future evaluation activities. This will include recommendations on data collection and
analysis procedures.
• What we did:
• Conducted external assessment of comparable nonprofits’ mission, goals, and objectives
• Provided literature and evidence-based practices of similar programs
• Attended the Advisory Council meeting to gather members’ insight
• Created a survey to help determine Council’s mission, goals, and outcomes
• Analyzed best practices to provide recommendations

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 Key Findings
• Finding #1: Currently no mission statement
• Finding #2: Goals have not been created by
stakeholders
• Finding #3: No program objectives have
been linked to desired goals

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 Pilot Survey
Proposed Survey Questions:
1. Long-term, what is the target population you have in mind for this program? Be Specific.
2. Other than homelessness, in one line, what impact would you like for this program to have on the city of Corpus
Christi?
3. What eligibility criteria and/or conditions would you like to implement for potential residents?
4. Is the program intended to be transitional? If so, how long are you forecasting residents to stay at the facility?
5. What types of services, other than housing, should this program offer?
6. What will make this program unique from programs in other cities with similar goals and objectives?
7. Realistically, what percentage of the current homeless targeted population would you hope to serve? Give a
timeframe of when you would like to achieve that goal.

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 Recommendations
1. Construct a mission statement that articulates what the program will do, its purpose, and
whom it is for.
2. Develop goals that can be translated into concrete statements that specify the condition to be
addressed, together with one or more measurable criteria of success.
3. Goals need to be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, & Timely).
4. Achieve a workable agreement on objectives central to the evaluation and the criteria used in
assessing whether those objectives can be met.
• Stakeholders should agree on importance before objectives are accepted as focal issues.
5. Create objectives that identify particular accomplishments presumed necessary to achieve
the tiny home program goals.

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 Development & Infrastructure
K. Comeaux, K. Erben, M. Fitch, A. Soto

• Purpose: To research the development requirements for the proposed tiny home
community. Our research included codes and regulations on a local, state, and
federal level.
• Goal: To provide as much information as possible to help the organization choose
a site and development plan that will maximize the use of their available assets
and increase their chances of successfully implementing and sustaining this
program.
• The findings in our report fall primarily under two categories:
• Site Evaluation & Tiny Home Classification

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 Key Findings
No location has been selected for this project. To demonstrate the site
evaluation process, our group conducted preliminary site assessments of
properties that have been discussed as possible locations for the project.

Site Evaluation Questions:

1. What infrastructure is on the property? Will there be a need for infrastructure
improvements?
2. Is the property platted? What is the current zoning designation for the property?
3. Is the property in a special flood hazard zone? Are there any other conditions that
would require higher building standards?
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Example Site Assessment:
Infrastructure
Enlarged Key
Active Service Cap
Distribution Main
Fire Hydrant Line
Gravity
Water Valve
Fire Hydrant
Wastewater Manhole

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 Example Site Assessment:
Flood Zone Designation

Key
Site 1

Site 2

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 Key Findings – Classifying Tiny Homes
Tiny Homes are currently not identified under City of Corpus Christi codes
and ordinances. Classification is important to determine how this
development will be considered for permitting. Based on our research,
there are two ways to classify tiny homes in the city of Corpus Christi.

• International Building Code 2015, International Residential Code 2015, International

Fire Code 2015
• Unified Development Code
• Flood Damage Prevention Code
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 Key Findings – Classifying Tiny Homes
Recreational Vehicles
• Donated units would have to be put on chassis
• Tiny Homes would have to be road-worthy and
registered with TXDot
• Bathrooms and amenities can be communal
and in a separate building
• Rezoning may be needed when the property is
chosen
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Residential Structures
• Under current codes, the donated tiny homes
would have to be larger to be permitted as
residential structures
• Each dwelling unit would require bathroom
and kitchen facilities
• Tiny homes would require permanent
foundations, individual utility connections,
and windstorm engineering
• Replatting may be required
 Recommendations – Classifying Tiny Homes
Our group’s recommendations are those options that will present the
fewest roadblocks and most manageable hurdles for this
development.
1. Choose a location with the fewest needed infrastructure improvements and
land use restrictions.
2. Classify tiny homes as recreational vehicles.
3. Classify tiny homes as residential structures and adopt the International
Residential Code 2018, which identifies building standards for homes of 200
square feet or less.

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 Best Practices for Housing
R. Tepera, J. Reed, J. Ramos, E. Zhang

• Purpose: Our team identified locations that have established and in-progress tiny
home communities for their local homeless populations. We collected data on how
the communities have been established and managed. We also identified
similarities and differences between these programs and we compiled a list of
prioritized recommendations for establishing a program to best suit the needs of
Corpus Christi.
• What we did:
• We looked at four tiny home communities across the United States.
• Two that are established & two that are in development
• Collected the best practices form those communities and prioritized them in a data sheet

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 Community First Village-Austin, TX
• Faith based & driven by a successful non-profit
organization that offers permanent residency
• Successfully found a method to provide a
relational transition for the chronically
homeless
• Located in the Extra Territorial Jurisdiction
(ETJ) of Austin, TX
• On-site microeconomic jobs available for
residents to earn a dignified wage
• Admitted via Coordinated Assessment Intake
& “20% Scale”
• Missional, Frequent Flyers, Veterans, Most & Least
Chronic

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 The Cottages at Hickory Crossing-Dallas, TX
• CitySquare Housing provides permanent
housing to chronically homeless individuals
in the Dallas metro area
• Located in a fenced in community in the city
limits of Dallas, TX
• Admitted by a board that verifies
homelessness, substance abuse, and mental
illness
• Residents must have a criminal record or
have had other problems with LE

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 My Tiny House Project-Los Angeles, CA

• In development
• Driven by Elvis Summers, non-profit
businesses and organizations, as well as
donations from the community and
surrounding areas
• Currently doesn’t have any land available
for 37 homes but the phases and framework
for the community are already established
• No application for housing is available but
the prospective residents will be
interviewed by a panel
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 Tiny Homes Village-Bernalillo County

• In development
• Organized by The Tiny Home Village Working
Group comprised of an informed circle of
local volunteers
• Offers 2 different types of housing options:
Temporary & Permanent
• Utilizes a model based off communities in
Lane County, Oregon
• Currently have a detailed outline of how
they would like to establish future plans for
their community

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Table of Key Data Points

Residency Residency Residency

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 Recommendations for Corpus Christi Pilot Community
1. Secure land for the community.
2. Identify an appropriate organization to manage the community.
3. Establish a strategic plan for building and managing the community.
• Determine reasonable rent
• One full time employee on site from every 30 residents (managerial and counseling)
• ADA approved houses
• Houses face south west to optimize the exposure of sun for solar panels
• Precautionary measures for security (cameras and video systems).
4. Explore opportunities for micro-enterprises.
5. Define “community” and use that to guide development.
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 Homeless Workers Program
P. DeFranesco, M. Saenz, I. Prado, G. Cuellar

• Purpose: To formulate and recommend the best practices for a Homeless Worker
Program to best suit the needs of Corpus Christi, TX.
• What we did:
• Identified active homeless worker programs for comparison
• Conducted a literature review of each homeless worker program
• Developed data collection questions to assess
• Compared data collected from the four homeless employment programs
selected to find best practices

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 Key Findings
City Of Albuquerque – “There’s a Better Way”
1. The program conducts on-site screening and
assessment of homeless workers.
2. Workdays were reduced to twice per week due to
high demand.
3. The program is funded by the city and managed by
a non-profit partner that offers extensive services.
4. No serious injuries have occurred with homeless
workers.
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 Key Findings
City Of Tucson – “Tucson Homeless Workers Program”
1. The program pays workers in cash daily. Tucson found that immediate cash payments
are favored by the workers.
2. The use of one vehicle limits workers participation to only six people per day.
3. The work program alone does not have a huge impact on the community.

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 Key Findings
City Of Fort Worth – “Clean Slate”
1. Focus on long-term employment has yielded
better success than short term tasks such as
litter abatement.
2. The program is managed by non-profit
organizations with the city as a funding
partner.
3. The manager requires homeless persons to
stay at the shelter in order to participate in the
work program.
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 Key Findings
City Of Denver– “Denver Day Works”
1. Large budget caused problems in that the
majority of the funds were going to program
administration instead of homeless workers.
2. Most participants were not able to keep their
job for 1 year after completion of the program.
3. The program paid in cash for workers who had
identification. Those without identification
were paid in gift cards.

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 Key Findings
Name of Program City’s Workers per Pay per Program Non-Profit Other Yearly # of People with # of People with Age of
Homeless Day Hour/ Budget Affiliation* Services Participation Permanent Jobs Permanent Program
Pop. Hours per Offered after 1 Yr. Housing after 1
Week ** Yr.

Albuquerque, NM 1,318 40 $9/hr at 10 $375,400 Y- St. Martin’s Shelter, 822 69 21 2.5 years
- “There’s a hr/wk (100% City Hope Meals, Health
Better Way” Contribution) Works Services,
Medical
Assist., Job
Services

Tucson, AZ – 2,957 6 $10/hr at 15 $115,000 Y-Old Pueblo Shelter, 166 28 17 2 years

“Tucson hr/wk (50% city, 50% Community Meals, Health
Homeless county) Services Services,
Worker Program” Medical
Assist., Job
Services

Denver, CO – 3,636 30 $12.59/ hr at $400,000 Y-Bayaud Meals, Health 284 57 13 1.5 years
“Denver Day 18 hr/wk ($200,000 City Enterprises Services,
Works” Contribution) Medical
Assist., Job
Services

Fort Worth, TX - 1,924 62 $10/hr at 30- $100,000 Y-Presbyterian Shelter, 62 Data Not Data Not 1.25 years
“Clean Slate 40 hrs/wk ($48,000 City Night Shelter Case Mgmt. Available Available
Program” Contribution) Support,
Job Services

* Full List of Non-Profit Associates in Appendix **Full List of Services in Appendix

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 Recommendations
1. The Homeless Worker Program should have a non-profit affiliation and should partner with other non-
profit agencies that support the homeless population.
2. Establish designated worker pickup points to save time and simplify access to the program.
3. Homeless workers, after their end of the shift, should be driven back to the pickup point to connect with
social services such as assistance with shelter, clothing, and medical assistance.
4. Shifts should be no more than five hours a day and no more than three times a week to ensure rest
periods and time to access social services.
5. Homeless workers should be paid daily in cash due to lack of bank accounts or identification. Wages
should be $10 per hour for simplified accounting.
6. Meals and drinks should be provided during the work shift by the program.
7. The homeless person wanting to work should be enrolled in Coordinated Entry Program to ensure
collection of homeless demographics and to screen potential clients to determine if they are physically
able to work.
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Questions??