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50 <br /> • Data-Driven Decision-Making via Homeless Management Information System (HMIS):The <br /> CoC operates a Homeless Management Information System (HMIS),which is coordinated <br /> through the North Carolina Coalition to End Homelessness (NCCEH).This system tracks <br /> service utilization, monitors performance metrics, and informs policy decisions to improve <br /> the effectiveness of homelessness response programs across the county. Performance <br /> data from HMIS is actively used to evaluate program effectiveness and inform continuous <br /> improvements. <br /> • OC Connect:A Centralized Resource Hub for Housing and Social Services: In collaboration <br /> with the Community Empowerment Fund (CEF), OCPEH has developed OC Connect, a free <br /> online database that consolidates all available housing, social services, and nonprofit <br /> resources in Orange County. For local social service providers, OC Connect also serves as a <br /> coordinated assessment tool, helping to route individuals at risk of or experiencing <br /> homelessness to appropriate solutions.The platform also administers a prioritization and <br /> coordination tool to ensure that vulnerable individuals receive the right level of care and <br /> support. <br /> • Emergency Cold Weather Shelter: Partnership-operated facilities that shelter clients on an <br /> emergency basis on"white flag"nights (nights when temperatures drop below 32 degrees <br /> Fahrenheit). <br /> According to the gap analysis done in 2022 by OCPEH,there are fifteen current system gaps <br /> preventing the County from effectively ending homelessness.The total annual cost to fill these <br /> gaps is estimated at a minimum of$2.6 million per year.The identified gaps are: <br /> • Housing:Affordable rental units, rapid re-housing, Permanent Supportive Housing,youth <br /> housing, landlord incentives, housing locator,furniture/household goods. <br /> • Temporary Housing Services:Accessible shelters, medical respite beds, bridge housing. <br /> • Connection Services: Housing Helpline staffing, integrated service center, crisis/diversion <br /> facility. <br /> • Dignity Services: 24-hour bathrooms, memorial service funding. <br /> Provide a summary of the strategy for overcoming gaps in the institutional structure and <br /> service delivery system for carrying out a strategy to address priority needs <br /> OCPEH has thoroughly analyzed the institutional structure and service delivery system, identified <br /> fifteen gaps in the system, and calculated the costs of filling those gaps. OCPEH has either <br /> identified existing programs and partners, or worked to set up the necessary infrastructure,through <br /> which to fill most of these gaps, and some funding has already been secured. Of the estimated $2.6 <br /> million yet to be secured, OCPEH has approached Orange County and the Towns of Carrboro, <br /> Chapel Hill, and Hillsborough to ask each jurisdiction to contribute a portion of the funds. In <br /> addition to filling the homeless system gaps, OCPEH also aims to improve existing projects and <br /> processes and improve the quality of homeless service delivery. <br /> 47 <br />