Research Purpose:
This project involves an evaluation of a permanent supportive housing (PSH) demonstration project in the Municipality of Anchorage that is using the pay for success (PFS) model. The project will pilot test the PFS model as a way to reduce recidivism and chronic homelessness among individuals who are high users of corrections facilities, homeless services, health care and other crisis services. The PFS model includes social investors who provide the upfront financing to enable service providers to deliver services, in this case PSH, for the duration of the PFS contract and an outcomes payer, typically a government agency, who will make Success Payments to the social investors to cover the cost of the services delivered if successful outcomes are achieved. NPC Research, as the third party evaluator, is responsible for validating the outcomes that trigger success payments.
Project Design:
The evaluator’s responsibilities include:
- Developing an evaluation plan,
- Selecting an appropriate comparison population,
- Operationalizing outcomes for triggering success payments,
- Identifying available data for measuring outcomes,
- Assessing whether PSH services are consistent with HUD’s programmatic guidelines,
- Determining whether outcomes have been met, and
- Providing documentation to trigger success payments.
Funding Source: United Way, Anchorage, contracted with NPC Research to conduct the evaluation using funds from a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development grant.
Start Date: April 2018
Project Team
Principal Investigator and Project Director
Project Staff