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COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIVISION 510 NORTH BROADWAY, 4 TH FLOOR PO BOX 1178, BILLINGS, MONTANA 59103 MEMORANDUM Date: October 11, 2007 To: Mayor’s Committee on Homelessness From: Brenda Beckett Community Development Manager Re: Draft Data Workbook Presented for the Mayor’s Committee on Homelessness’ review is a draft compilation of several data gathering efforts undertaken by the Data Committee. Immediately following this memo is the drafted Needs Assessment structure for your review and comment. Members of the Mayor’s Committee and interested parties are asked to review the information and submit preliminary findings and recommendations to the Community Development Division for review at the November 8, 2007 Committee meeting. If you have recommendations regarding gathering additional data for review by the Committee, please determine if this additional information will alter your recommendations for objectives, goals, or activities for the 10-Year Plan to impact homelessness in Billings. Please note the following regarding the data contained in this workbook: Continuum of Care: The total number of homeless individuals is a “point-in-time” measurement for those interviewed and is not designed to reflect the total number of homeless individuals in Billings. This data simply delivers characteristics of the homeless population surveyed at the time it was administered. We currently estimate the total number of homeless people in Billings at 2,000 per year. Billings Addendum: This survey was delivered to the homeless population in conjunction with the MT Continuum of Care survey in January 2007. It is important to note the survey was completed by homeless individuals who may not have accurate data regarding length of stay and services utilized. With this assumption, the estimated cost of services (limited to the list in the survey) in Billings is thought to exceed $30,000,000 per year. Provider Survey and Service Matrix: This section represents work to date by our VISTA volunteer, Miranda Dye, who is actively scheduling site visits to gain additional responses to the Provider Survey. Expected completion date for this data is December 2007. When all data sets are finalized, the Data Committee will compile a final data book complete with findings and fact sheets regarding the homeless population in Billings. Please do not hesitate to contact me with questions. PHONE: (406) 657-8286 FAX: (406) 657-8327 TTY: 1-[PHONE REDACTED] EMAIL: [EMAIL REDACTED]