Boulder council hears system evaluation, hires Clutch to update homelessness strategy

Boulder City Council members on Feb. 13 reviewed a yearlong evaluation of the city’s homelessness response and approved hiring Clutch Consulting to lead an update of the city’s 2017 homelessness strategy, aiming for a draft strategy this spring and implementation planning by mid‑summer.

The presentation combined three elements: a staff update on recent program activity and outcomes, an independent evaluation of the Homeless Solutions Boulder County (HSBC) collaborative by Public Policy Associates (PPA), and a description of the consulting engagement with Clutch that will produce system modeling and an implementation plan. City Manager Nuria Rivera Vandermeid introduced the item and said staff is treating the work as regional in scope because many people accessing services come from the surrounding region.

The PPA evaluation found that HSBC is committed to evidence‑based, housing‑first approaches but faces operational barriers: a lack of integration between local case‑management data (Connex) and the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), uneven perceptions of equity among people with lived experience, and public hostility that complicates outreach. PPA recommended clearer governance and dispute‑resolution rules, routine equity assessments, continued funding for evidence‑based retention services (peer support, landlord incentives) and caution in pursuing costly…