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 alternatives such as sanctioned encampments unless implementation is resourced properly. “Collaboration is deeply important as is data‑driven decision‑making,” the PPA presenter said.

Staff and the evaluators summarized recent local results and program changes that underlie the review. Key figures presented by city staff included: - About 2,000 people have exited homelessness from Boulder since the 2017 strategy began; 264 people exited homelessness in 2024. 379 people avoided homelessness through diversion services, the memo states. - The new day services center recorded thousands of visits in its first months; 15 partner agencies now deliver services there, and 30 state housing vouchers have been tied to the center. - Shelter demand was higher in 2024 than previous years; an extreme‑weather overflow shelter in January served 90 unique individuals over three nights at a cost reported as $31,326 and approximately 884 personnel hours. - A Building Home retention program funded with ARPA dollars reported an 88% retention rate for 2024 and a 94% retention rate over two years; staff noted that ARPA funding is time‑limited. - A proposed phased “high utilizer” program, previously discussed at council retreat, was outlined as a multiyear effort. One full first‑year model previously scoped to cost about $5 million was reduced to a $1.7 million phased approach in staff materials; staff said they are exploring philanthropic fundraising and reallocation of existing resources for the initial phase.

City staff described next steps: Clutch Consulting will perform system modeling, scenario analysis and implementation planning. Clutch’s schedule presented to the council calls for document and data review in January, stakeholder and lived‑experience engagement and system modeling through April, an internal strategy framework by May, and an implementation plan and feasibility testing through July. Staff noted that if the timeline is met, recommended actions could inform the 2026 budget; the city manager’s recommended 2026 budget process begins after the 2025 budget cycle completes.

Councilmembers pressed staff and the consultants on data availability, funding constraints and regional coordination. Several councilmembers and staff expressed frustration that comprehensive, program‑level quantitative performance data tied to budgets has been requested in prior cycles and that gaps remain; staff responded they will circulate a 2024 outcomes report and asked council for feedback on additional data needs. Boulder County housing staff said the county supports the PPA recommendations and that some governance changes described in the memo have already been implemented (e.g., rotating chair and multiple appointees per jurisdiction to the HSBC executive team).

Councilmembers also highlighted funding challenges: staff and the consultant repeatedly cautioned that many homelessness programs rely on federal and state grants and on ARPA dollars that will expire, and that fewer new resources are expected in 2025. Staff said Clutch will include fiscal feasibility as part of the implementation planning and will present scenarios for different funding levels.

Councilmembers requested clear outcome metrics, a short list of priority investments (including “what must be preserved” if cuts are required), and data that links program costs to outcomes for council’s budget decisions. Staff said they will send the 2024 report packet to council via the city hotline and incorporate council feedback into the Clutch engagement.

The council did not take a formal policy vote during the study session; the session concluded with the council chair asking staff and consultants to proceed with the planned engagements and to return draft strategy material later this spring.

The work will continue as a regional effort, staff said, and Clutch will engage providers, people with lived experience and jurisdictions across Boulder County as it develops system models and an implementation plan.

Ending: Councilmembers closed the study session after asking staff to circulate the 2024 report and to press for more program‑level performance data needed for upcoming budget deliberations.