Q: Why is Community Rebuilders developing CHC 2.0? answered 8/22/23
A: Community Rebuilders created CHC 1.0 as a minimally viable product, the features attracted early adopters and others, and resulted in a request that Community Rebuilders expand the system to support the improvement of the Coordinated Entry system for all populations. On September 17, 2021, the Grand Rapids Area Coalition to End Homelessness Steering Council adopted a motion to have Community Rebuilders further develop and expand the piloted Communityhousingconnect.org website to become the coordinated entry system platform utilized by Kent County.
Q: How is CHC 2.0 different from CHC 1.0? answered 8/28/23
A: CHC 1.0 originated as a tool developed by Community Rebuilders and was voluntarily adopted by other community members as an effort to achieve functional zero for families. CHC 1.0 was and will remain managed by Community Rebuilders until the launch of CHC 2.0. CHC 2.0 is a more advanced technological platform that emerged in response to the success of CHC 1.0. The 2.0 version is being developed and designed to align closely with the community’s requirements. The management of the coordinated entry system will remain the responsibility of the Community and the CoC.
Q: What is Community Rebuilders’ role in developing CHC 2.0? answered 8/28/23
A: Community Rebuilder’s role is the project manager and developer of CHC 2.0. This includes the design, development, testing, and launch of a functional Coordinated Entry digital tool, facilitation of public involvement, and use of best practices, features, and feedback. Community Rebuilders will host, own, produce, and support the secure, cloud-based CHC 2.0 platform. Community Rebuilders will not be the lead agency for Coordinated Entry, nor will they provide Coordinated Entry services.
Q: Is there any consultation with federal partners? answered 8/22/23
A: Community Rebuilders was selected by HUD as an advanced HMIS data user and CHC 2.0 was selected as an innovative project with the intent of highlighting the project for other communities to implement and learn from. Community Rebuilders now has HUD and ICF assisting with the project and integration with HMIS. The CoC staff is also participating in the development and consultation process.
Q: How will the CHC 2.0 assessment be created? answered 8/28/23
A: The CHC 2.0 platform will provide a decision matrix to incorporate the complexity of moral values within a community and will make the context of assessments explicit.
The community will be responsible for selecting assessment questions provided within the matrix that best fit the community’s values and agreed upon principles.
Q: Who will create and approve the CHC 2.0 assessment? answered 8/22/23
A: This role will be outlined in the participation standards which are adopted by the community.
Q: How will organizations receive referrals? answered 8/28/23
A: Each organization will utilize the platform to inform the coordinated entry body of their level of participation and type of referrals they wish to receive.
Q: What is a Social Enterprise? answered 8/28/23
CHC 2.0 is a social enterprise activity undertaken by CR to help society. There are hopes that the platform created in Kent County will be valuable to other communities working to end homelessness.
All stakeholders participate to learn the strengths and weaknesses of the Coordinated Entry system as part of the CHC 2.0 development process with improvement as the goal. The community as a whole is invited to participate in planning and design. Consensus building groups and beta testing provide feedback so that unnecessary resources do not go into development. Community Rebuilders will be responsible for the build and code testing prior to platform soft release for community-wide testing and deployment. Community Rebuilders will remain responsible for platform maintenance and security infrastructure. The CoC will monitor security and maintain the platform’s use in the community.
Q: What is the purpose of the non-disclosure agreement? answered 8/28/23
A: The non-disclosure agreement (NDA) protects the intellectual property of Community Rebuilders and allows community members to see a mock up of the simplest version of what CHC 2.0 will offer the community. This allows for open and honest feedback directly related to the platform so that early improvements can be made and save costs down the road. The NDA ensures that persons or entities do not attempt to share with competitors or 3rd parties about this groundbreaking platform. It ensures details are not disclosed without the consent of Community Rebuilders. Once signed, this ensures that all collaborators and stakeholders can freely collaborate, exchange ideas, and contribute to the project without the risk of unauthorized disclosure, fostering a secure environment for innovation and progress of this community-driven solution. The NDA protects the code, technical processes and software ideas. An NDA is legally binding and is executed to protect confidentiality.
Q: Why are stakeholders asked to sign an NDA to view the intellectual property of CHC 2.0? answered 9/6/23
A: A Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) can be an important when developing software for a community, especially in situation where sensitive information or intellectual property is involved. NDA’s are essential tool for safeguarding intellectual property, preserving confidentiality and promoting collaboration when developing software for a community. They help protect the interest of both the developers and the community by establishing legal and ethical boundaries for the sharing and use of sensitive information.
- Protecting Intellectual Property: An NDA helps protect the intellectual property of the software developer or community itself. When developers work on a project for a community, they bring innovative ideas and solutions. An NDA ensures that these ideas remain confidential and are not shared without permission.
- Encouraging Collaboration: The development process includes many contributors, including developers, designers and stakeholders. By implementing an NDA, we can create an environment of trust and collaboration thus encouraging collaboration.
- An NDA sets clear boundaries and expectations regarding the handling of confidential information about the project within the community. This can help prevent misunderstandings and disputes among members. It is also helpful in recruitment of skilled developers who seek assurance that their work will be safeguarded.
- Preserving Competitive Advantage: CHC has many unique features and functionalities that give the community an advantage. By signing the NDA, members of the community can prevent others from learning about these features and replicating them prior to our community’s release.
- NDA’s are essential tool for safeguarding intellectual property, preserving confidentiality and promoting collaboration. They help protect the interest of both developers and the community by establishing legal and ethical boundaries for the sharing and the use of sensitive information
- If someone breaches and NDA by disclosing confidential information or misusing intellectual property, legal recourse is available. This can include injunctive relief to prevent future disclosures of protected information.
Q: Why are government employees not required to sign the NDA? answered 9/6/23
A: Government employees are presumed to have signed various confidentiality agreements and have existing legal frameworks that govern the handling of classified or sensitive information. Many also take an oath of offices sometimes that includes commitment to protect classified information. Additional government employees are in the role of public servant and their primary roles is to serve the interest of the community. The expectation of transparency and accountability is different from the private sector where organizations may need to prioritize protecting proprietary information. Not all government employees are exempt from signing NDA’s
Q: Will CHC 2.0 be available in other languages? answered 11/7/23
A: CHC 2.0 will be fully translatable and accessible in multiple languages.
Q: What is involved in the “soft launch” phase? What will be accomplished here? answered 1/8/24
A soft launch is a controlled and limited release of the software to a small group of users or a specific target testing audience before the product is made available to the general public. This approach allows us to gather feedback, identify potential issues, and make improvements before the full-scale or “hard” launch to the broader public. During a soft launch, the software is typically made available to a select group of users, such as beta testers and early adopters.
The primary purpose of a soft launch is to gather valuable feedback from users who will use the software in real-world scenarios. This feedback can include bug reports, feature requests, usability issues, and performance concerns. The feedback collected during the soft launch phase is used to make iterative improvements to the software. We will address any issues, optimize performance, and refine user experiences based on the feedback received.
We will have a staged or gradual rollout of the software. This means that additional users will be added gradually over time, allowing the development team to scale resources as needed.
During the soft launch, key performance metrics are closely monitored to assess how the software is performing and how users are engaging with it. This data helps in making informed decisions and scaling up. The Soft launch will often uncover unexpected issues and bugs that were not identified during initial testing. These issues are addressed promptly to ensure a smoother experience for a broad base of users. We will also reevaluate and assess infrastructure needs during the soft launch. We will collect data including user behavior and performance metrics Once the software has undergone the necessary refinements and improvements during the soft launch phase and the development team is confident in its stability and user experience, we can proceed to a full-scale or “hard” launch, making the software available to the general public. Soft launches are a strategic approach to minimize risks and ensure a successful product.