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Chapter 4: Analysis of Current Funding of the Continuum ANALYSIS OF CURRENT FUNDING OF THE CONTINUUM Introduction This section of the Plan details the analysis and findings from an unprecedented effort to link services planning to funding. As Alameda County's homeless service providers face continued funding cutbacks from all levels of governments, the Working Group determined that it is important to obtain a clear understanding of all current funding patterns in terms of both sources and uses by local governments and providers. Thus, as part of the planning process, the Working Group contracted with BAE, a consulting firm specializing in affordable housing and homeless services financial analysis, to compile an extensive database of all flows of funds into the County for the most recent fiscal year. The database created for this Plan presents a comprehensive report of current spending for direct homeless services, and can be sorted by any number of data fields to analyze those spending patterns. The database could also be used for the following purposes (not conducted as part of the Plan): • Enables analysis of current funding gaps in the County system by program category, target population, geographic areas, and other criteria • Enables estimation of impacts of decreases in funding to providers, care categories, andlor target populations if assumptions are made regarding cuts in various funding programs • Enables preparation of a regional "budget" of discretionary spending so that funds can be reallocated to best meet care needs or regional "fair share" goals Methodology to Compile and Code Data To organize the collection and compilation of data, the Alameda County Continuum of Care formed a Financial Data Subcommittee to direct the consultant's effort. This subcommittee met with BAE four times during Summer and Fall, 1996 to discuss the database structure and the financial data collection process. These meetings produced a framework for data collection which targeted collection of all "source" public agency and nonprofit funders (e.g., federal, state, and local governments as well as large locally active foundations). The framework also called for collecting "user" budgets from all County-based homeless service providers, in order to double-check the flow of funds from the source funders as well as to identify other sources of funds. Alameda County-Wide Homeless Continuum of Care Plan: April 1997 49