Integrated Data Is Key to “Pay for Success”

How a county government uses integrated data to improve services for homeless mothers and their children and implement a pioneering public-private funding partnership

By the Annie E. Casey Foundation

April 25, 2017

Summary

Cuyahoga County, Ohio, used an integrated data system to improve outcomes for very vulnerable families in a pioneering Pay for Success program.  The public-private funding partnership used the IDS to develop a more targeted set of services for the homeless mothers with children in the child welfare system; design a rigorous evaluation to test the effectiveness of the new services; and, estimate the potential savings of the efficient set of services. The investors will be paid from the savings generated by reducing the amount of time homeless children spend in out-of-home care.

Table of Contents

Key Takeaway

Pay for Success Data Cut Across Agency Information Boundaries

Pay for Success programs often involve delivering services and tracking results in ways that cross agency boundaries. Since planning, managing and evaluating these efforts requires information that is collected by various administrative data systems, an IDS that links data from the various systems is critical to developing these systems-efficient, cost-saving programs.

Findings & Stats

Statements & Quotations