Our logic model is our Theory of Change written as a chain. Resources make activities possible, activities produce outputs we can count, and outputs lead to outcomes for young people. Every link is a claim we can test.
The Chain
If these inputs and activities, then these results.
1 · Inputs
Three HUD Continuum of Care grants: joint transitional housing and rapid re-housing, Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program joint transitional housing and rapid re-housing, and permanent supportive housing
Private philanthropy: foundations, individual and monthly donors, major gifts, corporate sponsors and employee giving, banks, health systems, and in-kind support
The 25% match that HUD requires, raised from non-federal sources
Staff: Chief Operating Officer, Lead Community Mentor, Community Mentors, Operations Coordinator
Master-leased homes and rapid re-housing landlords
Santa Clara County’s Homeless Management Information System and Coordinated Entry
Partners in legal aid, workforce, health, and education
Our Program Operations Manual
2 · Activities
Referral and enrollment through Coordinated Entry
Housing: a sublease, or a lease plus a rental assistance contract, with every home inspected first
Supportive services, taught I do, we do, you do
Goals the young person chooses, in their own plan
A budget the young person builds
Strong, everyday, and bridging ties; community gatherings
3 · Outputs, counted
Enrollments; units passing inspection
Service contacts logged the same day
Plans and budgets signed
Benefit, ID, and FAFSA or California Dream Act applications filed
Referrals completed with a warm handoff
4 · Short-term, 0–6 months
Housed and safe
ID, bank account, health coverage
First chosen goals met
Budget in use
At least one supportive adult named
5 · Intermediate, 6–24 months
Income higher
Enrolled, or a credential earned
Household tasks done independently
Savings reserve; a credit file
Wider everyday and bridging ties
6 · Long-term: permanence
Permanent housing, with no return to homelessness at 6, 12, and 24 months
Permanent relationships
Educational attainment
Economic stability and employment
Self-sufficient, responsible adults in an interdependent community
Read left to right: each column is the condition for the next.
Inputs in Detail
Public grants and private philanthropy: one model, two engines.
Federal grants and private gifts do different jobs. Neither can do the other’s work, and the model needs both.
Public grants
What HUD grants pay for
Three U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Continuum of Care grants fund our transitional housing, rapid re-housing, and permanent supportive housing. Every federal dollar is drawn from a line in a grant’s approved budget, and the regulation for that line decides what it pays for.
Leasing: rent for the homes we lease
Rental assistance: our share of rent for a home the young person leases
Operating costs: repairs, utilities, insurance, and furniture
Supportive services, including the staff who deliver them
Grant administration, capped at 10%
Private philanthropy
What only gifts can do
Philanthropy is not an extra. It is what makes the federal grants possible, and what fills every gap they leave.
Unlocks federal funding. Every grant line except leasing requires a 25% match from non-federal sources.
Pays for what grants cannot. Any cost no federal budget line describes is paid from private funds.
Carries the relationship past the grant. Community gatherings, food, and support that continue after a young person moves on.
Keeps the doors open. Building toward three months of operating reserve, so the work never stops between federal reimbursements.
Pays for raising itself. Fundraising costs are never charged to a federal grant.
“The recipient or subrecipient must match all grant funds, except for leasing funds, with no less than 25 percent of funds or in-kind contributions from other sources.”
For every dollar of federal grant funds outside leasing, at least 25 cents must come from other sources: private gifts, local funds, or in-kind contributions. Without philanthropy, the federal dollar cannot be drawn.
Where Philanthropy Goes
Four pillars, each tied to an outcome.
Every private gift is directed through one of four pillars, and each pillar answers to the North Star outcomes it serves. A gift a donor restricts in writing is spent only for that purpose.
1
Permanent Connections
Mentorship, relationships, and community.
Outcomes 1 and 8
2
A Place to Stay
Housing stability, tenant readiness, and permanence.
Outcome 2
3
A Way Forward
Education, employment, and economic mobility.
Outcomes 4 and 5
4
What It Takes to Keep It
Life skills, food, transportation, and financial capability.
Outcomes 3, 6 and 7
Ways philanthropy arrives
Individual giftsWalk With Us monthly givingMajor gifts and donor-advised fundsFoundation grantsCorporate sponsorshipEmployee giving and matching giftsCommunity Reinvestment Act banksHospital community benefitIn-kind support
We don’t work alone. Here’s who else is in the chain.
Razing the Bar is one provider inside Santa Clara County’s Continuum of Care. Each partner below shapes who we serve, how we record the work, and how results are judged.
Santa Clara County’s HMIS (Bitfocus, n.d.-a), run on Clarity Human Services and administered by Bitfocus. Every enrollment, service, and exit we record lives here.
Technical assistance
Homebase
Homebase (n.d.), technical assistance provider to the Santa Clara County Continuum of Care. It hosts the Continuum’s listservs and supports the annual local competition for federal funding.
ID in hand; bank account open; budget in use; savings reserve; a credit file established
7 · Agency and life skills
Goals the young person chooses; household management taught I do, we do, you do
Goals written; skills taught
First goals met
Chosen goals met on the young person’s timeline; household tasks done independently; life skills assessed at entry and every 6 months
8 · Interdependent community
Community, peer, and civic activities the young person chooses
Activities offered
The young person takes part, by choice
Everyday and bridging ties named; activities the young person chooses; their own sense of belonging
Time points: entry, every six months, exit, and 6, 12, and 24 months after exit where the County’s Homeless Management Information System has the data. In permanent supportive housing, education, employment, and income are offered, never required.
How the Data Moves
From the front door to a published result.
Every statement on this page is checked against records that move through the same path. No result is reported from memory or estimate.
1 · Front door
Coordinated Entry
Youth VI-SPDAT assessment and County referral
2 · Enrollment
Housed first
Home inspected, lease or sublease signed, enrollment entered
3 · Every contact
Recorded same day
Services, goals, budgets, and relationship maps
4 · Shared system
HMIS
Clarity Human Services, to HUD Data Standards; exits within 3 workdays
5 · Federal measures
HUD reports
System Performance Measures 2 and 4; Annual Performance Report
6 · Accountability
Board and public
Compared with County benchmarks; reported on Our Impact
Outputs, Written to Be Proven Wrong
The work we hold to 100%.
Some outputs are legal, grant, or donor requirements. Their threshold is 100%, and a single miss makes the statement false.
Output · Inspection first
100% of the homes we lease pass inspection before a young person moves in, and at every required re-inspection.
Measure
Move-ins and re-inspections with a pass on or before the date, divided by all move-ins and re-inspections
Source and timing
Inspection records; each move-in
Proven wrong if
Any young person moves in, or stays past a re-inspection date, without a pass
Output · Rental assistance
100% of rapid re-housing rental assistance payments are made only after the young person’s lease, our contract with the landlord, and a passed inspection are all on file.
Measure
Payments with all three documents dated on or before the payment, divided by all rapid re-housing payments
Source and timing
Payment register and the young person’s file; every payment, checked monthly
Proven wrong if
Any payment is made before one of the three is on file
Output · Same-day records
100% of supportive service contacts are recorded on the day of the service.
Measure
Entries dated the service day, divided by all entries
Source and timing
Supportive services activity log; sampled by the Chief Operating Officer each month
Proven wrong if
Any entry is written after the service day
Output · Exits recorded
100% of exits are entered in the County’s Homeless Management Information System, with a destination, within 3 workdays of the exit date.
Measure
Exits entered on time with a destination, divided by all exits
Source and timing
Homeless Management Information System data quality report; monthly
Proven wrong if
Any exit is late or has no destination
Output · Budget offered
100% of young people are offered a budget within 30 days of move-in, and every budget a young person accepts is signed within those 30 days.
Measure
Young people with the offer recorded, and any accepted budget signed, by day 30, divided by young people reaching day 30
Source and timing
The young person’s file; monthly
Proven wrong if
Any young person reaches day 30 without the offer recorded, or with an accepted budget not signed
Stewardship of private gifts
Output · Donors thanked
100% of donors are thanked within 2 business days of their gift.
Measure
Gifts thanked within 2 business days, divided by all gifts
Source and timing
Donor database; monthly
Proven wrong if
Any donor is thanked after 2 business days
Output · Gifts acknowledged
100% of single gifts of $250 or more receive a written acknowledgment within 30 days, stating the amount, or a description of donated property, and whether any goods or services were given in return.
Measure
Written acknowledgments sent within 30 days, divided by gifts of $250 or more
Source and timing
Donor database and acknowledgment file; monthly
Proven wrong if
Any gift of $250 or more is acknowledged after 30 days, or not at all
Output · Restricted gifts honored
100% of gifts a donor restricts in writing are spent only for the purpose or time the donor set.
Measure
Restricted spending matched to its restriction, divided by all restricted spending
Source and timing
Accounting records with donor restrictions; each month-end close
Proven wrong if
Any restricted dollar is spent outside its restriction
Output · Fundraising kept separate
0% of fundraising, event, or donor-cultivation costs are charged to a federal grant.
Measure
Fundraising costs charged to a federal grant, divided by all fundraising costs
Source and timing
General ledger and grant drawdown records; each drawdown
Proven wrong if
Any fundraising cost appears in a federal draw
Outcomes, Written to Be Proven Wrong
Every outcome, stated so a record can disprove it.
Each statement names who is counted, what is counted, the threshold, the period, and the data source. Housing outcomes start at the County benchmark for each type of program. Every other outcome sets its baseline in fiscal year 2027 and must beat it in fiscal year 2028.
Short-term
0 to 6 months
Outcome 4 · Student aid
Of young people who choose to apply for the FAFSA or the California Dream Act Application, 100% file by the Cal Grant deadline.
Measure
Applications filed by the deadline, divided by young people who chose to apply
Source and timing
The young person’s plan and our activity log; each deadline
Proven wrong if
Any young person who chose to apply misses the deadline
Intermediate
6 to 24 months
Outcome 7 · Goals met
Fiscal year 2027: each goal’s result is recorded at its time horizon for 100% of young people with a plan. Fiscal year 2028: the share of goals met by their horizon is higher than in fiscal year 2027.
Measure
Goals met by their horizon, divided by goals that reached their horizon
Source and timing
The young person’s plan; quarterly
Proven wrong if
Fiscal year 2027: any young person with a plan without results recorded. Fiscal year 2028: the share is at or below fiscal year 2027
Outcome 8 · Belonging
Fiscal year 2027: the belonging question is recorded in 100% of young person survey responses. Fiscal year 2028: the share answering agree or strongly agree is higher than in fiscal year 2027.
Measure
Agree or strongly agree, divided by responses
Source and timing
Young person survey; each survey
Proven wrong if
Fiscal year 2027: any response without it recorded. Fiscal year 2028: the share is at or below fiscal year 2027
Long-term
Permanence
Permanence is the long-term outcome of our work. It has four parts, and each one is measured on its own.
Permanent housing
A home a young person can keep, and no return to homelessness.
Permanent relationships
At least one unconditional, lifelong relationship, and a wider circle that doesn’t depend on us.
Educational attainment
Enrolled, or a credential earned: diploma, GED, certificate, or degree.
Economic stability and employment
Work or training, rising income, and the financial tools to keep a home.
At least 76% of rapid re-housing households who exit go to a permanent housing destination.
Measure
Exits to permanent housing, divided by all rapid re-housing exits
Source and timing
Homeless Management Information System and HUD Annual Performance Report; fiscal year 2027 exits
Proven wrong if
Below 76%
Transitional housing exits
At least 33% of young people in transitional housing, including the Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program, who exit go to a permanent housing destination.
Measure
Exits to permanent housing, divided by all transitional housing exits
Source and timing
Homeless Management Information System and HUD Annual Performance Report; fiscal year 2027 exits
Proven wrong if
Below 33%
Permanent supportive housing retention
At least 97% of young people in permanent supportive housing stay housed for 12 consecutive months.
Measure
Young people housed 12 consecutive months, divided by young people enrolled 12 months or more
Source and timing
Homeless Management Information System and HUD Annual Performance Report; fiscal year 2027
Proven wrong if
Below 97%
No return at 12 months
Of young people who exit to permanent housing, no more than 9% return to homelessness within 12 months.
Measure
Returns within 12 months, divided by exits to permanent housing
Fiscal year 2027: a relationship map is recorded for 100% of young people who exit. Fiscal year 2028: the share exiting with at least one named permanent connection is higher than in fiscal year 2027.
Measure
Exits with at least one named permanent connection, divided by exits
Source and timing
The young person’s relationship map; each exit
Proven wrong if
Fiscal year 2027: any exit without it recorded. Fiscal year 2028: the share is at or below fiscal year 2027
Supportive adults in a crisis
Fiscal year 2027: the number of supportive adults a young person names who would help in a crisis is recorded at entry and exit for 100% of young people who exit. Fiscal year 2028: the share naming more supportive adults at exit than at entry is higher than in fiscal year 2027.
Measure
Exits naming more supportive adults than at entry, divided by exits
Source and timing
The young person’s relationship map at entry and exit; each exit
Proven wrong if
Fiscal year 2027: any exit without it recorded. Fiscal year 2028: the share is at or below fiscal year 2027
A wider circle
Fiscal year 2027: everyday and bridging ties are recorded at entry and exit for 100% of young people who exit. Fiscal year 2028: the share exiting with more everyday or bridging ties than at entry is higher than in fiscal year 2027.
Measure
Exits with more everyday or bridging ties than at entry, divided by exits
Source and timing
The young person’s plan and relationship map; each exit
Proven wrong if
Fiscal year 2027: any exit without it recorded. Fiscal year 2028: the share is at or below fiscal year 2027
3 · Educational attainment
Outcome 4 · offered, never required, in permanent supportive housing
Enrolled or credentialed at exit
Fiscal year 2027: education status is recorded for 100% of young people who exit. Fiscal year 2028: the share exiting enrolled in school, or with a credential earned during enrollment (diploma, GED, certificate, or degree), is higher than in fiscal year 2027.
Measure
Exits enrolled or with a credential earned during enrollment, divided by exits
Source and timing
The young person’s plan and file; each exit
Proven wrong if
Fiscal year 2027: any exit without it recorded. Fiscal year 2028: the share is at or below fiscal year 2027
Credentials earned
Fiscal year 2027: every diploma, GED, certificate, or degree earned during enrollment is recorded. Fiscal year 2028: the number of credentials earned per young person served is higher than in fiscal year 2027.
Measure
Credentials earned, divided by young people served in the year
Source and timing
The young person’s file; quarterly
Proven wrong if
Fiscal year 2027: any credential earned without a record. Fiscal year 2028: the rate is at or below fiscal year 2027
4 · Economic stability and employment
Outcomes 5 and 6 · offered, never required, in permanent supportive housing
Income
Fiscal year 2027: total income is recorded for 100% of adults at annual assessment and exit. Fiscal year 2028: the share whose total income rose from entry is higher than in fiscal year 2027.
Measure
Adults whose total income rose, divided by adults assessed or exiting
Fiscal year 2027: any adult without income recorded. Fiscal year 2028: the share is at or below fiscal year 2027
Employed or in training at exit
Fiscal year 2027: employment and training status is recorded for 100% of young people who exit. Fiscal year 2028: the share exiting employed or in training is higher than in fiscal year 2027.
Measure
Exits employed or in training, divided by exits
Source and timing
The young person’s file and Homeless Management Information System; each exit
Proven wrong if
Fiscal year 2027: any exit without it recorded. Fiscal year 2028: the share is at or below fiscal year 2027
ID and bank account
Fiscal year 2027: ID and bank account status is recorded for 100% of young people who exit. Fiscal year 2028: the share exiting with both is higher than in fiscal year 2027.
Measure
Exits with ID and an account, divided by exits
Source and timing
The young person’s file; each exit
Proven wrong if
Fiscal year 2027: any exit without it recorded. Fiscal year 2028: the share is at or below fiscal year 2027
Savings and credit
Fiscal year 2027: savings and credit status is recorded for 100% of young people who exit. Fiscal year 2028: the share exiting with a savings reserve and an established credit file is higher than in fiscal year 2027.
Measure
Exits with a savings reserve and a credit file, divided by exits
Source and timing
The young person’s budget and file; each exit
Proven wrong if
Fiscal year 2027: any exit without it recorded. Fiscal year 2028: the share is at or below fiscal year 2027
What holds permanence up
Outcome 3
Health coverage at exit
Fiscal year 2027: health coverage is recorded for 100% of young people who exit. Fiscal year 2028: the share exiting with coverage active is higher than in fiscal year 2027.
Measure
Exits with coverage active, divided by exits
Source and timing
Homeless Management Information System health insurance field; each exit
Proven wrong if
Fiscal year 2027: any exit without it recorded. Fiscal year 2028: the share is at or below fiscal year 2027
Our Impact, Written to Be Proven Wrong
The change that lasts after they move on.
Our vision is measured by young people leaving crisis systems for good, and staying out two years later. Using a benefit a young person is eligible for, such as Medi-Cal or CalFresh, is never counted against it.
Impact
Permanence lasts: of young people who leave Razing the Bar for permanent housing, no more than 16% return to homelessness within 24 months.
Measure
Returns to homelessness within 24 months, divided by exits to permanent housing
Razing the Bar, Inc. · 1400 Parkmoor Avenue, Suite 240B, San José, CA 95126 · A California nonprofit public benefit corporation and 501(c)(3) public charity · EIN 80-0441705 · Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
09. Our Logic Model
About Us
Our Logic Model
Give Now
Our logic model is our Theory of Change written as a chain. Resources make activities possible, activities produce outputs we can count, and outputs lead to outcomes for young people. Every link is a claim we can test.
The Chain
If these inputs and activities, then these results.
Read left to right: each column is the condition for the next.
Inputs in Detail
Public grants and private philanthropy: one model, two engines.
Federal grants and private gifts do different jobs. Neither can do the other’s work, and the model needs both.
Public grants
What HUD grants pay for
Three U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Continuum of Care grants fund our transitional housing, rapid re-housing, and permanent supportive housing. Every federal dollar is drawn from a line in a grant’s approved budget, and the regulation for that line decides what it pays for.
Private philanthropy
What only gifts can do
Philanthropy is not an extra. It is what makes the federal grants possible, and what fills every gap they leave.
“The recipient or subrecipient must match all grant funds, except for leasing funds, with no less than 25 percent of funds or in-kind contributions from other sources.”
24 C.F.R. § 578.73(a)
How the match works
For every dollar of federal grant funds outside leasing, at least 25 cents must come from other sources: private gifts, local funds, or in-kind contributions. Without philanthropy, the federal dollar cannot be drawn.
Where Philanthropy Goes
Four pillars, each tied to an outcome.
Every private gift is directed through one of four pillars, and each pillar answers to the North Star outcomes it serves. A gift a donor restricts in writing is spent only for that purpose.
Permanent Connections
Mentorship, relationships, and community.
Outcomes 1 and 8
A Place to Stay
Housing stability, tenant readiness, and permanence.
Outcome 2
A Way Forward
Education, employment, and economic mobility.
Outcomes 4 and 5
What It Takes to Keep It
Life skills, food, transportation, and financial capability.
Outcomes 3, 6 and 7
Ways philanthropy arrives
Give Now
The System Around Us
We don’t work alone. Here’s who else is in the chain.
Razing the Bar is one provider inside Santa Clara County’s Continuum of Care. Each partner below shapes who we serve, how we record the work, and how results are judged.
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Funds our three Continuum of Care grants under 24 C.F.R. part 578, and sets the System Performance Measures and HMIS Data Standards we report against.
County of Santa Clara Office of Supportive Housing
Leads the Santa Clara County Continuum of Care, runs Coordinated Entry matchmaking, sets the countywide quality assurance standards (Santa Clara County Continuum of Care, 2024), and publishes the benchmarks our housing results are held to.
Coordinated Entry
The County’s consistent, community-wide intake process (Bitfocus, n.d.-b). Every young person comes to us through it, assessed with the youth version of the VI-SPDAT.
Homeless Management Information System
Santa Clara County’s HMIS (Bitfocus, n.d.-a), run on Clarity Human Services and administered by Bitfocus. Every enrollment, service, and exit we record lives here.
Homebase
Homebase (n.d.), technical assistance provider to the Santa Clara County Continuum of Care. It hosts the Continuum’s listservs and supports the annual local competition for federal funding.
California Housing First
California Welfare and Institutions Code § 8255 sets the Housing First requirements our housing follows.
Legal aid, workforce, health, and education
Partners we connect young people to with a warm handoff, including the County’s Intern & Earn program, New Door Ventures, and work2future.
Donors, foundations, and companies
Provide the match that unlocks federal dollars and fund everything federal grants cannot.
Outcome by Outcome
What we do for each outcome, and how we count it.
Each of our eight North Star outcomes has its own activities, outputs we count, an early sign of progress, and an indicator that can prove it false.
Time points: entry, every six months, exit, and 6, 12, and 24 months after exit where the County’s Homeless Management Information System has the data. In permanent supportive housing, education, employment, and income are offered, never required.
How the Data Moves
From the front door to a published result.
Every statement on this page is checked against records that move through the same path. No result is reported from memory or estimate.
Coordinated Entry
Youth VI-SPDAT assessment and County referral
Housed first
Home inspected, lease or sublease signed, enrollment entered
Recorded same day
Services, goals, budgets, and relationship maps
HMIS
Clarity Human Services, to HUD Data Standards; exits within 3 workdays
HUD reports
System Performance Measures 2 and 4; Annual Performance Report
Board and public
Compared with County benchmarks; reported on Our Impact
Outputs, Written to Be Proven Wrong
The work we hold to 100%.
Some outputs are legal, grant, or donor requirements. Their threshold is 100%, and a single miss makes the statement false.
100% of the homes we lease pass inspection before a young person moves in, and at every required re-inspection.
Move-ins and re-inspections with a pass on or before the date, divided by all move-ins and re-inspections
Inspection records; each move-in
Any young person moves in, or stays past a re-inspection date, without a pass
100% of rapid re-housing rental assistance payments are made only after the young person’s lease, our contract with the landlord, and a passed inspection are all on file.
Payments with all three documents dated on or before the payment, divided by all rapid re-housing payments
Payment register and the young person’s file; every payment, checked monthly
Any payment is made before one of the three is on file
100% of supportive service contacts are recorded on the day of the service.
Entries dated the service day, divided by all entries
Supportive services activity log; sampled by the Chief Operating Officer each month
Any entry is written after the service day
100% of exits are entered in the County’s Homeless Management Information System, with a destination, within 3 workdays of the exit date.
Exits entered on time with a destination, divided by all exits
Homeless Management Information System data quality report; monthly
Any exit is late or has no destination
100% of young people are offered a budget within 30 days of move-in, and every budget a young person accepts is signed within those 30 days.
Young people with the offer recorded, and any accepted budget signed, by day 30, divided by young people reaching day 30
The young person’s file; monthly
Any young person reaches day 30 without the offer recorded, or with an accepted budget not signed
Stewardship of private gifts
100% of donors are thanked within 2 business days of their gift.
Gifts thanked within 2 business days, divided by all gifts
Donor database; monthly
Any donor is thanked after 2 business days
100% of single gifts of $250 or more receive a written acknowledgment within 30 days, stating the amount, or a description of donated property, and whether any goods or services were given in return.
Written acknowledgments sent within 30 days, divided by gifts of $250 or more
Donor database and acknowledgment file; monthly
Any gift of $250 or more is acknowledged after 30 days, or not at all
100% of gifts a donor restricts in writing are spent only for the purpose or time the donor set.
Restricted spending matched to its restriction, divided by all restricted spending
Accounting records with donor restrictions; each month-end close
Any restricted dollar is spent outside its restriction
0% of fundraising, event, or donor-cultivation costs are charged to a federal grant.
Fundraising costs charged to a federal grant, divided by all fundraising costs
General ledger and grant drawdown records; each drawdown
Any fundraising cost appears in a federal draw
Outcomes, Written to Be Proven Wrong
Every outcome, stated so a record can disprove it.
Each statement names who is counted, what is counted, the threshold, the period, and the data source. Housing outcomes start at the County benchmark for each type of program. Every other outcome sets its baseline in fiscal year 2027 and must beat it in fiscal year 2028.
0 to 6 months
Of young people who choose to apply for the FAFSA or the California Dream Act Application, 100% file by the Cal Grant deadline.
Applications filed by the deadline, divided by young people who chose to apply
The young person’s plan and our activity log; each deadline
Any young person who chose to apply misses the deadline
6 to 24 months
Fiscal year 2027: each goal’s result is recorded at its time horizon for 100% of young people with a plan. Fiscal year 2028: the share of goals met by their horizon is higher than in fiscal year 2027.
Goals met by their horizon, divided by goals that reached their horizon
The young person’s plan; quarterly
Fiscal year 2027: any young person with a plan without results recorded. Fiscal year 2028: the share is at or below fiscal year 2027
Fiscal year 2027: the belonging question is recorded in 100% of young person survey responses. Fiscal year 2028: the share answering agree or strongly agree is higher than in fiscal year 2027.
Agree or strongly agree, divided by responses
Young person survey; each survey
Fiscal year 2027: any response without it recorded. Fiscal year 2028: the share is at or below fiscal year 2027
Permanence
Permanence is the long-term outcome of our work. It has four parts, and each one is measured on its own.
Permanent housing
A home a young person can keep, and no return to homelessness.
Permanent relationships
At least one unconditional, lifelong relationship, and a wider circle that doesn’t depend on us.
Educational attainment
Enrolled, or a credential earned: diploma, GED, certificate, or degree.
Economic stability and employment
Work or training, rising income, and the financial tools to keep a home.
1 · Permanent housing
Outcome 2 · County benchmarks
Our housing targets at a glance
≥76%
≥33%
≥97%
≤9%
≤16%
Floor we must meet or beat Ceiling we must stay at or under · Benchmarks: County of Santa Clara Office of Supportive Housing (2026)
At least 76% of rapid re-housing households who exit go to a permanent housing destination.
Exits to permanent housing, divided by all rapid re-housing exits
Homeless Management Information System and HUD Annual Performance Report; fiscal year 2027 exits
Below 76%
At least 33% of young people in transitional housing, including the Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program, who exit go to a permanent housing destination.
Exits to permanent housing, divided by all transitional housing exits
Homeless Management Information System and HUD Annual Performance Report; fiscal year 2027 exits
Below 33%
At least 97% of young people in permanent supportive housing stay housed for 12 consecutive months.
Young people housed 12 consecutive months, divided by young people enrolled 12 months or more
Homeless Management Information System and HUD Annual Performance Report; fiscal year 2027
Below 97%
Of young people who exit to permanent housing, no more than 9% return to homelessness within 12 months.
Returns within 12 months, divided by exits to permanent housing
Homeless Management Information System (HUD System Performance Measure 2); yearly
Above 9%, the County system rate
2 · Permanent relationships
Outcomes 1 and 8
Fiscal year 2027: a relationship map is recorded for 100% of young people who exit. Fiscal year 2028: the share exiting with at least one named permanent connection is higher than in fiscal year 2027.
Exits with at least one named permanent connection, divided by exits
The young person’s relationship map; each exit
Fiscal year 2027: any exit without it recorded. Fiscal year 2028: the share is at or below fiscal year 2027
Fiscal year 2027: the number of supportive adults a young person names who would help in a crisis is recorded at entry and exit for 100% of young people who exit. Fiscal year 2028: the share naming more supportive adults at exit than at entry is higher than in fiscal year 2027.
Exits naming more supportive adults than at entry, divided by exits
The young person’s relationship map at entry and exit; each exit
Fiscal year 2027: any exit without it recorded. Fiscal year 2028: the share is at or below fiscal year 2027
Fiscal year 2027: everyday and bridging ties are recorded at entry and exit for 100% of young people who exit. Fiscal year 2028: the share exiting with more everyday or bridging ties than at entry is higher than in fiscal year 2027.
Exits with more everyday or bridging ties than at entry, divided by exits
The young person’s plan and relationship map; each exit
Fiscal year 2027: any exit without it recorded. Fiscal year 2028: the share is at or below fiscal year 2027
3 · Educational attainment
Outcome 4 · offered, never required, in permanent supportive housing
Fiscal year 2027: education status is recorded for 100% of young people who exit. Fiscal year 2028: the share exiting enrolled in school, or with a credential earned during enrollment (diploma, GED, certificate, or degree), is higher than in fiscal year 2027.
Exits enrolled or with a credential earned during enrollment, divided by exits
The young person’s plan and file; each exit
Fiscal year 2027: any exit without it recorded. Fiscal year 2028: the share is at or below fiscal year 2027
Fiscal year 2027: every diploma, GED, certificate, or degree earned during enrollment is recorded. Fiscal year 2028: the number of credentials earned per young person served is higher than in fiscal year 2027.
Credentials earned, divided by young people served in the year
The young person’s file; quarterly
Fiscal year 2027: any credential earned without a record. Fiscal year 2028: the rate is at or below fiscal year 2027
4 · Economic stability and employment
Outcomes 5 and 6 · offered, never required, in permanent supportive housing
Fiscal year 2027: total income is recorded for 100% of adults at annual assessment and exit. Fiscal year 2028: the share whose total income rose from entry is higher than in fiscal year 2027.
Adults whose total income rose, divided by adults assessed or exiting
Homeless Management Information System income fields (HUD System Performance Measure 4)
Fiscal year 2027: any adult without income recorded. Fiscal year 2028: the share is at or below fiscal year 2027
Fiscal year 2027: employment and training status is recorded for 100% of young people who exit. Fiscal year 2028: the share exiting employed or in training is higher than in fiscal year 2027.
Exits employed or in training, divided by exits
The young person’s file and Homeless Management Information System; each exit
Fiscal year 2027: any exit without it recorded. Fiscal year 2028: the share is at or below fiscal year 2027
Fiscal year 2027: ID and bank account status is recorded for 100% of young people who exit. Fiscal year 2028: the share exiting with both is higher than in fiscal year 2027.
Exits with ID and an account, divided by exits
The young person’s file; each exit
Fiscal year 2027: any exit without it recorded. Fiscal year 2028: the share is at or below fiscal year 2027
Fiscal year 2027: savings and credit status is recorded for 100% of young people who exit. Fiscal year 2028: the share exiting with a savings reserve and an established credit file is higher than in fiscal year 2027.
Exits with a savings reserve and a credit file, divided by exits
The young person’s budget and file; each exit
Fiscal year 2027: any exit without it recorded. Fiscal year 2028: the share is at or below fiscal year 2027
What holds permanence up
Outcome 3
Fiscal year 2027: health coverage is recorded for 100% of young people who exit. Fiscal year 2028: the share exiting with coverage active is higher than in fiscal year 2027.
Exits with coverage active, divided by exits
Homeless Management Information System health insurance field; each exit
Fiscal year 2027: any exit without it recorded. Fiscal year 2028: the share is at or below fiscal year 2027
Our Impact, Written to Be Proven Wrong
The change that lasts after they move on.
Our vision is measured by young people leaving crisis systems for good, and staying out two years later. Using a benefit a young person is eligible for, such as Medi-Cal or CalFresh, is never counted against it.
Permanence lasts: of young people who leave Razing the Bar for permanent housing, no more than 16% return to homelessness within 24 months.
Returns to homelessness within 24 months, divided by exits to permanent housing
Homeless Management Information System (HUD System Performance Measure 2); yearly. Benchmarks: County of Santa Clara Office of Supportive Housing (2026)
Above 16%, the County system rate at 24 months
The Rules Behind Every Statement
How we keep ourselves honest.
A number, or it isn’t a measure
“Improve,” “support,” or “increase” without a number is not a statement we report.
Targets only go up
The Board may raise a target, never lower one to fit a result.
Benchmarks re-checked
County benchmarks are re-checked each year when the Office of Supportive Housing publishes them.
When a statement is false
The Chief Operating Officer opens a corrective action within 30 days. A missed requirement goes to the Board at its next meeting.
Totals only
Results are reported by program, never naming or ranking a young person.
What the Chain Depends On
Assumptions we test, and factors we don’t control.
Assumptions, each tested
Outside factors
Why we believe it works.
The cause and effect behind every link in this chain.
Our Impact
What the results show.
The measures that can prove each outcome true or false.
Our Approach
How the work is done.
Housing first, and the relationships built on it.
References
Bitfocus. (n.d.-a). About Santa Clara HMIS. Santa Clara County HMIS. https://scc.bitfocus.com/about-hmis
Bitfocus. (n.d.-b). Santa Clara County Coordinated Entry. Santa Clara County HMIS. https://scc.bitfocus.com/coordinated-entry
Bitfocus. (2023). Santa Clara County HMIS standard operating procedures (Rev. May 2023). https://scc.bitfocus.com/hubfs/SOPs%20-Revised%205%202023.docx.pdf?hsLang=en
California Welfare and Institutions Code § 8255. https://law.justia.com/codes/california/code-wic/division-8/chapter-6-5/section-8255
Code of Federal Regulations. (n.d.). 24 C.F.R. part 578: Continuum of Care Program. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-24/subtitle-B/chapter-V/subchapter-C/part-578
Code of Federal Regulations. (n.d.). 24 C.F.R. § 578.73: Matching requirements. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-24/subtitle-B/chapter-V/subchapter-C/part-578/subpart-D/section-578.73
County of Santa Clara Office of Supportive Housing. (2024). Coordinated Entry FAQ for service providers who do not administer the VI-SPDAT. https://files.santaclaracounty.gov/migrated/FAQ%20non-access%20point%20providers%202-12-2024.pdf?VersionId=h7kbW1xV3DrH3PU3bZk02qJZ0cnUJlf7
County of Santa Clara Office of Supportive Housing. (2026, February). Supportive housing system dashboard and temporary housing and prevention report. https://files.santaclaracounty.gov/exjcpb1571/2026-02/sh-dashboard_temporary-housing-and-prevention-report_february-2026.pdf
County of Santa Clara Office of Supportive Housing. (n.d.). Service provider partners training and resources. https://osh.santaclaracounty.gov/continuum-care/service-provider-partners-training-and-resources
Homebase. (n.d.). Homebase: The Center for Common Concerns. https://www.homebaseccc.org/
Santa Clara County Continuum of Care. (2024). Santa Clara Countywide quality assurance standards for homeless housing and services programs (Aug. 2024). County of Santa Clara Office of Supportive Housing. https://files.santaclaracounty.gov/exjcpb1571/2025-01/scc-coc-quality-assurance-standards_august-2024.pdf?VersionId=xPDrjjHzZdZFMYgjRb1l15n4R.Em.KKB
Santa Clara County HMIS. (2026). VI-SPDAT for Youth (TAY VI-SPDAT) (updated Mar. 2026). Bitfocus. https://scc.bitfocus.com/hubfs/Other%20Adult%20Questions_03.10.2026%20Santa%20Clara%20County%20Transition%20Age%20Youth%20VI-1.pdf?hsLang=en
Santa Clara County HMIS. (n.d.). About Santa Clara HMIS. Bitfocus. https://scc.bitfocus.com/about-hmis
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. (n.d.-b). System performance measures. HUD Exchange. Archived December 18, 2020, at https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20201218020116/https://www.hudexchange.info/programs/coc/system-performance-measures
Razing the Bar, Inc. · 1400 Parkmoor Avenue, Suite 240B, San José, CA 95126 · A California nonprofit public benefit corporation and 501(c)(3) public charity · EIN 80-0441705 · Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.