Dennis L. Poole

Evaluating Performance Measurement Systems in Nonprofit Agencies: The Program Accountability Quality Scale (PAQS)

The drive for accountability in human services puts pressure on nonprofit agencies to develop performance measurement systems. But efforts to build capacity in this area have been hindered by the lack of instruments to evaluate the quality of proposed performance measurement systems. The Performance Accountability Quality Scale (PAQS) attempts to fill this gap. The instrument was field-tested on 191 program performance measurement systems developed by nonprofit agencies in Central Florida. Preliminary findings indicate that PAQS provides a structure for obtaining expert opinions based on a theory-driven model about the quality of a proposed measurement system in a not-for-profit agency. The instrument also is useful for assessing agency needs for technical assistance and for evaluating progress in the development of performance measurement systems. Further study is needed to test PAQS in other settings and to explore new areas of research in outcome evaluation.

Conceptualizing Prevention as the First Line of Offense Against Homelessness: Implications for the Federal Continuum of Care Model

The federal continuum of care model does not adequately address prevention as the first line of offense against homelessness. As a result, people with acute housing needs are quickly channeled into emergency shelters, exposing them to the destructive cycle of homelessness. Emergency shelters provide an island of refuge, but remove many people from the social mainstream, weaken their capacity for self-help, and increase risk of long-term dependency. Our position emerges from interviews with people residing in the largest homeless shelter in Central Florida, feedback from a regional advisory committee of civic leaders and service providers, and consistencies with findings reported in the literature. The Community Prevention Model that we offer for discussion reinforces competencies and strengths, promotes independent living and social mainstreaming, and utilizes emergency shelters as a last resort.

Managing Process Innovations in Welfare Reform Technology

ABSTRACT Process innovations in welfare reform technology are complex processes that evolve over time, rather than linear ones that unfold in predictable sequence. Findings from the Texas change center project demonstrate that implementation of these innovations is sensitive to the characteristics of adopting organizational units. Human service managers seeking to introduce similar innovations in welfare reform technology should take into consideration administrative intensity, professionalism, and organizational slack beyond the early stages of project implementation.