Evaluation - Veterans and Human Services Levy

As with the prior Levy, evaluation is essential to demonstrate the benefits the 2012 through 2017 Levy projects and activities provide to veterans, their families, and others in need in King County. This is particularly important given the support it received from the voters of King County. The evaluation of this renewed Levy will:

• Measure performance of activities to assist the boards in their oversight of the levy investments.
• Provide County program managers with information to monitor and continually improve the quality of the levy activities they manage.
• Inform the public and policy-makers of the impact of levy-funded activities on the overall goals and strategies of the levy. 

Building on experience with the previous levy, performance measures and targets have been established for all activities funded in the 2012 - 2017 Levy. These performance expectations have been incorporated into the contracts King County developed with the agencies implementing Levy supported projects and services. These agencies report on their performance at regular intervals and the data gathered become the building blocks for the annual Performance Evaluation Report. A matrix of the Veterans and Human Services Levy performance measures and performance targets established for 2012 is available here.

Besides the annual performance Evaluation Report, staff develop abbreviated reports called "dashboards" provide key indicators of performance for each of the four overarching Levy strategies. Functioning much as the dashboard on a car, these reports provide a quick snapshot of the performance of activities being implemented under the Levy. These snapshots will assist in the development of the annual Performance Evaluation Report and the Mid-Year Performance Update. As with the prior levy, the oversight boards will review all evaluation reports and any subsequent recommendation for program modifications if it is indicated.

It should be noted that the performance measures for the levy were developed in the context of other performances measurement efforts, most notably those being developed for the King County Strategic Plan. Other relevant evaluation and data gathering efforts include those of the King County Mental Health, Chemical Addiction and Dependency Services Division, Public Health - Seattle & King County, and Safe Harbors Homeless Management Information System.