Analysis Group Team Provides Pro Bono Assistance to Major Homeless Shelter Initiative in Massachusetts

The Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance (MHSA) is a nonprofit public policy advocacy organization with the singular mission of ending homelessness in the Commonwealth. Founded in 1988 by a dedicated group of “first responders” working with unsheltered adults in Greater Boston, MHSA initiates solutions to move people out of crisis to permanence throughout Massachusetts. The most recent of these solutions is a Housing First (HF) program funded by Massachusetts' Pay for Success initiative. This program began transitioning homeless individuals into permanent housing facilities in April 2015, and is expected to continue and expand over the next several years.

MHSA approached Analysis Group to help them request MassHealth (Massachusetts Medicaid) claims data from the Commonwealth; once approved by the Commonwealth, obtain and store the MassHealth claims data; and analyze the cost savings of permanent housing for individuals initiated into the HF program with high utilization of emergency services. 

In September 2015, Analysis Group put together a study proposal for the project and worked with MHSA to submit an application for a $50,000 grant hosted by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (BCBSMA) focused on health impacts of social services. BCBSMA announced in December 2015 that MHSA's proposed study was approved for the grant. The Analysis Group team, composed of senior analysts Manas Baba, Samantha Flattery, and Erich Trieschman, are moving forward with the claims data requests and analyses.