Because the Open Doors model was implemented rapidly through existing service providers in six Florida regions, CIMES recommended a developmental evaluation, rather than a traditional program evaluation. CIMES used surveys and interviews to identify strengths and weaknesses in the implementation and enable the network to make changes in real time, as the model itself continues to evolve.

The evaluation is helping guide the network’s leadership to better understand the outcomes of interventions, lessons learned, and implications of the first two years of providing services. This knowledge will be used to:

• enhance the program, strategies, policies, and social initiatives
• adapt the model to accommodate evolving contexts
• produce rapid responses to any crisis or major changes

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