Self-Sufficiency Matrix

A Self-Sufficiency Matrix (SSM) is an evaluation tool that measure’s a client’s ability to live without public assistance at a specific point in time. The assessment measures domains such as Income, Employment, Housing, Health Care, and Safety. Refer to the HUD website for a sample SSM that uses a 5-point scale, with a 1 indicating a high dependence on public assistance and a 5 indicating high self-sufficiency. 

While a typical use for an SSM would be for case managers to track a client’s progress toward self-sufficiency over time, this tool can also be helpful for agencies to evaluate the effectiveness of services and to communicate those results to funders.

System administrators can use Clarity Human Services’ Assessment Processors and Assessment Screens to create a Self-Sufficiency Matrix for use in their community.