(a) For purposes of evaluating the effectiveness of the Housing is Recovery program and for making improvements to the program, the Department of Human Services, Division of Mental Health shall contract with an independent outside research organization with expertise in housing services for individuals with serious mental illnesses and substance use disorders to evaluate the program’s effectiveness on enabling housing stability, reducing hospitalizations and justice system involvement, encouraging engagement in mental health and substance use treatment, fostering employment engagement, and reducing institutionalization and overdose deaths. Such evaluation shall commence after 4 years of implementation of the program and shall be submitted to the General Assembly by the end of the fifth year of implementation. For purposes of assisting with this evaluation, the working group established pursuant to Section 20 shall also make recommendations to the Department of Human Services, Division of Mental Health, regarding what data must be tracked by providers and the Department of Human Services, Division of Mental Health, to evaluate the program and to make future changes to the program to ensure its effectiveness in meeting the triple aim stated in Section 5.
     (b) Beginning after the first 12 months of implementation and on an annual basis, the Department of Human Services, Division of Mental Health, shall track and make public the following information: (1) the number of individuals receiving subsidies in reporting period (12-month average); (2) participant demographics including age, race, gender identity, and primary language; (3) the average duration of time individuals are enrolled in the program (by months); (4) the number of individuals removed from the program and reasons for removal; (5) the number of grievances filed by participants and a summary of grievance type; and (6) program referral sources. Reports shall be generated on an annual basis and publicly posted on the Department of Human Services website.