HUD Homeless Programs in

HMISHMIS System Administrators

Training on Project Set-Up.

All content has been approved by:

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Office of Special Needs Assistance Programs

Purpose

The training is one of a 4 part series designed to provide HMIS System Administrators and HMIS Lead Agency Staff an understanding of project set-up for different HMIS Federal Partner Programs including:

• The funding program and component as they relate to HMIS Project Types

• What Program Specific Data Elements collection requirements for different program components.

• Special data collection issues and FAQ’s

• Reporting overview and timeframe

Programs covered in this lesson:

U.S. Housing and Urban Development

Special Needs Assistance Programs

• Continuum of Care Program (CoC)

• Emergency Solutions Grant Program (ESG)

With an HMIS status update on:

• Housing for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA)

• Rural Housing Stability Program (RHSP)

Resources

• HMIS Program Specific Manuals are available on the HUD Exchange for each of the HMIS Federal Partner Programs:• HUD CoC Program

• HUD ESG Program

• HUD HOPWA Program

• HHS RHY Program

• HHS PATH Program

• VA Programs

• Information about HMIS is located HMIS Section on the HUD Exchange

• Program information can be found on the HUD Exchange about the CoC , ESG , HOPWA and RHSP programs.

Submitting Questions

• Due to the high volume of participants, all participants will

be muted through the presentation.

• Questions can be posted at any time during the webinar

via the “Questions” pane of the Go-to-Meeting.

• All questions that we do not have time to respond to

should be submitted via the Ask A Question on the HUD

Exchange – selecting HMIS in Step 2

Set-up process

Organization ID

Project ID CoC Code

Project Typing

Method of Tracking ES

Federal Partner Funding Source

Bed & Unit Inventory

Organizational & Project ID’s

•2.1 Organizational Identifier

• Legal Name of the Organization & system generated ID

•2.2 The Project Name

• Name of the Project & system generated ID

•2.3 The CoC Code

• Use the CoC codes based on the location in which the project operates in.

Project Set-up

Things to consider:

1. No single project in an HMIS may have more than one project type!

2. Project reporting requirements – will you need to separate clients for reporting purposes?

3. Data collected on a client, other than basic client info (e.g. Name, SSN, DOB, etc. ) must be attributed to a specific project and a specific collection point (entry, exit, update, annual assessment) for reporting.

4. If you have the ability to “customize” the fields in your HMIS you MUST be sure that all the elements required by a funder are present in that project set-up and that any custom fields are “mapped” if necessary to the appropriate response categories. You must work with your vendor to ensure this is done correctly.

STARTING WITH THE COC PROGRAM

2.4 HMIS Project Type –

for the CoC ProgramIdentify the Program Component

Set the HMIS Project Type in your System

Permanent Housing (PH)

PH: Permanent Supportive Housing

PH: Rapid Re-Housing

Supportive Services Only (SSO) (Detailed later)

Transitional Housing (TH) Transitional Housing

Homelessness Prevention (HP) Homelessness Prevention

Safe Haven (SH) Safe Haven

2.4 HMIS Project Type –

for the CoC Legacy ProgramsIdentify the Program Component

Set the HMIS Project Type in your System

SHP– Permanent Housing PH: Permanent Supportive Housing

SHP – Supportive Services Only See SSO Chart Below

SHP – Transitional Housing Transitional HousingShelter Plus Care PH: Permanent Supportive

Housing

Single Room Occupancy for the Homeless

If services are provided –type as PH: Housing With ServicesIf services are not provided –type as PH: Housing Only

The project is an SSO if…

• It provides services to homeless individuals and families

not residing in housing operated by the recipient.

• Funds may be used to conduct outreach to sheltered and

unsheltered homeless persons and families, link clients

with housing or other necessary services, and provide

ongoing support.

Correctly setting the HMIS Project Type –

for CoC – SSO Projects

2.4 Project type to use Services Only

2.4 A – Affiliated with a residential project Yes

2.4 B – ID of Affiliated Project

List the HMIS Project ID of the residential project

HUD allowed projects that had formerly been typed as SSO to change to TH or PSH

if they served an entire housing project in a community. This change will be reflected

on the Grants Inventory Worksheet (GIW).

Make sure that SSO projects changed their project types in the HMIS if their

component type changed. The project type in HMIS should match the GIW.

If they did not change their component type and are still Service Only and affiliated

with a housing project then:

Examples of SSO affiliated with housing

& either does not offer

to provide services for

all of the residential

project clients

or only serves clients

for a portion of their

project stay (e.g.

provides classes)

or information sharing is

not allowed between

residential project and

service provider

ONE Housing

Project

Multiple residential

projects of the same

Project Type

& either does not serve

all of the all residential

project clients

or information sharing is

not allowed between

residential projects and

service provider.

Multiple residential

projects of a different

Project Type

RRH PSH

Affiliated with

Emergency

Shelter(s)

2.4 HMIS Project Type –

for the CoC – Specialized SSO Projects• For a SSO whose primary work is street outreach use

the HMIS Project Type – Street Outreach

• For a SSO that is a standalone supportive service use the HMIS Project Type – Other. A standalone supportive service is one that is typically provided in a facility or office designated for the sole purpose of providing that service by providers that are trained and/or licensed in the field. Common example include: child care centers or employment training centers. These SSO’s will generally be the APR SSO’s without Housing Outcomes. By using the project type other you are ensuring that this project will not be considered in system wide performance measurements or causing duplicate HIC/PIT counts.

2.6 Federal Partner Funding Sources

Select:

• HUD: CoC – Permanent Supportive Housing [Use also for

legacy SHP-PSH and S+C]

• HUD: CoC – Rapid Re-Housing

• HUD: CoC – Supportive Services Only

• HUD: CoC – Transitional Housing [Use also for legacy

SHP-TH]

• HUD: CoC – Safe Haven

• HUD: CoC – Single Room Occupancy

• HUD: CoC – Homelessness Prevention (High Performing

Communities Only)

2.7 Bed & Unit Inventory

Projects which are typed:

• PH: Permanent Supportive Housing

• PH: Rapid Re-housing

• Safe Haven

• Transitional Housing

Must complete the bed and unit inventory information.

This information should match the information provided by

the CoC for the Housing Inventory Count (HIC).

The HIC is not required to be generated by the HMIS.

SETTING UP ESG FUNDED PROJECTS

Correctly setting the 2.4 HMIS Project

Type – for the ESG Program

ESG Program Component HMIS Project Type

Street Outreach Street Outreach

Emergency Shelter Emergency Shelter

Day Shelter

Transitional Housing

Homelessness Prevention Homelessness Prevention

Rapid Re-Housing Rapid Re-Housing

Project Type: Services Only

There is only one situation for which the “Services Only”

project type should be used for ESG: legal services

provided by a legal services provider that is using a

comparable database.

Projects funded under ESG to provide legal services

through a legal services provider may allow that provider to

maintain its data in a separate comparable database. In

such cases, the legal services provider must establish a

method of identifying which clients were provided services

through ESG and generate their CAPER report on those

specific clients.

2.5 Method of Tracking ESThe Entry/Exit (E/E) method

• for all shelters requiring an entry, a continuous stay, and an exit.

The length of stay will be calculated based on the number of nights between project entry and project exit and performance will include changes between project entry and project exit data collection stages.

Full ES data collection required.

The Night-by-Night (NBN) method

• for shelters that allow clients to enter and exit on an irregular basis,

• do not require a continuous stay and must rely on a method of tracking “bed nights.”

all data required to be collected at project entry is collected;

the project records every discrete date or series of dates that the client utilizes a bed;

the system maintains historical data on the nights sheltered;

the duration of each stay can be accurately determined and aggregated to calculate each client’s total length of stay in the project; and

the client may be exited or the system may be designed to automatically generate an exit after an extended absence. Length of stay is calculated on bed nights used in this method.

2.6 Federal Partner Funding Sources

Select:

• HUD:ESG – Emergency Shelter

• HUD:ESG – Homelessness Prevention

• HUD:ESG – Rapid Re-housing

• HUD:ESG – Street Outreach

DATA COLLECTION

All project types collect all

Universal Data Elements

• Name

• Social Security Number

• Date of Birth

• Race

• Ethnicity

• Gender

• Veteran Status

• Disabling Condition

• Residence Prior to Program Entry

• Project Entry Date

• Project Exit Date

• Destination

• Relationship to Head of Household

• Client Location

• Length of Time on the Streets

Note on Households:

Universal Data Elements

• To be able to identify each client as a unique individual in a household the HMIS will automatically generate a Personal ID on each client and then group that client with the other persons in the project with them by a Household ID.

• It is important that whatever search methodology your system uses to help users connect the client with an existing record in the system for the same client is emphasized in all trainings for new users.

• Users must enter what the relationship is of the person you are entering data on to the rest of the household.

Program Specific

In the 2014 Data Dictionary and Data Manual there are

instructions about which programs and components collect

which program specific data elements.

The CoC Program Specific Manual and ESG Program

Specific Manual also contain lists of elements required for

collection.

If your system has the ability to turn on and off element

fields it is critical that you make sure the settings for the

collection of program specific data elements are correct

based on the project type and funding source.

SPECIAL NOTES

on

DATA COLLECTION

Contacts & Engagement Date

• CONTACTS: A contact is defined as an interaction between a

worker and a client. Contacts may range from simple a verbal

conversation between the street outreach worker and the client

about the client’s well-being or needs or may be a referral to

service.

• ENGAGEMENT: Date of engagement is defined as the date on

which an interactive client relationship results in a deliberate client

assessment or beginning of a case plan. The date of engagement

should be entered into HMIS at the point that the client has become

engaged. It may be on or after the project entry date and prior to

project exit. If the client exits without becoming engaged the

engagement date should be left blank.

Housing Status

Housing Status is required ONLY if the CoC has applied for

and been approved by HUD to serve persons in Category 3

– Homeless Under Other Federal Statutes

When/if this happens - then all HUD:CoC funded projects

must collect Housing Status and it will be used to calculate

System Wide Performance Measures.

Data collection stages

• Record Creation – when an element has one and only

one value (e.g. name)

• Project Entry –

• residential projects (except RRH) = date of move in

• street outreach = date of first contact

• Service projects = date of first service/intake/assessment

• Update – when an element changes (e.g. income) with

the information date identifying the date the data is

collected or was relevant.

Data collection stages

• Annual Assessment – For all clients in project for one

year, each year thereafter.

• The annual assessment is to be recorded no more than 30 days

before or after the anniversary of the client’s Project Entry Date,

regardless of the date of the most recent ‘update’. Information

must be accurate as of the Information Date.

• Information must be recorded as an Annual Assessment or will

not be reported in future APR’s or Performance Measures.

• Project exit – date of exit

Street Outreach Projects (CoC & ESG)

must collectIncome & Sources Contacts

Non-Cash Benefits Engagement

Health Insurance

Physical Disability

Chronic Health Condition

HIV/AIDS

Mental Health Problem

Substance Abuse

Domestic Violence

Data quality does not begin being considered for street outreach until the client is engaged.

Emergency Shelters must collect

ES-Entry/Exit

Income & Sources

Non-Cash Benefits

Health Insurance

Physical Disability

Chronic Health Condition

HIV/AIDS

Mental Health Problem

Substance Abuse

Domestic Violence

ES-Night by Night

Physical Disability

Chronic Health Condition

HIV/AIDS

Mental Health Problem

Substance Abuse

Domestic Violence

Contacts

Engagement

Homelessness Prevention must collect

Income & Sources

Non-Cash Benefits

Health Insurance

Physical Disability

Chronic Health Condition

HIV/AIDS

Mental Health Problem

Substance Abuse

Domestic Violence

Housing Assessment at Exit

Housing Assessment Disposition (Optional)

Rapid Re-Housing (both CoC & ESG)

must collectIncome & Sources

Non-Cash Benefits

Health Insurance

Physical Disability

Chronic Health Condition

HIV/AIDS

Mental Health Problem

Substance Abuse

Domestic Violence

Residential Move-In Date

Transitional & Permanent Housing

must collectIncome & Sources

Non-Cash Benefits

Health Insurance

Physical Disability

Chronic Health Condition

HIV/AIDS

Mental Health Problem

Substance Abuse

Domestic Violence

HMIS Status Update

• Housing for Persons with AIDS

• Rural Housing Stability Program

Brief word on reporting

• Both ESG and CoC are required to have their reports

generated from HMIS.

• ESG CAPER will be expanded at the end of this fiscal

year with some table shells that will be structured like the

APR.

• More information will be forthcoming from the ESG Team

at HUD about the reporting requirements for ESG

• The CoC APR is also being updated and is expected to

be in use at the end of the year also.

• Programming specifications for the reports will be

provided to HMIS vendors.

Questions?

HUD will assist with specific HMIS questions through the AAQ Portal (be

sure you identify it is an HMIS question)