Continuum of Care (CoC) HMIS Program Manual. Released September U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. 1 Page

Transcription

1 Cntinuum f Care (CC) HMIS Prgram Manual Released September 2017 U.S. Department f Husing and Urban Develpment 1 Page

2 Cntents Intrductin... 3 Additinal Resurces... 3 HMIS Prject Setup Steps Identify Prjects fr Inclusin in HMIS Identify Funding Cmpnents fr each Prject Set Up Prjects in HMIS... 5 Data Cllectin Requirements Universal Data Elements (UDE) Cmmn Data Elements Special Data Cllectin Instructins Hmelessness Preventin Rapid Re-Husing and Permanent Supprtive Husing Permanent Husing t Permanent Husing Transfers Supprtive Services Only Supprtive Services Only - Street Outreach Transitinal Husing: Revisin Histry March 2015 First Release December 2016 Secnd release; versin update t align with 2014 HMIS Data Standards V5 dcuments. September 2017 Third release; versin update t align with 2017 HMIS Data Standards dcuments. 2 Page

3 Intrductin The CC (Cntinuum f Care) Prgram HMIS Manual is intended t supprt data cllectin and reprting effrts f Hmeless Management Infrmatin System (HMIS) Lead Agencies and CC prgram recipients. This manual prvides infrmatin n HMIS prject setup and data cllectin guidance specific t the CC Prgram and the legacy prgrams: Supprtive Husing Prgram (SHP), Shelter Plus Care (S+C) and Single Rm Occupancy fr the Hmeless (SRO) that have nt yet renewed under the CC Prgram. This dcument is nt a replacement fr any specific prgram guidance, requirements, regulatins, ntices, and training materials n the CC Prgram. This manual nly addresses the use f HMIS fr CC Prgram-funded prjects. Additinal Resurces CC Prgram: Guidance abut the CC Prgram and its requirements can be fund nline at the HUD Exchange n the CC Prgram page. Ask A Questin: T ask a questin abut any CC Prgram HMIS requirement, g t the Ask A Questin sectin f the HUD Exchange. Please be sure t select HMIS Prgram fr yur questin under My Questin is Related T. HMIS: There are a variety f dcuments available n the HUD Exchange 2017 HMIS Data Standards page that cmprise the suite f HMIS Data Standard resurces, which are highlighted in the table belw. Each f the dcuments has a specific purpse and intended audience. The HMIS Lead shuld be familiar with all f the dcuments and cllectively use them as their HMIS reference materials alng with specific materials prvided by the sftware vendr. Manual Name & Link Intended Audience Cntents HMIS Data Standards Dictinary HMIS Vendrs & HMIS Lead Agencies The dictinary prvides the detailed infrmatin required fr system prgramming n all HMIS element and respnse required t be included in HMIS sftware. It delineates data cllectin requirements, system lgic, and cntains the XML and CSV tables and numbers. HMIS Data Standards Manual HMIS Lead Agencies & HMIS Users The dictinary als includes critical infrmatin abut data cllectin stages, federal partner data cllectin required elements, prject descriptr data elements, and metadata data elements. The manual prvides a review f all f the Universal Data Elements, Prject Descriptr Data Elements, and Cmmn Prgram Specific Data Elements. It cntains infrmatin n data cllectin requirements, instructins fr data cllectin, and descriptins that the HMIS User will find as a reference. HMIS Standard Reprting Terminlgy Glssary HMIS Lead Agencies The HMIS Standards Reprting Terminlgy Glssary is the standard reprt dcument fr HMIS implementatins. The glssary is designed t prvide HMIS and their prgrammers a fundatin fr HMIS-required reprts. 3 Page

4 HMIS Prject Setup Steps Cmmunities need t understand the difference between a prgram and a prject because they have distinct meanings in this cntext. A prgram is the surce f funding that the rganizatin is receiving t run its prject (e.g. CC Prgram funding fr ABC Transitinal Husing prject). Fr data cllectin purpses, HUD and its federal partners refer t categries f funding within a prgram as cmpnents. Fr the CC Prgram, there are five prgram cmpnents under which cmmunities can establish and perate prjects: permanent husing, transitinal husing, supprtive services nly, HMIS and, in sme cases, hmelessness preventin. Additinally, there are Safe Haven prjects with previus funding under the Supprtive Husing Prgram that will be renewed under the CC Prgram, and the legacy prgrams: Supprtive Husing Prgram (SHP), Shelter Plus Care (S+C) and Single Rm Occupancy fr the Hmeless (SRO) that have nt yet renewed under the CC Prgram. A prject is the grup f activities n the grund delivering services r husing fr the hmeless client (e.g. XYZ Shelter, Hmeless Street Outreach, etc.). 1. Identify Prjects fr Inclusin in HMIS Identify all the prjects within the HMIS implementatin that receive CC Prgram funding r still receive their riginal funding thrugh HUD legacy prgrams (Supprtive Husing Prgram (SHP), Shelter Plus Care (S+C) and Single Rm Occupancy fr the Hmeless (SRO)) and have nt renewed under the CC Prgram yet. Include prjects funded with 15- r 20-year use requirements that have nt yet expired and d nt receive perating funding frm the CC Prgram. HUD psts the annual awards n HUDExchange.inf under the Cntinuum f Care page. 2. Identify Funding Cmpnents fr each Prject Identify the cmpnent fr each prject funded thrugh the CC Prgram per the prject s grant agreement. The CC Prgram includes seven eligible cmpnents: Permanent Husing (PH) has tw distinct types: PH: Permanent Supprtive Husing ffers permanent husing and supprtive services t assist hmeless persns with a disability (individuals with disabilities r families in which ne adult r child has a disability) t live independently. PH: Rapid Re-Husing (RRH) prvides husing relcatin and stabilizatin services and shrt- and/r medium-term rental assistance as necessary t help a hmeless individual r family mve as quickly as pssible int permanent husing and achieve stability in that husing. The Supprtive Services Only (SSO) cmpnent f the CC prgram prvides services t hmeless individuals and families nt residing in husing perated by the recipient. Funds may be used t cnduct utreach t sheltered and unsheltered hmeless persns and families, link clients with husing r ther necessary services, and prvide nging supprt. The Transitinal Husing (TH) cmpnent f the CC prgram prvides husing and accmpanying supprtive services t hmeless individuals and families fr up t 24 mnths t assist with stability and supprt t successfully mve t and maintain permanent husing. 4 Page

5 The Hmelessness Preventin (HP) cmpnent is limited t recipients in High Perfrming Cmmunities Only. HUD has nt designated any High Perfrming Cmmunities as f September 2017, thus n prjects have been funded fr Hmelessness Preventin, t date, under the CC Prgram. The HMIS cmpnent f the CC prgram may be used nly by HMIS lead agencies fr csts assciated with HMIS. N HMIS prject setup is required fr grants funded under the HMIS cmpnent. The Safe Haven (SH) prgram is a cmpnent that can be renewed frm the SHP Prgram under the CC Prgram. Hwever, n new Safe Haven prjects have been funded since All Safe Haven prjects can be renewed t cntinue nging eligible csts and must be included in HMIS. Legacy Prgram Infrmatin: The Supprtive Husing Prgram (SHP) is nt a cmpnent under the CC prgram. N new SHP prjects have been funded since Mst, if nt all, SHP grants in a CC have either been renewed under the CC Prgram r been deactivated. The Shelter Plus Care (S+C) prgram is nt a cmpnent under the CC prgram. N new S+C prjects have been funded since Hwever, sme f the lder multi-year grants are still in effect. All S+C prjects may be renewed under the CC Prgram and shuld be included in HMIS. The SRO prgram is nt a cmpnent under the CC prgram. N new SRO prjects have been funded since Existing SRO prjects cntinue t be renewed under the Multifamily Assisted Husing Refrm and Affrdability Act f 1997 and shuld be included in HMIS. The Jint TH and PH-RRH cmpnent prject is a new prject type in the FY 2017 CC Prgram Cmpetitin that includes tw existing prgram cmpnents TH and PH-RRH in a single prject t serve individuals and families experiencing hmelessness. 3. Set Up Prjects in HMIS One f the mst critical steps in accurate data cllectin and reprting is ensuring that a prject is set up prperly in an HMIS. Incrrect prject setup will jepardize recipients ability t prduce accurate, reliable reprts and will affect the cmmunity s ability t generate cmmunity wide reprts like System Perfrmance Measures. HMIS System Administratrs shuld fllw the prcedures established fr their particular HMIS when setting up prjects in the HMIS. These setup prcedures must include, at a minimum, the fllwing: 1. The HMIS includes Prject Descriptr data elements fr all residential cntinuum prjects, regardless f their participatin in HMIS; and 2. The HMIS Lead, in cnsultatin with the CC, reviews prject descriptr data at least nce annually and updates that data as needed. 5 Page

6 The fllwing are required Prject Descriptr Data Elements: Organizatinal Identifier (2.1) The name f the agency/rganizatin receiving CC funding must be entered r identified with the CC specific prject. The HMIS generates an identificatin number. The HMIS must maintain nly ne single recrd fr each agency/rganizatin, regardless f hw many prjects they perate. In the HMIS Data Standards, HUD strngly recmmends that the name f the rganizatin is the actual legal name f the entity and nt an abbreviatin r ther derivative f the name, since the name is being transmitted in reprts. Prject Identifiers (2.2) Prject ID: The HMIS must assign a Prject ID t each prject via a system generated number r cde, which serves as a distinct identifier that is cnsistently assciated with that prject. Prject Name: The name f the prject receiving CC funding must be entered r identified with the CC specific prject. HMIS administratrs shuld nte that ften the name f the prject n the grant agreement is nt the same as the name the prject is called by the rganizatin and/r the cmmn name in the cmmunity and ften nt the same name as is used n the HIC. HMIS administratrs shuld maintain mapping infrmatin t crrelate grant names, HIC names, and cmmn names with the prject identifiers either within the HMIS itself r separately. Operating Start Date: Beginning in Octber 2017, the Operating Start Date f a prject must be cmpleted in the HMIS n all prjects. The Operating Start Date f the prject is defined as the first day the prject prvided services and/r husing. Thus, this date must be n later than the date the first client served in the prject was entered int the prject. Fr prjects which began perating prir t Octber 1, 2012, the perating start date may be estimated if nt knwn. Operating End Date: An Operating End Date must be entered when a prject clses. The Operating End Date must be the last day n which the last client received husing/services. The Operating End Date shuld be left empty if the prject is still in peratin (refer t the specific HMIS instructins n prject clse ut in an HMIS). Cntinuum f Care (CC) Cde (2.3) Select the CC cde based n the lcatin in which the prject perates. Fr example, if the prject perates in City X, which is part f a CC cnslidated applicatin, select the CC Cde that was identified fr each prject in the annual grant applicatin. Fr prjects that crss multiple CC jurisdictins, (e.g. the prject is in a City and Cunty, and bth have an active CC), the cde fr each CC must be entered. Prject Type (2.4) All CC Prgram funded prjects are part f the Cntinuum f Care and shuld be marked as yes t whether they are Cntinuum Prjects. Each prject must be identified with a single HMIS prject type. Select the crrect prject type fr each prject in the HMIS-- n single prject within an HMIS may have tw prject types. 6 Page

7 CC Prgram Cmpnent Permanent Husing (PH) Permanent Husing (PH) Supprtive Services Only (SSO) Transitinal Husing (TH) Hmelessness Preventin (HP) Safe Haven (SH) Jint TH and PH-RRH Legacy Prgrams Supprtive Husing Prgram Permanent Husing HMIS Prject Type PH: Permanent Supprtive Husing PH: Rapid Re-Husing See SSO Chart Belw Transitinal Husing Hmelessness Preventin Safe Haven PH: Rapid Re-Husing HMIS Prject Type PH: Permanent Supprtive Husing Supprtive Husing Prgram Supprtive Services Only See SSO Chart Belw Supprtive Husing Prgram Transitinal Husing Transitinal Husing Shelter Plus Care Single Rm Occupancy fr the Hmeless Single Rm Occupancy fr the Hmeless PH: Permanent Supprtive Husing If services are prvided type as PH: Husing With Services If services are nt prvided type as PH: Husing Only There are a wide variety f Supprtive Services Only prjects within the CC Prgram. Many SSO prjects that were incrrectly classified were able t reclassify their prject in 2014 and change their cmpnent type frm SSO t a Husing Prject Type (e.g. SH, TH r PH) depending n the relatinship f their services t specific husing. HMIS administratrs shuld update thse SSO prjects that changed cmpnent types in 2014 r later s that their HMIS prject setup reflects the affiliated residential HMIS Prject Type. Fr SSO prjects whse services are designed t serve all persns in the residential facility, and where the prject s husing and service prviders are able t share data, HMIS administratrs shuld adjust the system s that there is nly a single prject within the HMIS, using the residential HMIS Prject Type. In this situatin, bth the husing prvider and the service prvider wuld have access t the clients prject recrd and wuld be able t enter data and run reprts n the same client. Merging these prjects tgether within the system eliminates the ccurrence f duplicate client recrds and duble cunting fr inventries and system-wide utcmes. If the husing and service prviders cannt share the same recrd due t cmmunity cnfidentiality plicies r dmestic vilence restrictins, then the HMIS administratr shuld update the services prject as a Supprtive Service Only prject and identify in the Prject Type element which HMIS Prject ID (which residential prject) it is affiliated with. 7 Page

8 The fllwing applies t SSO prjects affiliated with a residential prject in HMIS that either 1) did nt change cmpnent types r 2) prvides services nly t Emergency Shelter clients: Way the affiliatin wrks 2.4 Prject type t use Services Only 2.4 A Affiliated with a residential prject 2.4 B ID f Affiliated Prject Affiliated with ne residential prject & either des nt ffer t prvide services fr all f the residential prject clients Or nly serves clients fr a prtin f their prject stay (e.g. prvides classes) Or infrmatin sharing is nt allwed between residential prject and service prvider. Yes Affiliated with multiple residential prject f the same prject type (e.g. multiple PH:PSH) & either des nt serve all f the all residential prject clients. Or infrmatin sharing is nt allwed between residential prjects and service prvider. List the HMIS Prject ID f the residential prject Affiliated with multiple residential prject f different prject types (e.g. PH: RRH and PH:PSH) OR Affiliated with Emergency Shelter(s) Fr an SSO whse primary wrk is street utreach, use the HMIS Prject Type "Street Outreach. Fr an SSO that perates a Crdinated Entry/Assessment prject funded under the CC Prgram, use the HMIS Prject Type "Crdinated Assessment. Fr an SSO that is a standalne supprtive service, use the HMIS Prject Type Other. A standalne supprtive service is typically prvided in a facility r ffice designated fr the sle purpse f prviding that service, and administered by prviders that are trained and/r licensed in the field, e.g. child care centers and emplyment training centers. These SSOs will generally be the APR SSOs withut Husing Outcmes. Other means that this prject will nt be cnsidered in systemwide perfrmance measurements r cause duplicate HIC/PIT cunts. Methd fr Tracking Emergency Shelter Utilizatin (2.5) This element is nt relevant fr CC Prjects since the CC Prgram des nt fund Emergency Shelter prjects. Federal Partner Funding Surces (2.6) prjects funded in whle r in part by CC Prgram funds are t be identified based n the CC Prgram cmpnent. Select the apprpriate CC cmpnent fr each prject: HUD: CC Permanent Supprtive Husing [als fr legacy SHP-PSH and S+C] HUD: CC Rapid Re-Husing HUD: CC Supprtive Services Only HUD: CC Transitinal Husing [Use als fr legacy SHP-TH] HUD: CC Safe Haven HUD: CC Single Rm Occupancy HUD: CC Hmelessness Preventin (High Perfrming Cmmunities Only) 8 Page

9 Prjects awarded funding in the FY 2017 CC Cmpetitin fr the jint cmpnent TH and PH: RRH Prjects shuld select bth the HUD: CC Transitinal Husing and HUD: CC Rapid Re- Husing Federal Partner Funding Surces. Enter a grant identifier fr each CC Prgram grant that the prject receives, alng with the grant s perating start and end dates. The grant identifier fr a CC Prgram in HMIS may be whatever identifier the HMIS Lead believes is apprpriate t assign t further identify the prgram. It may, but des nt have t be, the fixed grant number (i.e. the grant number minus that last 4 digits which change annually with renewal). Safe Haven, SRO and ld S+C grants will have different grant number cnfiguratins. The grant must be identified with the Grant Start Date (the first time a CC grant was prvided t this prject). When a prject is nt renewed by the CC, it must be identified with a grant end date. Prjects still in peratin with unexpired 15- r 20-year use terms that n lnger receive perating funds wuld nt end until the use term is cmpleted. Grant start dates and end dates fr CC funded prjects are critical t identifying them fr system perfrmance measurement. Bed and Unit Inventry Infrmatin (2.7) HMIS administratrs must cmplete the bed and unit inventry infrmatin fr prjects that prvide ldging (Permanent Supprtive Husing, Transitinal Husing, Rapid Re-husing, and Safe Haven). This infrmatin shuld match the Husing Inventry Cunt (HIC). The bed and unit infrmatin is based n the number and type f beds in the entire prject, which may be mre beds/units than are funded by the CC Prgram. HMIS Leads shuld cnsult their HMIS vendr regarding the specific way t cmplete this element t meet all f the requirements. Crrect set-up is critical fr accurate reprting in the new Annual Hmeless Assessment Reprt (AHAR) beginning in Additinal Prject Infrmatin (2.8) - Each residential prject must have at least ne recrd f Additinal Prject Infrmatin. Gecde, Prject ZIP cde, and Prject Street Address fields must reflect the lcatin f the prject s principal ldging site r, fr multiple site prjects, the area in which mst f the prject s clients are hused. Tenant-based, scattered-site prjects and Victim Services Prviders are nly required t cmplete the gecde and ZIP cde fields. If these prjects wish t cmplete ther address fields, they may use mailing r administrative address infrmatin. HMIS Leads shuld cnsult their HMIS vendr regarding the specific way t cmplete this element t meet all f the requirements. Crrect set-up is critical fr accurate reprting in the new Annual Hmeless Assessment Reprt (AHAR) beginning in Page

10 Data Cllectin Requirements Universal Data Elements (UDE) All CC funded prjects are required t cllect all Universal Data Elements, which include: 3.1 Name 3.2 Scial Security Number 3.3 Date f Birth 3.4 Race 3.5 Ethnicity 3.6 Gender 3.7 Veteran Status 3.8 Disabling Cnditin 3.10 Prject Start Date 3.11 Prject Exit Date 3.12 Destinatin 3.15 Relatinship t Head f Husehld 3.16 Client Lcatin 3.20 Husing Mve-in Date Living Situatin Special ntes abut UDEs: A prtin f these elements cnstitute the basic demgraphics abut a client that are critical t an HMIS s client search functinality and the HMIS s ability t unduplicate client recrds. HUD required reprts check and reprt n Data Quality fr many f these basic demgraphic elements. Tw elements (3.8 and 3.917) are required t identify a client as chrnically hmeless. Because street utreach and emergency shelter prjects are critical in the identificatin f chrnically hmeless clients, HMIS administratrs shuld pay special attentin when training street utreach and emergency shelter end users n 3.8 and data entry. Prject Start Date replaces Prject Entry Date and emplys a new definitin f the pint f entry fr sme PH prjects. HMIS administratrs shuld prvide end users in the affected PH prject types with additinal infrmatin n when each prject type is expected t enter a Prject Start Date. The fllwing rules apply t Prject Start Date fr nn-ph prjects: Street Outreach prjects Date f first cntact with the client. Emergency Shelters Night the client first stayed in the shelter fr the cnsecutive shelter perid frm entry t exit. Night by night shelters, which use a bed-night tracking methd, will have a prject start date fr the night the client first stayed and will allw clients t re-enter as necessary withut exiting and restarting fr each stay fr a specified perid. Safe Havens and Transitinal Husing Date the client mves int the residential prject (i.e. first night in residence). All Permanent Husing prject types, including Rapid Re-Husing Date that the client was admitted int the prject. See the Special Data Cllectin Instructins fr Rapid re-husing and Permanent Supprtive Husing fr additinal infrmatin n Prject Start Date fr PH prjects. 10 Page

11 All ther types f Service prjects (including but nt limited t: services nly, day shelter, hmelessness preventin, crdinated assessment, health care) - Date the client first began wrking with the prject and generally received the first prvisin f service. Cmmn Data Elements Cmmn data elements are cllected by mst prjects funded by a federal partner. CC funded prjects must cllect mst f the cmmn data elements and are necessary t generate the Annual Perfrmance Reprt. The fllwing chart indicates which elements are required fr each f the CC cmpnents: HMIS Prgram Specific Data Element Hmelessness Preventin Permanent Supprtive Husing Rapid Re-Husing Supprtive Services Only Transitinal Husing 4.2 Incme and Surces X X X X X 4.3 Nn-Cash Benefits X X X X X 4.4 Health Insurance X X X X X 4.5 Physical Disability X X X X X 4.6 Develpmental Disability X X X X X 4.7 Chrnic Health Cnditin X X X X X 4.8 HIV/AIDS X X X X X 4.9 Mental Health Prblem X X X X X 4.10 Substance Abuse X X X X X 4.11 Dmestic Vilence X X X X X 4.12 Cntact 4.13 Date f Engagement 4.18 Husing Assessment Dispsitin blank blank blank Only fr SSO- Street Outreach blank blank blank Only fr SSO- Street Outreach blank blank * * * * * W5 Husing Assessment at Exit X blank blank blank blank X = data cllectin is required * Data cllectin is ptinal and determined by hw the CC has structured the Crdinated Entry/Assessment prcess in their area. Placement f the element wuld be required fr any prject(s) cnducting assessments as part f the Crdinated Entry prcess. This may be acrss multiple prjects r sited in a single access pint r crdinated intake center. Refer t the HMIS Data Standards Manual fr infrmatin n ratinale, cllectin pint, and subjects. 11 Page

12 Special Data Cllectin Instructins HMIS administratrs and users shuld be aware f several special data cllectin issues that apply t CC Prgram funded prjects: Hmelessness Preventin Hmelessness Preventin and Rapid Re-Husing are tw separate prjects in an HMIS. They may nt be cmbined int ne prject. In additin t cllecting 3.12 (Destinatin), Hmelessness Preventin prjects must als cllect W5 (Husing Assessment at Exit) infrmatin t mre accurately reflect the husing situatin f clients at exit. Data cllectin must include an annual assessment fr all persns wh have been in the prject fr ne year r mre. Data elements required fr cllectin at annual assessment must be entered with an Infrmatin Date f n mre than 30 days befre r 30 days after the ne-year anniversary f the head f husehld s Prject Start Date, regardless f the date f the mst recent update r any ther annual assessment. Rapid Re-Husing and Permanent Supprtive Husing Beginning Octber 1, 2017, the prject start date is the date that client(s) were admitted t the prject. This means the client has made applicatin and they have been admitted t the prject. In this cntext, the requirements fr admittance must be: Infrmatin prvided by the client r frm the referral prvider indicates that the client meets the criteria required fr admissin t the prject. This des nt mean that all r any f the dcumentatin has been gathered that may be required fr the prject. The client has indicated they want t be hused in this prject. The client is able t access services and husing thrugh the prject. This means that there is an expectatin that within a reasnably shrt perid f time the prject expects t have an pening (rental subsidy available fr scattered site r unit available fr site-based). Husing mve-in must be cmpleted fr all clients wh have mved int husing. Mve-in means a lease arrangement has been made, the client has a key r entry ability t the unit and that the client has physically slept in the unit. Beginning Octber 1, 2017, prjects must discntinue the pre-entry methd f husing and use the prject start date and husing mve in date tgether instead. HUD strngly recmmends HMIS administratrs and PH prjects mnitr data entry accuracy and use f the husing mve-in date. Husing mve-in timeliness and accuracy will impact prject and system perfrmance utcmes fr the pint-in-time infrmatin fr the Husing Inventry Chart, prject Annual Perfrmance Reprts (APR); System Perfrmance Measures and ther federally mandated reprts that cllect prject utcmes. Clients withut a husing mve-in date are still cnsidered and shuld be cunted as hmeless (living n the streets, in-shelter, etc.). The prject start date is nt intended t generate a waiting list fr husing. It is intended t prvide CCs with additinal data abut clients paths t permanent husing. HUD understands that everyne 12 Page

13 with a prject start date will nt mve int a unit. Success rates will vary by cmmunity and prject, and the CC can use this data as a starting place t identify barriers t husing and take steps t remve thse barriers when pssible. HUD has nt develped a data element t prvide infrmatin t answer why clients d nt mve int husing and encurages CCs t cnsider and develp ways t determine the issues t infrm cntinuus imprvement strategies. Similarly, CCs and prjects shuld be reviewing the length f time frm prject start t husing mvein as a diagnstic tl t identify areas where the CC r prject culd reduce the time frm prject start t mve in. Data cllectin must include an annual assessment fr all persns in the prject fr ne year r mre. Data elements required fr cllectin at annual assessment must be entered with an Infrmatin Date f n mre than 30 days befre r after the anniversary f the head f husehld s Prject Start Date, regardless f the date f the mst recent update r any ther annual assessment. Permanent Husing t Permanent Husing Transfers Under certain circumstances, a client may be better served by transferring frm ne permanent husing prject t anther permanent husing prject. End users shuld fllw the usual discharge and intake prcess when exiting a participant frm ne permanent husing prject and entering them int a different permanent husing prject. HUD recgnizes that certain circumstances can arise where prject eligibility requirements and data cllectin requirements in HMIS d nt perfectly align. Fr instance, a participant retains eligibility fr a permanent husing prject dedicated t serving the chrnically hmeless when transferring frm ne PSH prject t anther. Hwever, the client's residence prir t the secnd PSH prject entry (which was a permanent husing situatin) might flag the client as ptentially ineligible in a reprt. HUD understands this misalignment, and data entry in HMIS shuld reflect the actual prir living situatin (i.e. in data element 3.917), even thugh this might flag the client as ptentially ineligible fr the prject. Dcumentatin f cntinued eligibility fr the new PSH prject shuld be retained n file fr the client fr mnitring purpses and as backup t explain the apparent discrepancy in the HMIS recrd. HMIS Leads r HMIS sftware prviders als may need t administratively merge client recrds in instances when, fr instance, tw r mre permanent husing prjects merge tgether. HUD recmmends merging client recrds int ne prject t keep the entire client histry in PH intact and avid negatively impacting the client s chrnic hmeless status, incme utcmes, etc. HMIS sftwares vary in their ability t merge client recrds, s HMIS administratrs shuld wrk with their HMIS sftware prvider t determine hw t merge recrds. Each time a prject merger r similar change happens, cnsiderable time and attentin g int cnsidering all the ramificatins f the change and the best way t execute the change. Fr instance, making a change likely will affect system and prject-level perfrmance measures. HUD encurages HMIS administratrs t carefully cnsider whether the change is abslutely necessary, and whether administrative transfers f an entire client recrd r using exit/entry will have the lesser impact n perfrmance reprting. 13 Page

14 Supprtive Services Only SSO prjects are ften the mst cmplicated t set up and manage in an HMIS. Cnsideratin f the CC s privacy and security plicies fr the HMIS will ften determine hw the prject is set up. Pay careful attentin t the prject typing instructins. Data cllectin must include an annual assessment fr all persns in the prject fr ne year r mre. Data elements required fr cllectin at annual assessment must be entered with an Infrmatin Date f n mre than 30 days befre r after the ne-year anniversary f the head f husehld s Prject Start Date, regardless f the date f the mst recent update r any ther annual assessment. Supprtive Services Only - Street Outreach Data Cllectin Challenges: A street utreach prject is likely t encunter difficulty engaging hmeless persns. Street utreach prjects may recrd a prject start with limited infrmatin abut the client and imprve n the accuracy and cmpleteness f client data ver time by editing data in an HMIS as they further engage the client. The initial entry may nly include the prject start date, a made-up name (e.g., Redhat Tenthstreetbridge ) that wuld be identifiable fr retrieval by the wrker in the system, and gender. Over time, the data must be edited fr accuracy and cmpleteness (e.g., replacing Redhat with Rbert ) as the wrker learns mre abut the client. De-Duplicatin f Client Recrds: It is pssible in a street utreach setting that a single client may be cntacted by multiple street utreach wrkers ver a perid f time in different lcatins. Lcal prtcls shuld be established t determine hw crdinatin amng street utreach prjects effectively manages the identificatin f and data cllectin fr clients. In smaller CC, it may be pssible t crdinate street utreach effrts and reduce duplicatin f client recrds thrugh case cnferencing r ther effrts t crdinate within utreach and with ther services in the CC. In all CC, a client search functinality may be available in HMIS s that street utreach wrkers can perfrm queries r client searches by made-up name r alias, r ther infrmal identifiers shared with street utreach wrkers in rder t manage the identificatin f clients. The use f temprary made-up names shuld nt be an excuse fr excessive de-identified clients r pr data quality. Street Outreach prjects and lcal HMIS leadership shuld wrk tgether t minimize the use f made-up names and attain high data quality. Cntacts: A street utreach prject is expected t recrd every cntact made with each client in the HMIS. In 2017, Cntact was changes t include a new cnditinal data element Staying n Street, ES r SH. A cntact is defined as an interactin between a wrker and a client designed t engage the client. Cntacts include activities such as a cnversatin between the street utreach wrker and the client abut the client s well-being r needs, an ffice visit t discuss their husing plan, r a referral t anther cmmunity service. A cntact must be recrded anytime a client is met, including when an engagement date r prject start date is recrded n the same day. 14 Page

15 Engagements: Per the HMIS Data Standards and by agreement acrss all federal partners, an engagement date is the date n which an interactive client relatinship results in a deliberate client assessment r the beginning f a case plan. The date f engagement shuld be entered int HMIS at the pint that the client has been engaged by the utreach wrker. This date may be n r after the prject start date and must be prir t prject exit. If the client exits the prject withut becming engaged, the engagement date shuld be left blank. The date f engagement will als be recrded as a cntact with the same date. Data Quality: Reprting n data quality fr street utreach prjects is limited t clients with a date f engagement. Therefre, it is imprtant that utreach wrkers recrd the engagement date and als review all Universal Data Elements and applicable Prgram Specific Data Elements fr cmpleteness and accuracy. The Date f Engagement cincides with the requirement fr HMIS data quality; therefre, all Universal Data Elements shuld be entered int HMIS at r befre the Date f Engagement. Prject Exit: Prject exit represents the end f a client s participatin with a prject. The prject exit date shuld cincide with the date that the client is n lnger cnsidered t be participating in the prject. This standard shuld be applied cnsistently acrss all Street Outreach prjects. Reasns t exit a client include any f the fllwing: The client has entered anther prject type (e.g., TH, PSH) r therwise fund husing; The client is engaged with anther utreach wrker r prject; The client is deceased; r The utreach wrker has been unable t lcate the client fr an extended perid f time and there are n recrded cntacts. If this situatin arises, and the client is t be exited frm the prject due t a lack f regular cntact the prject exit (3.12) shuld be listed as N Exit Interview Cmpleted. The pssibility that the client may nt be seen again is nt a reasn t exit a client frm a prject, and prject exit shuld nly be recrded nce prject participatin has ended, r after the lcally-determined perid f time has passed withut a cntact with the client. Annual Assessments: Data cllectin must include an annual assessment fr all persns in the prject ne year r mre. Data elements required fr cllectin at annual assessment must be entered with an Infrmatin Date f n mre than 30 days befre r after the ne-year anniversary f the head f husehld s Prject Start Date, regardless f the date f the mst recent update r any ther annual assessment. Transitinal Husing: Data cllectin must include an annual assessment fr all persns in the prject ne year r mre. Data elements required fr cllectin at annual assessment must be entered with an Infrmatin Date f n mre than 30 days befre r after the ne-year anniversary f the head f husehld s Prject Start Date, regardless f the date f the mst recent update r any ther annual assessment. 15 Page