HMIS Support

Your Questions/Topics Update Existing Data ART Reports Referrals to Coordinated Entry Sub Assessments Canned Reports Release of Information Finding Clients Need, Referral, Service - Coordinated Entry Back Date Mode Decline Coordinated Entry Referrals Report Parameters OTHER 9/30/2019 www.icalliances.org

Overview Project Entries Reporting Questions Coordinated Entry questions 9/30/2019 www.icalliances.org

Project Entries Enter Data As (EDA) Finding Clients Back Date Mode Entry Date Anniversary Date (update date), or the last day of the report period Exit Date Release of Information (ROI) – DO NOT REPLACE Sub-assessments Mid-project updates Households Entry/Exit Document Link Correcting Data Link General HMIS Instructions Link Workflow Video Link in Section 3.1 9/30/2019 www.icalliances.org

Reporting Questions ART vs Canned Reports Counting (summaries) vs Data Quality (specific information) Schedule reports vs View or Edit Airtable for reports Link Video Link in Section 3.4 9/30/2019 www.icalliances.org

Coordinated Entry Questions Provisionally accepting a referral Need Referral Service Decline/Cancel a referral Returning a Client to Priority List Updating Assessment Data 3.917 Helper Link SMAC CE Document Link SMAC Video Link 9/30/2019 www.icalliances.org

Households 9/30/2019 www.icalliances.org

Households: Quick Check Yes No Is this a single client? DO NOT Create a household. Has a group of persons (2 or more) presented together as a household or family unit to receive a service together and/or are being provided a service together? Is this household already created in HMIS? START HERE 1 2 3 9/30/2019 www.icalliances.org

Coordinated Entry Questions Is my client still on the list? - or - Did I put the client back on the list? My client is asking where they are at on the list. Who can update clients’ profiles? Can I remove someone from the list? How? When do I use the Inactive vs. Removing a client? Do I hit Save or Verify and Save? How do agencies with good data quality maintain data? 9/30/2019 www.icalliances.org

Is my client still on the list? 9/30/2019 www.icalliances.org

Is my client still on the list? Did I put the client back on the list? Enter Client’s HMIS ID Service Transactions View Entire Service History Click Referrals Referral Outcome BLANK, Need Status and outcome: IDENTIFIED, SERVICE PENDING 9/30/2019 www.icalliances.org

My client is asking where they are on the list! We generally don’t give numbers, because that can change daily. And, it’s a prioritization, not at waiting list. “Near the top. Start collecting homeless verification.” “Around the middle. I recommend keeping your providers updated while continuing to look for your own housing solutions.” “Near the bottom. I wouldn’t rely on Coordinated Entry as a solution.” 9/30/2019 www.icalliances.org

Data Quality affects the whole system. 9/30/2019 www.icalliances.org

Who can update clients’ profiles? Anybody who learns new information! But won’t I be messing up another agency’s data? Nope! Think of it as the client’s data, not ours. Everyone works together to do their part to paint the most accurate portrait of the needs of our homeless population. 9/30/2019 www.icalliances.org

Removing a client from the list Declined vs. Canceled Declined: Returning a client back to the priority list Canceled: Not returning a client to the priority list 9/30/2019 www.icalliances.org

Removing a client from the list Need Status Closed - Fully Met vs. Not Met - Fully Met: Housed, regardless of how - Not Met: Not housed 9/30/2019 www.icalliances.org

Inactive vs Removing a Client? Remove someone from the priority list when… Housed Moved outside of CoC without plans to return Don’t want housing through CE Been couch hopping in one location over a year Unreachable after 45 days of regular contact attempts (including alternates) Incarcerated/institutionalized for a while (eligible within 90 days of release) 9/30/2019 www.icalliances.org

Inactive vs Removing a Client? 9/30/2019 www.icalliances.org

When do I hit Save vs Verify and Save? - Always just hit Save. - Never hit Verify and Save. 9/30/2019 www.icalliances.org

How do agencies with good data maintain their data quality? Several staff have HMIS access, including Supervisor Supervisor, (or someone tasked with HMIS data quality) double-checks data entry, runs reports, communicates with ICA on cleanup. Best to have data entered with client present, if possible The client is the expert on their own data. If something is incorrect or incomplete and the client is gone, then we start making assumptions. 9/30/2019 www.icalliances.org

How do agencies with good data maintain their data quality? Pros and Cons of One Data Entry Person PRO: For big agencies, it helps to have one person be an HMIS expert. CON: They may operate in a bubble, not realizing for they’re making errors for months, and the agency overall has worse data quality. PRO: One person can enter all data, and then follow up and updates are taken over by individual case workers. CON: If data on the paper form is incomplete or illegible, data entry staff may guess, infer, or spend unneeded time clarifying. 9/30/2019 www.icalliances.org