HMIS SYSTEM ADMINISTRATOR TRAINING SERIES U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development HMIS 101: MODULE 2 Federal Partners AHAR 101 SHP-HMIS Annual Performance Report (APR)

Partners  Kat Freeman, The Cloudburst Group  Natalie Matthews, Abt Associates, Inc.  Chris Pitcher, The Cloudburst Group  Jeff Ward, Abt Associates, Inc. 2

Purpose 3  Provide HMIS System Administrators, end users, CoC representatives, consumers, and federal, state, and local partners with a basic understanding of:  HMIS Participation from other Federal Partners  AHAR 101  SHP-HMIS APR

Webinar Format 4  This training is part of a series of trainings that will provide staff with the basic information needed to operate or participate in an HMIS  It is anticipated that this series of trainings will be offered quarterly  This training is anticipated to last 90 minutes  Presenters will walk through presentation material

Submitting Questions 5  Because of the high volume of participants, all participants will be muted throughout the presentation  Questions can be asked during the webinar via the “Questions” pane of Go To Webinar  All questions that we cannot reply to should be submitted via the Ask the Expert function on

Webinar Materials & Evaluation 6  Quick follow up survey will be ed out after the webinar  The webinar will be recorded, and all materials will be posted to HMIS.info (

Overview of Training Series 7  HMIS 101 Modules I and II:  Module I: HMIS History, Overview of Data and Technical Standards, Data Quality Concepts, and CoC APR 101  Module II: Federal Partners, AHAR 101, and SHP-HMIS APR 101  HMIS 101 Modules III, IV and V:  Module III: In-Depth Data Standards  Module IV: In-Depth Security, Privacy, and Governance  Module V: Data Quality Standard and Compliance Plans  HMIS 201:  HMIS Budgeting and Staffing  PIT and HIC  Best Practice Highlights/ Use of Technology

HMIS Participation by other Federal Partners Federal Partners 8

Session Objectives Provide an overview of the status 5 federal partner program’s use of HMIS: Veterans Administration (VA) Supportive Service for Veteran Families (SSVF) Grant and Per Diem (GPD) HUD-VASH (VA Supportive Housing Vouchers) Health and Human Services (HHS) Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH) Administration for Children and Families (ACF) Runaway and Homeless Youth (RHY) Housing Opportunities for Persons With HIV/AIDS (HOPWA) 9

Overview  HMIS and CoC staff should use this information for planning purposes  The HMIS project is not required to financially support federal partner use of HMIS and new programs should be prepared to financially support their participation  However, increased use of HMIS will require planning to increase capacity for both the HMIS itself and its staffing  It will also require a review of existing policies and agreements 10

Overview  Current HMIS Data Standards are those published March, 2010  All 5 programs contributed recommendations to HUD on changes to the HMIS Data Standards that would open the path for these programs to utilize the HMIS  Other than the VA programs, no timelines have been set for participating in HMIS 11

Overview  HHS, VA, and HOPWA will determine timelines and publish data collection requirements in accordance to their own implementation strategies  It is not yet known what HMIS implementation will look like for all of these programs, but we can provide some information to assist with planning  One thing that is for sure, the Universal Data Element collection mandate that already exists for all programs utilizing the HMIS will also apply to new federal partners 12

Veteran Programs  The VA has the most aggressive timeline for HMIS participation.  All VA programs are required to comply with local data collection, privacy, security, and data quality requirements  There are 3 VA programs that are expected to directly participate in or contribute data to HMIS  SSVF  GPD  HUD-VASH 13

Veteran Programs: SSVF  Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF)  Will provide supportive services to very low-income veterans and their families residing in or transitioning to permanent housing  Homeless Prevention  Rapid Re-housing  SSVF is REQUIRED to participate in HMIS from the first day of the program activities  There is no reporting for SSVF; however the program is required to EXPORT data out of the HMIS 14

Veteran Programs: SSVF 15

Veteran Programs: GPD  The VA Grant and Per Diem program is also required to participate in HMIS.  VA staff are prohibited from entering data directly into the HMIS; however,  The community service provider who is administering the GPD program can and is expected to.  The GPD program is only required to input the Program Descriptor and Universal Data Elements.  There is NO reporting required. 16

Veteran Programs: HUD-VASH  The VA also expects the HUD-VASH program to participate in HMIS.  VA staff are prohibited from entering data directly into the HMIS; however,  Any community service provider can enter data for them, or  They can import data to the HMIS.  The HUD-VASH program is only required to input the Program Descriptor and Universal Data Elements.  There is NO reporting required. 17

HHS: SAMHSA PATH  SAMHSA is strongly encouraging PATH programs to participate in HMIS; BUT…  Participation is not mandatory  There has been no timeline established by SAMHSA to require participation  Many PATH programs are working with their HMIS to participate now  Data Elements for the current PATH Annual Survey are included in the current HMIS Data Standards (March 2010) 18

HHS: Runaway and Homeless Youth  The RHY program is in its infancy in participating in HMIS  They have contributed recommendations to the HMIS Data Standards, but much work will be required before they are ready to announce data elements and timelines  There has been no timeline established by ACF to require participation 19

HUD: HOPWA  The HOPWA program is in its infancy in participating in HMIS, but they are further along than RHY  They have contributed recommendations to the HMIS Data Standards, but much work will be required before they are ready to announce data elements and timelines  There has been no timeline established by HUD to require participation 20

Federal Partners  This is how things stand now. Everything is subject to change.  Use what you know about programs currently in order to plan for their integration later.  Work with partner programs to make implementation successful for both the HMIS and the program. 21

What you need to know about the Annual Homeless Assessment Report AHAR

Learning objectives for today 23  Understand what the AHAR is and why participation in the AHAR is important  Learn the sources of the data used to complete the AHAR  Understand the AHAR categories  Learn data quality definitions and thresholds  Learn how to develop an effective strategy for participating in the 2011 AHAR

So, what is the AHAR?  Annual report to Congress:  An account of sheltered and unsheltered homeless individuals and families, both on a single night (Point-in-Time count)  A descriptive analysis of characteristics and service use patterns of sheltered persons over the course of the year (HMIS data)  Nationwide trends in homelessness  The size and use of the U.S. inventory of residential programs for homeless persons (HIC)  A summary of the impact of the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing program  Released annually in June/July  The sixth annual AHAR (2010) is available for download at

Why the AHAR is important 25  Primary source of data on the extent and nature of homelessness nationwide  AHAR data are being used to inform the nation’s plan to end homelessness and to measure progress.  Communities learn about their homeless population, and take greater stake in the quality of their HMIS data  HUD considers AHAR participation a benchmark of a high quality HMIS implementation  HUD asks questions about AHAR participation in Exhibit 1 of HUD’s CoC funding application

Sources of AHAR data 26  All 453 CoCs nationwide provide Housing Inventory and Point-in-Time (PIT) Count data:  PIT includes sheltered and unsheltered  HIC includes both funded and unfunded housing providers  Submitted using Homelessness Data Exchange (HDX) in April/May  HPRP reporting  Quarterly Performance Reports (QPR)  Annual Performance Reports (APR)  Reported through e-snaps

Sources of AHAR data - cont  For HMIS data, all CoCs with adequate data quality can participate  Sample Communities: 102  Sample communities are Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) jurisdictions that were randomly selected to be representative of the nation (CDBG jurisdictions can be part or all of a CoC).  Contributing Communities: 324 in 2010, 246 in 2009  Contributing communities are CoCs that volunteer to provide CoC-wide data 27

Sources of AHAR data - cont 28  HMIS Data  Data from October 1-September 30 of each reporting year  Universal data elements (some program specific—PSH only) Examples: Age, Race, Veteran Status, etc.  Limited to emergency shelters, transitional housing, and permanent supportive housing programs  AHAR data from HMIS is submitted and stored in the Homelessness Data Exchange (HDX)

AHAR categories 29  Categories  ES-FAM: all persons in families served in emergency shelters  ES-IND: all persons served in emergency shelters for individuals  TH-FAM: all persons in families served in transitional housing  TH-IND: all persons served in transitional housing for individuals  PSH-FAM: all persons in families served in permanent supportive housing  PSH-IND: all persons served in permanent supportive housing for individuals  Major AHAR sections  ALL Persons  Vets

Veteran report 30  Starting with the 2009 AHAR, communities submitted separate data for veterans  The “All Persons” section of the AHAR must be completed before the “Veterans” section can be accessed in HDX.

Threshold definitions 31  Bed Coverage: the total number of beds in HMIS divided by the number of beds in the CoC  Bed Utilization: the number of people served on a given night divided by the number of available beds the same night  HMIS participating agencies must be recording accurate entry and exit dates for all clients served during the reporting period  Looking for utilization rates between 65%-105%  Data Completeness: a low rate of missing data across all questions

Participation thresholds 32  CoCs can participate in all or a few categories - it’s not all or nothing!  Each reporting category is assessed independently for data quality, using three thresholds:  At least 50% HMIS bed coverage  HMIS participating agencies must be recording accurate entry and exit dates for all clients served during the reporting period  Looking for utilization rates between 65%- 105%Reasonable rates for missing data

Strategies for successful participation 33  Increasing AHAR participation requires a realistic strategy  Focus on a few, solid AHAR categories  Increase bed coverage by using your full CoC to encouraging new agencies to participate in HMIS  Why? Bigger ‘footprint’ and increased credibility  TH is usually easier than ES and PSH may be easier than TH  Why? Funding, turnover and bed inventory size  FAM may be easier than IND  Why? Increased stability  Data entry for the 2011 AHAR began on October 1, You will be unpleasantly surprised if you don’t monitor data quality every month from now until September 30, 2011.

The 2011 AHAR 34  The 2011 AHAR will be very much like the 2010 AHAR – few changes.  Expect more automatic data testing as you enter data into HDX. ‘Hard stops’ will prevent the submission of erroneous data.  Anticipate earlier deadlines and less time between draft and final submissions.

Registration and login process 35  Everyone needs an HMIS.Info account to log into the HDX. The same username and password work on both sites.  The CoC Primary must assign “rights’ to appropriate people:  Every CoC has a primary contact for the HDX  Usually the CoC lead contact

The Sandbox 36  A special feature of the HDX is the HDX Sandbox  The Sandbox is a “dummy” HDX site which was designed for public viewing and testing the AHAR data collection screens and for generating and testing upload files  To access the Sandbox site go to  Communities may use Sandbox year around to monitor AHAR data quality  Changes and data entered into the Sandbox cannot be transferred to the live HDX site.

Final comments 37  Submitting information for the AHAR is an interactive/ iterative process. This is not a ‘file and forget’ report. Submit data as early as possible so your data collector can help you with the process. Expect to revise and submit data several times.  Use your AHAR data in the community.  Why? AHAR is independently reviewed for quality. HDX has useful reporting tools. Using data improves data quality and helps justify the effort needed to be successful.  Make the AHAR ‘just another report.’

The Annual Performance Report for HMIS dedicated projects SHP-HMIS APR 38

Session Objectives  Understand which parts of the HMIS APR apply to HMIS Implementations that cover multiple CoCs and which apply to the specific grant, single COC  Understand reporting requirements  Review all questions on the SHP-HMIS APR

Key Differences  Annual Progress Report is now the Annual Performance Report  Submitted electronically, via e-snaps  HMIS grantees will now be reporting on activity levels of their implementations, not just providing a financial report.

Overview of APR Sections for HMIS Dedicated Projects  Scope of HMIS Implementation  HMIS Functionality  HMIS Program and Bed Coverage  Training – types and frequency  Data Quality  Funding  Expenditures  Narrative 41

e-snaps Basic instructions can be found at the top of each question. 1. Basic instructions can be found at the top of each question. 2. Use HMIS APR Guidebook, posted on HUDHRE, as a reference to create and complete your APR. 3. e-snaps process for grants with operating years ending June 1, 2011 or later is different—new guidebook coming soon!

HMIS Implementation  Some questions on the new HMIS APR, ask you to report information for the entire HMIS Implementation  There are three types of HMIS Implementations  Single CoC: HMIS covers only one CoC  Multiple CoCs: Covers more than one CoC, but not the entire state  Statewide: Must have two or more CoCs 43

HMIS Implementation Resource  Not sure what type of HMIS Implementation your state has? Go to: 

H1a. Lead Organization  Each CoC has identified to HUD the Lead Organization for their HMIS implementation in their annual Exhibit 1 submission. Identify the Lead Organization associated with this particular HMIS Implementation.  If the implementation or CoC has multiple HMIS dedicated grants, then this section should be identical across the grants

H1b. Contact Person  Identify the contact person for the HMIS Lead Organization who you would want HUD to contact if there are any questions about your HMIS Implementation.

H1c. General Information  Question relates to the entire HMIS implementation

H2. HMIS Implementation & Staffing  See HMIS Guidebook for specific directions and definitions associated with (a-g).

H3. Participation by Program Type  Only report programs associated with this HMIS dedicated project, based on participation at the end (last day) of the operating year.

H4 – Functionality (includes 6 sub- questions)  Indicate whether your HMIS supports any of the specified functionality.  Base your responses on the software functionality as it has been configured and is in use within the CoC.  An HMIS supports functionality if:  That function is available by the end of the operating year.  An HMIS does not support that function if:  It is an “add-on” offered by the vendor, but not purchased for use in the CoC.  Use of the functionality may mean daily use by case workers or annual use by data administrators.

H4a. General Functionality

H4f. Functionality Narrative  Describe any current plans you have to enhance your HMIS software with new functionality or to begin using existing functionality.

H5. Electronic Data Sharing  Provide information on electronic data sharing within the CoC funded by the HMIS dedicated project.

H6. Training – Type, Requirements, Frequency and Completion  Identify the training requirements for the CoC associated with the HMIS dedicated project.  The fields are dependent fields and will open based on your answer to questions.

H6. Training  Type  Requirements  Frequency  Completion

H7. Follow-Up Training Requirements  Identify follow-up training requirements for HMIS beyond basic HMIS software training (yes/no). If you selected “yes,” then in a brief narrative, describe the follow-up training requirements and offerings for the operating year that you are reporting on.

H8. Data Timeliness  CHO: Contributory HMIS Organization Defined in the March 2010 HMIS Data Standards

H9. Data Quality Procedures  Identify whether you have standard operating procedures for monitoring the quality of the data  If “yes,” describe in a brief narrative your data quality policies and procedures.

H10. HMIS Bed and Unit Participation  There are a series of six bed and unit participation sub- questions which identify point-in-time count data from the HMIS system for the CoC associated with this HMIS dedicated project. H10 #Housing being reported onDate being reported on H10aEmergency Shelters in the CoCLast Wednesday in January of the operating year H10bTransitional Housing in the CoCLast Wednesday in January of the operating year H10cPermanent Supportive Housing in the CoCLast Wednesday in January of the operating year H10dEmergency Shelters in the CoCLast Wednesday in July of the operating year H10eTransitional Housing in the CoCLast Wednesday in July of the operating year H10fPermanent Supportive Housing in the CoCLast Wednesday in July of the operating year

H10a.-10f. PIT Counts January and July Year round unit information is only collected for permanent housing. Collects counts on beds and persons in ES, TH and PSH.

H10g. Explanation of Barriers If you did not have 100% bed coverage for ES, TH and/or PSH in either January or July (as reported in H10a-H10f): 1. Explain the barriers you are having in implementation; and 2. Your plan for improving your bed coverage.  Because this question is required, if you had 100% coverage, type in: 100% coverage, not applicable in the text box.

H11. HMIS Data Quality (H11a-H11b) Universal Data Elements  H11a - Residential Programs  H11b - Outreach and Supportive Services Only There are two identical HMIS Data Quality Charts for the Universal Data Elements:

H11c. HMIS Data Quality Program Descriptor Data Elements program descriptor elements  Reports on the data quality on all program descriptor elements for all Contributory CoC Programs.

H12. HMIS Funding Sources  Report on funding sources spent during the operating year.  Includes all money received as match and leverage.  Based on what was committed in Exhibit 2.

H13. HMIS Expenditures by Type  Report on all expenditures, by type during the operating year.

H14. HMIS Narrative

Review Submission Summary  Last Updated: Date that form was completed with all required fields.  Please Complete: Mandatory fields missing.  Click on Question Name: Returns you to that page.  Export to PDF: Creates a PDF file for your records.  Submit: All forms must be completed prior to submittal.

Tips for Implementing the New APR  Make sure that you can run reports that identify:  Number of participating and non-participating programs;  Number of programs participating through data integration;  Number of unduplicated active homeless clients in your HMIS;  Number of users and number of active users.

Tips for Implementing the New APR  Make sure new Programmatic Data Standard fields are populated for all Homeless Programs within your HMIS Coverage area.  Identify the functionality components available within your HMIS.  Identify functionality components not available and develop a plan to incorporate those functions your CoC thinks they will want/need to meet HUD requirements.

Tips for Implementing the New APR  Track trainings and training participants on a monthly basis.  Run monthly PIT counts on the last Wednesday of each month and work with users to ensure that all data is clean and being entered.  Run monthly Housing Inventory Counts on the last Wednesday of each month. Make sure that all homeless programs have up to date bed and unit counts.  Check your utilization rates monthly.

Tips for Implementing the New APR  Run monthly data quality checks and follow-up with users to ensure low missing data rates for:  Residential programs  Service only and outreach programs  Program descriptor data elements  Meet quarterly with accounting to check budget resources and expenditures.  Use the HMIS Narrative section to briefly outline things you think HUD should know about your HMIS and implementation.

APR Resources 72  Guidebooks, eLearning modules, webinars, Frequently Asked Questions, and HUD Virtual Help Desk are all available on the HUD HRE for the APR

Next Steps and Resources 73

Up Next: Module 1, Parts 3, 4, 5 74  Module 3  Friday, August 12th, 2011from 3:00pm-4:30pm (EST) In- depth review of HMIS Data and Technical Standards  Module 4  Friday, August 19th, 2011from 3:00pm-4:30pm (EST) In-Depth Security, Privacy, and Governance  Module 5  Friday, September 16th, 2011from 3:00pm-4:30pm (EST) Data Quality Standard and Compliance Plans

Resources  HUD Homeless Data Exchange (HDX):  HMIS.info:  HUD Homelessness Resource Exchange: 75

Thank you! 76