ssvf - us department of veterans affairs

Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF)

Sponsored by:

The US Department of Veterans Affairs

National Center on Homelessness

Among Veterans

2012 Post Award Conference

September 18 - 20, 2012

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SSVF Post Award Virtual Conference Agenda

(all times are Eastern Time)

Tuesday: September 18, 2012 Time Session

12:00-12:45 Opening Remarks - VA Staff

12:45-1:45 SSVF: A Housing First Approach to Preventing and Ending Homelessness Among Veterans

1:45-2:00 Break

2:00-3:00 Outreach, Targeting & Screening: Practical application of principles and practices Management Considerations

Wednesday, September 19, 2012 Time Session

12:00-12:15 Reviewing the Previous Day Reinforcing Key Points

12:15-1:15 Provision of Financial Assistance:

Practical application of principles and practices Management Considerations

1:15-1:30 Break

1:30-2:30 Provision of Non-Financial Services:

Practical application of principles and practices Management Considerations

Thursday, September 20, 2012 Time Session

12:00-12:15 Reviewing the Previous Day Reinforcing Key Points

12:15-1:15 Data Management Requirements: HMIS & VA Repository

1:15-1:30 Break

1:30-2:30 Data Management Strategy: Roles, Responsibilities and Implementation

2:30-3:00 SSVF Compliance Requirements

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SSVF Grantee List 2012-2013

Program Number

Organization Name City State VISN Community Served

R12-CA-220 Abode Services Fremont CA 21 Urban

12-OR-672 Access Medford OR 20 Rural

12-GA-544 Action Ministries, Inc. Atlanta GA 7 Rural, Urban

R12-FL-222 Advocate Program, Inc. Miami FL 8 Urban

R12-TX-83 Aliviane, Inc. El Paso TX 18 Urban

R12-MD-158 Alliance, Inc. Baltimore MD 5 Urban, Rural

12-AZ-670American National Red Cross Southern Arizona Chapter

Tucson AZ 18 Tribal, Rural, Urban

12-FL-187 American Red Cross, Lee County Chapter Fort Myers FL 8 Rural, Urban

12-TN-409Appalachian Regional Coalition on Homelessness (ARCH)

Johnson City TN 9 Rural

R12-CA-327 Ascencia Glendale CA 22 Urban

12-NC-201Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry

Asheville NC 6 Rural, Urban

12-MS-520 Back Bay Mission, Inc. Biloxi MS 16 Urban

12-WA-181 Blue Mountain Action Council Walla Walla WA 20 Tribal, Rural, Urban

12-CA-234 California Veterans Assistance Foundation, Inc. Bakersfield CA 22 Urban

R12-TX-235 Career and Recovery Resources, Inc. Houston TX 16 Urban

R12-TX-73 Caritas of Austin Austin TX 17 Urban

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Program Number


R12-FL-236 Carrfour Supportive Housing, Inc. Miami FL 8 Urban

12-PR-237 Casa Del Peregrino Aguadilla, Inc. Aguadilla PR 8 Rural, Urban

R12-CA-362 Catalyst Foundation Lancaster CA 22 Urban, Rural

R12-TX-131 Catholic Charities Diocese of Fort Worth, Inc. Fort Worth TX 17 Urban

R12-NJ-177 Catholic Charities Dioceses of Camden, Inc. Camden NJ 4 Urban, Rural

R12-HI-101 Catholic Charities Hawaii Honolulu HI 21 Urban

12-MO-153 Catholic Charities of Kansas City - St Joseph, Inc. Kansas City MO 15 Rural, Urban

12-NY-241Catholic Charities of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse NY

Syracuse NY 2 Urban

12-WA-664 Catholic Charities of Yakima Richland WA 20 Urban

12-WA-57Catholic Community Services of Western Washington

Seattle WA 20 Rural, Urban

R12-AK-53 Catholic Social Services Anchorage AK 20 Urban, Rural

R12-WI-143 Center for Veterans Issues, Ltd. Milwaukee WI 12 Urban

R12-TN-246 Centerstone of Tennessee, Inc. Nashville TN 9 Urban, Rural

R12-NE-108 Central Nebraska Community Services Loup City NE 23 Rural

12-OR-517 Central Oregon Veteran's Outreach Bend OR 20 Rural

R12-GA-262Central Savannah River Area Economic Opportunity Authority, Inc. (CSRA EOA)

Augusta GA 7 Urban, Rural

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Program Number


R12-NY-249 Chautauqua Opportunities, Inc. Dunkirk NY 2 Rural

R12-PA-252 Commission on Economic Opportunity Wilkes-Barre PA 4 Urban, Rural

12-WI-555Community Action Coalition for South Central Wisconsin, Inc.

Madison WI 12 Rural, Urban

12-IN-539 Community Action of Northeast Indiana Fort Wayne IN 11 Rural, Urban

12-OR-182 Community Action Team, Inc. Saint Helens OR 20 Rural

R12-CA-406 Community Catalysts of California San Diego CA 22 Urban, Rural

12-DC-481Community Council for the Homeless at Friendship Place

Washington DC 5 Urban

R12-NJ-199 Community Hope, Inc. Parsippany NJ 3 Urban, Rural

R12-DC-130Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness

Washington DC 5 Urban

R12-WA-23 Community Psychiatric Clinic Seattle WA 20 Urban, Rural

R12-CT-258 Community Renewal Team, Inc. Hartford CT 1 Urban

R12-OK-259 Community Service Council of Greater Tulsa, Inc. Tulsa OK 16 Urban, Rural, Tribal

12-DE-637 Connections Community Support Programs, Inc. Wilmington DE 4 Rural, Urban

12-SD-643 Cornerstone Rescue Mission Rapid City SD 23 Tribal, Rural, Urban

R12-SC-194 Crisis Ministries Charleston SC 7 Urban

12-GA-565 Decatur Cooperative Ministry, Inc. Decatur GA 7 Urban

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Program Number


R12-CO-264 Denver Options, Inc. Denver CO 19 Urban, Rural, Tribal

R12-ID-90 El-Ada, Inc. Boise ID 20 Urban

R12-CA-189Emergency Housing Consortium of Santa Clara County

Milpitas CA 22 Urban

12-FL-627Emergency Services and Homeless Coalition of Jacksonville, Inc.

Jacksonville FL 8 Urban

12-FL-167 Faith, Hope, Love, Charity, Inc. Palm Springs FL 8 Urban

R12-TX-10 Families in Crisis, Inc. Killeen TX 17 Urban, Rural

R12-TX-118 Family Endeavors, Inc. San Antonio TX 17 Urban , Rural

12-TX-578 Goodwill Industries of Houston, Inc. Houston TX 16 Urban

R12-NM-93 Goodwill Industries of New Mexico Albuquerque NM 18 Urban, Rural, Tribal

R12-CA-280 Goodwill Industries of Santa Clara County San Jose CA 21 Urban

12-NH-100 Harbor Homes, Inc. Nashua NH 1 Rural, Urban

12-IL-067 Heartland Human Care Services, Inc. Chicago IL 12 Urban

R12-NY-285 HELP Social Service Corporation New York NY 3 Urban

R12-FL-289 Homeless Coalition of Hillsborough County Tampa FL 8 Urban

R12-FL-133Homeless Services Network of Central Florida, Inc.

Orlando FL 8 Urban

R12-TX-293 Housing Corporation of Greater Houston Houston TX 16 Urban

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Program Number


R12-AL-205 Housing First, Inc. Mobile AL 16 Urban, Rural

12-NY-633 Hudson River Housing, Inc. Poughkeepsie NY 03 Urban

R12-IA-29 Humility of Mary Shelter, Inc. Davenport IA 23 Urban, Rural

R12-CA-342InnVision Shelter Network (formerly Shelter Network of San Mateo)

Burlingame CA 21 Urban

12-NY-483 Institute for Community Living, Inc. New York NY 03 Urban

R12-FL-299Jewish Family & Children's Service of Sarasota-Manatee, Inc.

Sarasota FL 8 Urban, Rural

R12-NV-290 Las Vegas Clark County Urban League CAA Las Vegas NV 22 Urban, Rural, Tribal

12-PA-573 Lehigh Valley Center for Independent Living, Inc. Allentown PA 04 Rural, Urban

12-OH-104 Maumee Valley Guidance Center Defiance OH 11 Rural

12-CA-54 Mental Health America of Los Angeles Long Beach CA 22 Urban

R12-CA-54 Mental Health America of Los Angeles Long Beach CA 22 Rural

R12-OH-137Mental Health Services for Homeless Persons, Inc.

Cleveland OH 10 Urban

R12-MN-77 Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans St. Paul MN 23 Urban, Rural, Tribal

R12-CA-95 New Directions, Inc. Los Angeles CA 22 Urban

R12-ND-411 North Dakota Coalition of Homeless People, Inc. Bismarck ND 23 Urban, Rural

R12-FL-271Northwest Florida Comprehensive Services for Children, Inc.

Pensacola FL 16 Rural

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Program Number


12-MI-675Northwest Michigan Community Action Agency, Inc.

Traverse City MI 11 Rural

12-OH-12Ohio Valley Goodwill Industries Rehabilitation Center, Inc.

Cincinnati OH 10 Urban

12-RI-321 Operation Stand Down Rhode Island Johnston RI 01 Urban

R12-WA-323 Opportunity Council Bellingham WA 20 Urban, Rural, Tribal

12-PA-534 Opportunity House Reading PA 04 Rural, Urban

R12-NC-325 Passage Home Inc. Raleigh NC 6 Urban

R12-CA-326 PATH Los Angeles CA 22 Urban

R12-ME-330 Preble Street Portland ME 1 Urban

12-IA-523 Primary Health Care, Inc. Urbandale IA 23 Rural, Urban

R12-AZ-331 Primavera Foundation Tucson AZ 18 Urban

R12-PA-175 Project H.O.M.E. Philadelphia PA 4 Urban, Rural

12-MS-60Region XII Commission on Mental Health & Retardation (Pine Belt Mental Health)

Hattiesburg MS 16 Rural

R12-WV-337 Roark-Sullivan Lifeway Center, Inc. Charleston WV 6 Urban

12-NV-367 Salvation Army, a California Corporation Las Vegas NV 22 Rural, Urban

R12-CA-367 Salvation Army, A California Corporation Long Beach CA 22 Urban

12-FL-288 Salvation Army, a Georgia Corporation New Orleans FL 8 Rural, Urban

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Program Number


12-TX-288b Salvation Army, a Georgia Corporation New Orleans TX 16 Urban

12-IL-33 Salvation Army, an Illinois Corporation St Louis, MO IL 15 Rural, Urban

12-MO-33 Salvation Army, an Illinois Corporation Kansas City, MO MO 15 Rural, Urban

R12-KS-33 Salvation Army, an Illinois Corporation Kansas City KS 15 Urban, Rural

R12-NY-338 Samaritan Village, Inc. Briarwood NY 3 Urban

R12-NY-341 Services for the UnderServed, Inc. New York NY 3 Urban

R12-CA-343 Shelter, Inc. of Contra Costa County Martinez CA 21 Urban

12-SD-443 Sicangu Oyate Tipi (Rosebud Sioux Tribe) Rosebud SD 23 Tribal, Rural

12-FL-606 Society of St. Vincent de Paul, South Pinellas, Inc. St. Petersburg FL 08 Urban

12-NY-504 Soldier On of Delaware, Inc. Leeds, MA NY 07 Rural, Urban

R12-MI-401 Southwest Counseling Solutions Detroit MI 11 Urban, Rural

12-AR-352 St. Francis House, Inc. Little Rock AR 16 Urban

R12-MO-353 St. Patrick Center St. Louis MO 15 Urban

R12-OR-351 St. Vincent de Paul Society of Lane County, Inc. Eugene OR 20 Urban, Rural

12-CA-358Swords To Plowshares Veterans Rights Organization

San Francisco CA 21 Urban

12-SC-224The Alston Wilkes Society (AWS, Alston Wilkes Veterans Home)

Columbia SC 07 Rural, Urban

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Program Number


12-UT-441 The Road Home Salt Lake City UT 19 Urban

12-CT-371 The Workplace, Inc. Bridgeport CT 01 Urban

12-MD-22 Three Oaks Homeless Shelter, Inc. Lexington Park MD 05 Rural

R12-IL-124 Thresholds Chicago IL 12 Urban

12-OR-640 Transition Projects, Inc. Portland OR 20 Urban

R12-AZ-63 United Methodist Outreach Ministries Phoenix AZ 18 Urban

12-CA-132 United States Veterans Initiative Los Angeles CA 22 Urban

12-NV-132 United States Veterans Initiative Los Angeles NV 24 Urban

R12-CA-132 United States Veterans Initiative Los Angeles CA 22 Urban

12-NJ-141 United Veterans of America, Inc. (Soldier On) Leeds NJ 02 Urban

R12-NY-141 United Veterans of America, Inc. (Soldier On) Albany NY 2 Urban, Rural

R12-IN-377 United Way of Central Indiana, Inc. Indianapolis IN 11 Urban

R12-NC-46 United Way of Forsyth County, Inc. Winston Salem NC 6 Urban

12-VT-602University of Vermont and State Agricultural College

Burlington VT 01 Rural, Urban

12-WI-85 Veterans Assistance Foundation, Inc. Tomah WI 12 Tribal, Rural

12-PA-142Veterans Leadership Program of Western Pennsylvania, Inc.

Pittsburgh PA 04 Rural, Urban

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Program Number


R12-NY-28 Veterans Outreach Center, Inc. Rochester NY 2 Urban, Rural

R12-MA-80 Veterans, Inc. Worcester MA 1 Urban , Rural, Tribal

12-NV-136Vietnam Veterans of California, Inc. (Sacramento Veterans Resource)

Santa Rosa, CA NV 21 Rural

R12-CA-136Vietnam Veterans of California, Inc. (Sacramento Veterans Resource)

Santa Rosa CA 21 Urban, Rural, Tribal

R12-VA-382 Virginia Supportive Housing Richmond VA 6 Urban, Rural

12-VA-503 Volunteers of America Chesapeake Lanham, MD VA 05 Urban

12-CO-596 Volunteers of America Colorado Branch, Inc Denver CO 19 Rural, Urban

12-MT-71 Volunteers of America Northern Rockies Sheridan, WY MT 19 Tribal, Rural, Urban

R12-LA-76 Volunteers of America of Greater New Orleans New Orleans LA 16 Urban, Rural

R12-CA-388Volunteers of America of Greater Sacramento and Northern Nevada, Inc.

Sacramento CA 21 Urban

R12-IL-144 Volunteers of America of Illinois Chicago IL 12 Urban

12-TN-86 Volunteers of America of Kentucky, Inc. Louisville, KY TN 09 Rural, Urban

R12-KY-86 Volunteers of America of Kentucky, Inc. Louisville KY 9 Urban, Rural

R12-CA-82 Volunteers of America of Los Angeles Los Angeles CA 22 Urban

R12-MA-68 Volunteers of America of Massachusetts Jamaica Plain MA 1 Urban

R12-MI-389 Wayne Metropolitan Community Action Agency Wyandotte MI 11 Urban, Rural

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Program Number


12-MO-151 Welcome Home, Inc. Columbia MO 15 Urban

R12-LA-370 Wellspring Alliance for Families, Inc. Monroe LA 16 Urban, Rural

12-TX-505 West Central Texas Regional Foundation Abilene TX 17 Rural

12-TN-498 West Tennessee Legal Services, Inc. Jackson TN 09 Rural

R12-CA-209 WestCare California, Inc. Fresno CA 21 Urban, Rural, Tribal

R12-NY-393Westchester Community Opportunity Program, Inc.

Elmsford NY 3 Urban

12-WA-545YWCA of Seattle - King County-Snohomish County

Seattle WA 20 Rural, Urban

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SSVF Post Award Conference Workshop Descriptions Data Management Requirements: HMIS and VA Repository This workshop will provide an overview of data collection, management, and reporting requirements. The presentation will address what data needs to be collected, how that data is managed and uploaded to the repository and detail other data reporting requirements. Data Management Strategy: Roles, Responsibilities, and Implementation This workshop will include a discussion of the roles and responsibilities of different stakeholders – SSVF grantees, CoC staff, HMIS system administrators, HMIS software solution providers, Regional Coordinators, and Technical Assistance providers. The presentation will also address the best methods for complying with federal HMIS standards and local requirements, maintaining high quality data. setting up and operating data management systems and requesting and receiving Technical Assistance. Housing First approach to preventing and ending homelessness among Veterans: Rapid Re-housing and Homelessness Prevention VA supports a “Housing First” model in addressing and ending homelessness. Housing First approaches emphasize rapid stabilization in permanent housing as central focus of intervention. This workshop will provide an overview of a housing first approach as applied to SSVF program design and service delivery; and will discuss some of the assumptions associated with a housing first approach. Outreach, Targeting & Screening: Practical application of principles and practices Performing outreach is a critical component of grantees’ programs. Outreach services must be customized to the target populations being served by the SSVF Program . It is important that SSVF Programs are able to quickly screen, assess, and assist the Veteran’s family as they are likely in crisis. Delays that occur between the first outreach contact and service delivery can result in missed opportunities to mitigate the crisis or the Veteran may be lost to service. Grantees must also evaluate whether eligible participants will be best served by the SSVF Program rather than other available services. This workshop will determining who is eligible and who is admitted - eligibility criteria, risk factors, using local data, and prioritization Balancing Rapid Re-housing and Prevention Services. Grantees will begin to think through critical questions to assist in developing and using policies and procedures, training and supervision for effective program design and implementation.

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Provision of Financial Assistance Practical application of principles and practices Individuals and families may become homeless because of a financial crisis that prevents them from being able to pay the rent. Grantees may choose to provide temporary financial assistance to participants, but it is not a required service. Supportive services grant funds should only be used as direct financial assistance as a last resort, after first exploring the available homeless and mainstream financial assistance options. SSVF Program staff must know how to effectively apply the "but for" question to the provision of temporary financial assistance is as well as how to apply "the right resources at the right time to the right person for the right amount". This workshop will review how to use policies and procedures, training and supervision for effective SSVF TFA program design and implementation. Provision of Non-Financial Services: Practical application of principles and practices The primary aim of supportive services available as part of the SSVF program is to help Veteran families who are homeless or at-risk of homelessness quickly regain stability in permanent housing after experiencing a housing crisis and/or homelessness. SSVF Programs provide a range of supportive services designed to resolve the immediate crisis and promote housing stability. This workshop will review the required supportive services and how to use policies and procedures, training and supervision for effective program design and implementation. SSVF Compliance Requirements This workshop will provide an overview of compliance and monitoring procedures used by the SSVF Program Office in order to ensure that grantees meet SSVF programmatic and financial requirements.

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SSVF Virtual Post Award Conference

September 18, 2012

Day One

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U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Veterans Health Administration

Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) Program

P t A d C fPost-Award ConferenceSeptember 19, 2012

Audio can be accessed through the following conference line:Conference Line: 1-866-266-3378

Passcode: 8224620016


Veterans Health AdministrationPresentersPresenters

Patti Holland, TAC

Conference “Housekeeping” points

John Kuhn, MSW, MPH

National Director Homeless Evaluation & ActingNational Director, Homeless Evaluation & Acting National Director, Supportive Services for

Veteran Families (SSVF)

Welcome and Conference Overview

2



Some “Housekeeping” Some “Housekeeping” before we get startedbefore we get started

• Conference will last approximately 3 hours per day and will feature three presentations.

• Participants’ phone connections are automatically “muted” due to the high number of callers.g

• There will be a 15 minute break each day. Please stay logged on to the webinar during the break–and use this time to refresh yourself, grab a snack or coffee…like you would do if you were attending the conference in person!

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Veterans Health AdministrationMaterials to DownloadMaterials to Download

• An electronic Conference Binder can be found and downloaded from: http://www.va.gov/homeless/virtual_post_award_conference.asp

• It is not necessary to print out the entire binder – unless you want to. However, the following documents will be referenced during certain workshops so you will want to have these handy during the presentation:p

• Outreach, Targeting & Screening:– SSVF Eligibility Screening Disposition Form

• Data Management Requirements and Strategy– VA HMIS Manual

– SSVF Data Upload Specifications

– SSVF Data Quality Thresholds & Policy

– SSVF Grant Data Collection Template & Instructions

– 2010 HMIS Data Standards Notice4


Veterans Health AdministrationQuestions?Questions?

Please send any questions or comments that you have during the conference presentations to:

Kyia WatkinsKyia Watkins [email protected]

5



CA21

CO2

CT2

DC

DE1

ID1

IN2

IA2

IL4

KS1

KY1

MD2

MA2NY

11

PA5

ME1

MI3

MN1

MO4

MT1

NC

ND1

NE1

NH1

NJ3

NV4

OH3

OR5

RI- 1SD2

UT1 VA

2

VT1

WA6

WI3

WV1

WY

SSVF ProvidersSSVF Providers

0 - 3 4 - 9 10 +

Number of Grant Awards

AK1

AL1

AR1

AZ3

DC2

GU

GA3

FL11

HI1

LA2

TX10

MS2

NC3

NM1

OK1 SC

2

TN4

PR1

VI

* Represents all grantees, including renewals

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Veterans Health AdministrationConference AgendaConference Agenda

I. Program Philosophy – Housing First

II. Targeting, Outreach, & Screening

III Case ManagementIII. Case Management

IV. Temporary Financial Assistance (TFA)

V. Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) and Data Collection

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I Program Philosophy

88

I. Program Philosophy


Veterans Health AdministrationBasic ConceptsBasic Concepts

• Most important focus is housing stability. SSVF uses a housing first model.

• Goal is to provide sufficient resources to stabilize housing or end homelessness.

• SSVF serves the entire household.

• Intervention is short-term.

• SSVF services are offered on a “but for” basis. Must be able to define for screening.

• Intensity and scope of services must match identified needs.

• Services integrated with community resources.9

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Veterans Health AdministrationHousing StabilityHousing Stability

Elements necessary to stabilize housing

1. Strong relationships with landlords

2. Linkages to mainstream resources for benefits such as TANF, Medicaid, and SNAPS

3. Services that aid stabilization • Legal assistance• Legal assistance

• Landlord mediation

• Financial assistance

• Transportation assistance

• Child Care

4. Case management

5. Long-term income resources• Employment & training

• Disability benefits (SSI/SSD, VBA)10



SSVF Program Overview SSVF Program Overview Participant EligibilityParticipant Eligibility

1. Veteran Family:a) Veteran* who is a single person, orb) Family in which the head of household, or the spouse of the head of

household, is a Veteran

2. Very Low-Income: <50% area median income (www.huduser.org) 3. “Occupying Permanent Housing”:

a) Category (1): Currently residing in permanent housing

1111

a) Category (1): Currently residing in permanent housing

b) Category (2): Currently homeless, scheduled to become resident of permanent housing within 90 days pending the location or development of suitable permanent housing

c) Category (3): Exited permanent housing within the previous 90 days in order to seek housing more responsive to needs and preferences

*”Veteran” means a person who served in the active military, naval, or air service, and who was discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable.



SSVF Program Overview SSVF Program Overview Participant Eligibility (Cont’d)Participant Eligibility (Cont’d)

Category of Occupying Permanent Housing

Time Restriction on Grantee’s Provision of Services

Category 1 – residing in permanent housing

May continue providing supportive services so long as the participant continues to meet the definition of category (1)

Category 2 – homeless and scheduled to become a resident of permanent h i i hi 90 d di h

May continue providing services so long as the participant continues to meet the definition of

(2) if h i i dhousing within 90 days pending the location or development of housing suitable for permanent housing

category (2), even if the participant does not become a resident of permanent housing within the originally scheduled 90-day period

Category 3 – exited permanent housing within the previous 90 days to seek other housing that is responsive to the very low-income Veteran family’s needs and preferences

May continue providing services until the earlier of the following dates:

1. Participant commences receipt of other housing services adequate to meet the participant’s needs; OR

2. Ninety days from the date the participant exits permanent housing

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II Targeting Outreach & Screening

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II. Targeting, Outreach, & Screening



Distribution of the 1,356,610Distribution of the 1,356,610Veterans in PovertyVeterans in Poverty

14


Veterans Health AdministrationChallenge of PreventionChallenge of Prevention

• Use risk factors to identify higher risk populations and inform outreach strategies.

• For Prevention, use VA developed screener to determine eligibility and prioritize who has greatest risk of becoming literally homeless.– Once eligibility determined, including who at-risk would become literally

homeless “but for” intervention, then screen for other risk factors to prioritize.

• For Rapid Re-housing screen for those who will remain homeless• For Rapid Re-housing screen for those who will remain homeless “but for” SSVF assistance (i.e., not other resources, supports)– Even rapid re-housing can be unnecessary; one-third of Veterans stay in

shelters less than 1 week & generally leave without special intervention.• Determine appropriate (and efficient) response to help

participants’ obtain/maintain housing during and after SSVF assistance.– Mainstream services– Intensive case management – Financial supports– Sustainability

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Applied for Prevention assistance

Number who subsequently entered shelter (within 3 year period)

Percent of group

Households that were turned down for prevention assistance *

1019 40 3.9%

Why target Why target –– what we knowwhat we knowKatherine Gale: 2009Katherine Gale: 2009

Table: San Mateo/Redwood City Prevention Assistance and Shelter Entry Comparison

assistance

Households that received prevention assistance

243 12 4.9%

Total 1262 52 4.1%

*Most common reason for being refused assistance was not having adequate ongoing income (i.e. too poor).

Slide courtesy NAEH 16



Why Target Why Target ––What We KnowWhat We Know

IMPLICATIONS• Most important: “Prevention makes the most

difference for those at highest risk. There is no level of risk that is too high.”

• Use of data to refine targeting D l t f i t t f i k f t• Development of an instrument: use of risk factors to screen in those w/most acute risk, screen out those w/fewer risk factors– Serving smaller pool of families more

intensively– Lightened, almost minimal touches for other

familiesNYC commissioned a study, Understanding Family Homelessness, (release date for 2012).

Slide Courtesy NAEH. 17


Veterans Health AdministrationOutreachOutreach

• Who will you serve and how will you engage?

• Establish referral relationships with agencies appropriate to target population: shelters, food pantries, VA, TANF offices, housing courts, criminal justice, hospitals, substance use treatment facilities, schools, etc.

• Outreach, screening & assessment must be done quickly – offering rapid re-housing or prevention in a response to a crisis.

• Coordinate with VA, making use of your Regional Coordinator

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Prevention Outreach and Referral

Residential Treatment

Transitional Housing

Permanent Housing

1. SSVF Prevention*

2. Veteran Justice Outreach (VJO)

1. Health Care for the Homeless (HCHV)

2. National Call Center

1. HCHV contracts

2. Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Programs

1. Grant & Per Diem (GPD)

2. Compensated Work Therapy Transitional

1. SSVF Rapid Re-housing

2. HUD-VASH

VA Homeless ServicesVA Homeless Services

(VJO)3. Health Care

for Re-Entry (HCRV)

Call Center (NCCHV)

-----------• Vet Centers• Veterans

Benefits (VBA)• VA Medical

Centers (VHA)

Programs (RRTPs)

Transitional Residences (CWT/TR)

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Veterans Health AdministrationVBA BenefitsVBA Benefits

• VBA provides services for homeless Veterans at all 56 regional offices. Claims expedited for homeless Veterans.

• VBA can provide disability benefits, educational assistance, home loans, insurance, and benefits for dependents.Disability Benefits/General Information: 1-800-827-

1000

Insurance: 1-800-669-8477

Education: 1-888-442-4551

Health Care Eligibility: 1-877-222-8382

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Veterans Health AdministrationVet CentersVet Centers

• Community-based counseling centers located in all 50 states, DC, Puerto Rico, and Guam

• Provide readjustment counseling & outreach services to all Veterans who served in any combat zone;

• Staffed by small multi-disciplinary teams of dedicated providers, many of which are combat Veterans themselves.

• http://www.vetcenter.va.gov/index.asp

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III Case Management

2323

III. Case Management


Veterans Health AdministrationCase ManagementCase Management

• Supports housing stability as a priority. Housing not contingent on treatment.

• Define intensity required to meet housing stability, not treatment, goals.

• Strength-based approach both to engage g pp g gsuccessfully and reflect program priorities.

• Must include planning for housing stability after short-term SSVF intervention is complete.

• When collaborating with other programs, cannot duplicate efforts.

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Program OverviewProgram OverviewSupportive ServicesSupportive Services

Required Supportive Services:1. Outreach services (Section 62.30)

• Use best efforts to ensure that hard-to-reach eligible participants

are found, engaged, and provided supportive services

• Active liaison with local VA facilities, State, local, tribal, and private

agencies and organizations providing services

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2. Case management services (Section 62.31)

• Careful assessment of participant functions

• Developing and monitoring case plans

• Establishing linkages to help participants

• Providing referrals and performing related activities as necessary

• Deciding how resources are allocated to participants

• Educating participants on issues



Required Supportive Services (Cont’d):3. Assist participants to obtain VA benefits (Section 62.32)

4. Assist participants to obtain and coordinate the provision of other public

benefits provided by Federal State or local agencies or any eligible

SSVF SSVF Program Overview Program Overview Supportive Services (cont’d)Supportive Services (cont’d)

• Vocational and rehabilitation counseling

• Educational assistance

• Employment and training services

• Health care services

2626

benefits provided by Federal, State, or local agencies, or any eligible

entity in the area served by the grantee (provided directly or through

referral to partner agencies) (Section 62.33)

• Health care services

• Daily living services

• Personal financial planning services

• Transportation services

• Income support services

• Fiduciary and representative payee services

• Legal services

• Child care

• Housing counseling services


Veterans Health AdministrationOverview of SSVF ProgramOverview of SSVF Program

How SSVF Complements Other ProgramsIn addition to VA supports, SSVF grantees access universal prevention services, entitlements, and other available community resources.

• National Foundation for Credit Counseling, www.nfcc.org, a l b h d t (800)388 2227counselor can be reached at (800)388-2227

• Legal Assistance: www.lawhelp.org, http://statesidelegal.org• SOAR (SSI/SSD):

www.prainc.com/SOAR/soar101/states.asp• National Resource Directory:

www.nationalresourcedirectory.gov• Available income, health, educational and other supportive

services benefits: www.govbenefits.gov

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Veterans Health AdministrationOverview of SSVF ProgramOverview of SSVF Program

How SSVF Complements Other Programs

• A synergistic complement to DOL’s Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration Program (HVRP). Find a HVRP grantee at http://bbi.syr.edu/nvtac/index.htm

• A services “bridge”/enhancement to permanent supportive housing (e g in conjunction with the HUD-VASH Program)*

28

(e.g. in conjunction with the HUD VASH Program)• A stand-alone, short-term, intensive case management model • Can complement transitional housing programs, such as VA’s

Grant and Per Diem (GPD)*• Can complement a homelessness, eviction, or housing crisis

prevention program such as HUD’s Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) program or local Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) programs.

* Note: Refer to policy guidance in Program Guide.



IV Temporary Financial Assistance

2929

IV. Temporary Financial Assistance


Veterans Health AdministrationUse of Grant FundsUse of Grant Funds

Admin10%

1. Budget allocations for TFA and numbers served described in NOFA.

2. TFA budget can be increased to 50% (had been limited to 30%).

Admin

Cat 1

Cat 2 & 3PreventionRapid Re-

40% or 60% or

30

Need to submit program change request with revised budget.

3. Limits on time described in Final Rule

4. Appropriate to ask for co-pays. Payments to third party only.

Page | 25



SSVF SSVF Program Overview Program Overview Supportive Services Supportive Services (cont’d)(cont’d)

Type of Temporary Financial Assistance

Time/Amount Limitation

Rental Assistance* Max. of 8 months in a 3-year period; no more than 5 months in any 12-month period

Utility-Fee Payment* Assistance

Max. of 4 months in a 3-year period; no more than 2 months in any 12-month period

Security Deposits or Max. of 1 time in a 3-year period for security deposit;

3131

Utility Deposits* Max. of 1 time in a 3-year period for utility deposit

Moving Costs* Max. of 1 time in a 3-year period

Emergency Supplies* Max. $500 during a 3-year period

Child Care** Max. of 4 months in a 12-month period

Transportation** Tokens, vouchers, etc. – no time limit

Car repairs/maintenance – max. of $1,000 during 3-year period

*See § 62.34 of Final Rule for additional requirements and restrictions.**See § 62.33 of Final Rule for additional requirements and restrictions.


Veterans Health AdministrationApproachApproach

Approach – Insight into VA’s Expectations

• SSVF funding to be used under “but for” criteria• Leverage grant funds to enhance housing stability of very low-income

Veteran families occupying permanent housing • Veterans should contribute co-pays whenever possible• Encouraged to establish relationships with Continuum of Care• SSVF Program not intended to provide long-term support for

participants, nor will it be able to address all the financial and supportive services needs of participants that affect housing stability; partnerships and referrals are critical (e.g. HUD-VASH, HUD’s Housing Choice Voucher programs, McKinney-Vento funded supportive housing programs, TANF)

3232



V HMIS and Data Collection

3333

V. HMIS and Data Collection

Page | 26


Veterans Health AdministrationDashboard (thru July 2012)Dashboard (thru July 2012)

Homelessness Prevention Rapid Re‐housing Unduplicated Total

Report

periodGTD

Report

periodGTD

Report

periodGTD

Persons

screened but

not enrolled2260 14747

Persons served 4922 11942 9184 16316 14025 28241

New enrollees 724 11522 2315 15831 3041 25638

3434

New enrollees 724 11522 2315 15831 3041 25638

Persons exiting 732 6846 1343 7237 2080 14122

Children served 3365 3547 6912

Veterans

served2135 6237 5223 10543 7324 16616

Female

Veterans

served317 1067 640 1391 945 2431

Afghan/Iraq

Veterans

served312 1051 734 1508 1041 2608

Households

served2214 6211 5361 10659 7605 16814


Veterans Health AdministrationHMISHMIS

Entering Data into HMIS

• Grantees must enter data into a Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) web-based software application. Client-level data must be exported to VA on a monthly basis.

• SSVF programs must participate in their local Continuum

3535

of Care Homeless Management Information System (HMIS)

• SSVF program grantees should work with HMIS administrators to set up the SSVF program in HMIS as soon as their grants are executed

• SSVF Data collection same as HUD’s Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-housing (HPRP) Program



Changes After Grant Award• Significant Changes – submit to VA written request BEFORE

implementing a significant change; if VA agrees, will issue an amendment.

Examples:• Change in grantee or any identified subcontractors• Change in area or community served

SSVF Program Overview SSVF Program Overview Program ChangesProgram Changes

3636

• Additions or deletions of supportive services being provided• Change in category of participants served• Change in budget line items more than 10% of grant award

• Key Personnel Changes/Address Changes – inform VA within 30 days

• Corrective Action Plan (CAP) – VA may require CAP if:• On a quarterly basis, actual grant expenditures vary from amount

disbursed• Actual grant activities vary from description in grant agreement

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Veterans Health AdministrationResourcesResources

• Website: http://www.va.gov/HOMELESS/SSVF.asp

• Resources:– Final Rule & NOFAFinal Rule & NOFA

– SSVF Data Collection Guide

– Updated SSVF Program Guide

– SSVF FAQs

– Webinars

– Conference Materials

37


Veterans Health AdministrationContact InformationContact Information

Email: [email protected]: (877)737-0111

Website:Website:www.va.gov/HOMELESS/SSVF.asp

38

Page | 28

Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF)

A Housing First Approach to P ti d E di H lPreventing and Ending Homelessness

Among Veterans

Tom Albanese, Abt Associates

Marge Wherley, Abt Associates

Patti Holland, TAC

Key Components of SSVF

Homelessness Prevention

(Category 1)

Rapid Re-Housing

(Categories 2 & 3)

Homeless(street, shelter)

• Outreach Services • Case Management Services • Assistance in Obtaining VA Benefits • Assistance in Obtaining and Coordinating Other

Public Benefits• Other Supportive Services• Temporary Financial Assistance

2

( g )

HEARTH Act & SSVF Programs: Relevance to CoC Performance

Homelessness Prevention

• Prevent first time and repeat (literal) homelessness• Prevent recurrence of housing crisis

3

Rapid Re-Housing

• End homelessness• Reduce time spent homeless• Increase job and income growth• Prevent recurrence of homelessness

Page | 29

VA Policy

Support a “Housing First” model in addressing and ending homelessness.

Housing First approaches emphasize rapid stabilization in permanent housing as central focus

of intervention.

4

Housing First Principles:A source of inspiration…and challenge

• Homelessness is a housing problem

• Housing is a right – not a reward

• Consumer choice

• Everyone is ‘housing ready’ – programs must• Everyone is housing ready – programs must be ‘consumer ready’

• End housing crisis and stabilize in permanent housing first…THEN address other needed and desired services directly or through linkage

5

Housing First: Critical Elements

• Goal: permanent housing as quickly as possible• Housing

– Consumer choice– Permanent (i.e., not time limited, consumer holds lease)– Not contingent on service participation and compliance

• Services – Consumer choice– Provided primarily following housing placement– Flexible and responsive to needs and preferences– May be time limited or long term (or some combination)

• Success = staying housed and not becoming or returning to literal homelessness

6

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Housing First (and SSVF) Challenge

Provide the right resources to the right people at the right point in time

for the right amount of time.

7

Challenging Assumptions:“Housing Readiness”

Assumption: People need to be “ready” before moving into permanent housing.• Adequate and sustained income source • Comprehensive psycho-social assessment completedComprehensive psycho social assessment completed

with all key issues identified and plan to address each • Disability, mental health and substance use issues are

acknowledged, addressed and under control• Demonstrated competence in all skills necessary for

permanent housingStems from good intention of not wanting people to fail –but research does not support

8


Challenging the Assumption:• Overwhelming evidence shows positive outcomes

for households with range of barriers with HF approach, such as:– Obtaining and maintaining housingObtaining and maintaining housing– Reduced or stabilized substance use that did not

negatively impact housing– Increased service participation– Increase in perceived choice

• Even so…many providers still reluctant to consider housing first as viable approach for “their client”

9

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• “Housing Ready” often means clean, sober and treatment compliant– One main reason individuals remain chronically

homeless is reluctance of traditional programs to id h i t h f t t tprovide housing to consumers who refuse treatment

and/or are actively using (Bridges and Barriers to Housing for

Chronically Homeless Street Dwellers, T. Mechede 2004)

– There is little evidence that treating substance abuse and mental health problems prevents homelessness (Preventing and Alleviating Homelessness – Prevention Approaches, MaryBeth Shinn)

10


• Service providers and homeless individuals and families often disagree on needs.– Service providers often express concern with service

needs, individuals and families stress need for h ihousing (Bridges and Barriers to Housing for Chronically Homeless Street Dwellers, T. Mechede 2004)

11


• In Vivo Learning:– Developing and applying new skills is often situation-

specific

– Using a skill in one setting does not guarantee person ill it k h t it i diff t ttiwill use it, or know how to use it, in a different setting

– Delivering SSVF services to participants in their living environment and community is essential for successful housing retention

12

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Challenging Assumptions:“Housing Stability”

Assumption: “Housing stability” can only be achieved by households who have the means to readily pay for their housing costs now and in future.

Challenging the Assumption:– Majority of very low income households pay more than

50% of their income for housing and do not become literally homeless

– Majority who become literally homeless regain housing with limited help and do not become literally homeless again

13

Challenging Assumptions:“Housing Stability”

• Determining future ability to pay housing costs and establishing “housing stabilization” plans:– SSVF assisted households typically pay more than

30% of income towards rent, remain low/very low i d d t ‘d bl ’ i f tincome, and may need to ‘double up’ in future

– Lack of identified current/future means to pay housing costs = program challenge; not reason to ‘screen out’ applicants

– Must work with each SSVF household to develop plan right for them – no magic formula

14

Voluntary Services

• SSVF services meet a specific goal or need– goal the Veteran wants to address, not necessarily what staff feel s/he needs

• Referrals made are mutually agreed upon and stem f V t ’ h ifrom Veteran’s choices

• Information, education and informed choice– SSVF staff provide information on services and resources

that are available, educate on possible benefits and ‘downside’ of services, assist the Veteran in making an informed choice

• Foster real world expectations and consequences

15

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Voluntary Services

• This does not mean….– SSVF staff cannot offer suggestions, ask Veteran to

do something or initiate uninvited contact– Staff do not intervene, even when very real and

serious health or safety risks existse ous ea o sa e y s s e s– Participants will never take action to change their

circumstances if not ‘encouraged’– Participants will always ‘take the money and run”– Staff have to tolerate abusive treatment from

participants and can never discharge from the program for disruptive or dangerous behavior

16

Housing First in Practice:From Crisis Response to Housing Stability

Crisis focus = Housing– No housing (literally homeless) OR – Imminent risk of literal homelessness (imminent loss

of housing and no other housing options, resources, support)support)

Two Step Process:

Step 1: Crisis intervention and resolution

Step 2: Housing stabilization17

Housing First in Practice:Step 1: Crisis Response

Goal: Identify and address immediate housing need

– Crisis Assessment

– Triage and immediate housing plan

18

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Housing First in Practice: Step 1: Crisis Response

Crisis Assessment:• Focus: Persons experiencing a housing crisis

– Immediate needs may or may not be met• What are we trying to figure out?

Immediate & short term housing needs and SSVF– Immediate & short-term housing needs and SSVF intervention to assure needs are met

– Basic characteristics necessary to know who’s being assisted and immediate needs

– Any safe, immediate options besides emergency shelter?

– Plan for tonight and near term

19

Housing First in Practice:Step 1: Crisis Response

• Assessment tool, process– Tool should be staff and participant friendly

– Standardized, but also serves as conversation guide

– Focuses on housing issues, is not a comprehensive assessment of needs

• Staff training and supervision– Specific content, training during orientation period

– Observation as training component

– On-going review and supervision

20

Housing First in Practice: Step 1: Crisis Response

• Let’s use an analogy – someone shows up at an E.R. in crisis due to diabetes– No time for in-depth assessment of patient’s overall needs or

compliance with diabetes care– RN does a few quick diagnostic lab tests to confirm diabetes with

blood sugar out of controlER t i di t l b i t t bili th ti t’ diti– ER team immediately begins to stabilize the patient’s condition

– Once crisis is resolved and patient is temporarily stabilized, further assessment may be done

– Based on this additional assessment, hospital team sends patient home with discharge orders, including referrals if needed

– There may be some follow up calls or a visiting RN to check on if patient is feeling ok, no current symptoms, understands discharge plan

– But, in the end – the ER has no actual control over the patient’s future diabetes care or whether there will be future hospital visits

21

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Housing First in Practice: Step 2: Housing Stabilization

Goal: Identify and implement plan to maintain current housing or obtain new housing

Housing stability assessment– Housing stability assessment– Housing stability plan (‘reasonable’)– Progressive engagement with flexible SSVF

services– Service linkage

22

Housing First in Practice:Step 2: Housing Stabilization

Housing Stability Assessment: • Focus: Persons experiencing a housing crisis whose

immediate housing needs are met• What are we trying to figure out?

– Prevention: whether can be stabilized in currentPrevention: whether can be stabilized in current housing or needs relocation assistance

– Additional characteristics and relevant background (housing, health, AOD, education, etc.)

– Barriers impacting ability to obtain/maintain housing• Tenant screening barriers (if need to obtain

housing)• Retention barriers

– Least amount of intervention needed to resolve and, if possible, prevent return to crisis 23

Housing First in Practice:Step 2: Housing Stabilization

Housing Stability Plan:

• Progressive plan to increase stability and prevent future housing crisis

Flexible progressive SSVF services and temporary– Flexible, progressive SSVF services and temporary financial assistance

– Linkages and referrals to address other identified immediate and long-term needs

24

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Housing First:Tips

• Engage, collaborate with larger community services and Continuum of Care system

• Train staff on other CoC/community resources and programs to ensure best “fit” for participant

• Be clear about what SSVF can do & what it cannot do ith staff and participantscannot do – with staff and participants

• Maximize SSVF: design flexible program services that can vary in type/level/duration based on need

• Periodically revisit program design • Incorporate eligibility recertification (required

every 3 months) and other milestones in case plan

25

Housing First:Tips

• Use best practices: harm reduction, motivational interviewing, skills teaching, resource development

• If unsure and/or if there are not other resources to refer applicants with greater needs: better to err on side of ‘screening in’ vs. ‘screening out’D l d lti t l dl d l ti hi &• Develop and cultivate landlord relationships & housing options

• Train staff on other community-based and mainstream resources to ensure needs are met post-SSVF

• Use assessment to identify system gaps• Staff training and supervision

26

Time for a Break!

We will resume the presentation

in precisely 15 minutes.

If you haven’t already downloaded the SSVF Eligibility Screening Disposition Form, please do

so before the next presentation.

27

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Outreach, Targeting and Screening


Tom Albanese, Abt Associates

The Critical Decisions That Will Shape Your Entire SSVF Program!

Program design, program policies and procedures, staff recruitment, training and supervision…. All will be determined by these decisions:

• Whom do you target?

• How will you find your program participants?

• How will you screen program applicants?

2

Some Decisions Have Already Been Made

• Congress passed statutory requirements(Which can only be changed via another Act of Congress)

• The VA Program Office has translated those requirements into a Program Guide (Some interpretations of statute can be modified by VA)

• Your agency and VA have a contract for the program and population (Some details regarding target population, screening and outreach can be renegotiated with the VA Program Office)

3

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Targeting, Screening and Outreach: Non-Negotiable Statutory Requirements

Eligible program participants are: 1. A member of a Veteran family; and

2. Very low-income (at or below 50% of Area Median Income); and

3. Occupying Permanent Housing (Categories 1-3).

Case files must include verification of eligibility

SSVF Grantees must offer Outreach Services4

“Occupying Permanent Housing”

Category 1: Is residing in permanent housing;

Category 2: Is homeless and scheduled to become a resident of permanent housing within 90 days pending the location or development of housing suitable for permanent housing; or

Category 3: Has exited permanent housing within the previous 90 days to seek other housing that is responsive to the very low-income Veteran family’s needs and preferences.

Homelessness Prevention = Category 1Rapid Re-Housing = Categories 2 & 3

5

Category Changes

Beginning October 1, 2012, SSVF will follow HUD homeless definition and program eligibility for homelessness prevention and rapid re-housing.

Homelessness prevention: eligible Veteran families whoHomelessness prevention: eligible Veteran families who are imminently at-risk of becoming literally homeless but for SSVF assistance

Rapid re-housing: eligible Veteran families who are literally homeless and may remain literally homeless but for SSVF assistance

6

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Category 2 & 3: Rapid Re-Housing

Literally homeless means…a person/family who is: • Staying in a place not meant for human habitation

(including a park, car, abandoned building, bus or train station, airport or campground) OR

• Living in a supervised public or private shelter designed to provide temporary living arrangements (including shelters, transitional housing, and hotels/motels if they are paid for by a charitable organization or a local government program for low-income people) OR

• Exiting an institution where he/she resided for 90 days or less AND who had been sleeping in an emergency shelter or place not meant for habitation immediately before entering that institution.

7


Category 2 & 3-additional criteria:

• Will remain literally homeless but for SSVF assistance, meaning the Veteran family:assistance, meaning the Veteran family:

– Has no resources or support networks, e.g., family, friends, faith-based or other social networks, immediately available to obtain permanent housing.

8


Category 2-additional criteria:• Homeless, per the McKinney-Vento Act (as amended by the

HEARTH Act) (except those who qualify under Category 1); AND

• Scheduled to become resident of permanent housing within 90 days pending the location or development of suitable permanent housing.

Category 3-additional criteria: • Have exited from permanent housing in the last 90 days to seek

other housing that is responsive to the Veteran family’s needs and preferences; AND

• Not otherwise be eligible under Category 1.

9

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Category 1: Homelessness Prevention

Imminently at-risk of literal homelessness means:

• Imminently losing their current primary nighttime residence (housing an individual or family owns, ( g yrents, or lives in with or without paying rent; housing shared with others; and rooms in hotels or motels paid for by the individual or family);

AND…

10


Imminently at-risk of literal homelessness means:

• At risk of becoming literally homeless but for SSVF assistance, meaning the Veteran family: g y– Has no other residence; AND

– Has no resources or support networks, e.g., family, friends, faith-based or other social networks, immediately available to prevent them from becoming literally homeless.

11


Category 1 – additional criteria:

At least one of the following:

• 2 or more moves due to economic reasons during the past 60 days

• Living in the home of another due to economic reasons

• Has been notified in writing that right to occupy current housing or living situation will be terminated within 21 days

• Lives in a hotel/motel not funded by a government or charitable organization

• Is exiting an institution without a stable housing plan

• Lives in housing that has characteristics associated with instability/risk of homelessness as identified in VA-approved grantee screening tool.

12

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Research has repeatedly shown that most households who received homelessness prevention assistance would not have become homeless even if they had not received assistance.

Most effective way to identify persons who willMost effective way to identify persons who will imminently become literally homeless:

1. Screening for eligibility: imminent loss, need for assistance (“but for”), additional factors PLUS

2. Screening for other risk factors backed by research AND mirroring characteristics of local households who actually did become literally homeless.

13

Homelessness PreventionSSVF Screening Tool

Starting 10/1/12: new screening tool and process based upon SSVF eligibility criteria and known risk factors.

14

Homelessness Prevention Screening Stage 1: VA Eligibility

• Veteran status

• Very low income status (50% AMI)

• Imminently at risk of homelessness:

Imminent loss of current housing ANDImminent loss of current housing AND

No other residence AND

No resources of support networks immediately available to prevent them from becoming homeless AND

15

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Homelessness Prevention Screening Stage 1: VA Eligibility (cont.)

At least one of the following:• 2 or more moves due to economic reasons during the

past 60 days• Living in the home of another due to economic reasons• Has been notified in writing that right to occupy current

housing or living situation will be terminated within 21housing or living situation will be terminated within 21 days

• Lives in a hotel/motel not funded by a government or charitable organization

• Is exiting an institution without a stable housing plan• Lives in housing that has characteristics associated with

instability/risk of homelessness as identified in VA-approved grantee screening tool.

16

Homelessness PreventionScreening Stage 2: Targeting

• Points assigned for 14 risk factors that have been shown, through research, to increase the likelihood of homelessness

• Grantee can propose to VA additional risk factors they want to score

• Grantee proposes to VA the number of points anGrantee proposes to VA the number of points an applicant must have to receive prevention assistance. – The higher the threshold score, the more likely a household

would become literally homeless if not assisted.

Eligibility & risk score become basis for determining whether or not an applicant

receives assistance.

17

What Decisions Can SSVF Grantees Make?

Beyond the language in your contract with VA:• In addition to the risk factors on the SSVF Screening

form, what (if any) additional risk factors will you propose to VA as criteria for Category 1 (Homelessness Prevention Assistance)? How high will you set your th h ld f P ti i ?threshold score for Prevention screening?

• How and where will you utilize Outreach to reach households who are literally homeless (Rapid Re-Housing) or imminently at-risk of literal homelessness (Homelessness Prevention) Assistance?

• How will you use Targeting, Outreach and Screening to assure that you can meet the 60-75% requirement for Category 2 and 3 (Rapid Re-Housing)?

18

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Why Do You Have to Decide?

Your staff is looking across the desk at a person requesting assistance. This person is eligible –but so are three other applicants for the same slot in your program. How do you want your staff to make that intake decision?• First-Come-First-Served for everyone who is eligible, at least

until the money runs out?• Gut feeling that the person would fail in permanent housing so

it’s better to screen him/her out now?• Belief that applicants who are willing to use treatment and

other resources to improve their lives should have priority over those who just want help with a housing crisis?

• The degree to which the staff likes/dislikes the personal appearance and manners of the applicant?

19

A Targeted Approach

• Your program’s policies clearly describe target population priorities

• Your procedures give step-by-step guidance for staff to make consistent admission decisions that reflect agency prioritiesthat reflect agency priorities

• You train staff in the policies and procedures regarding targeting and screening

• Supervision assists staff to make difficult decisions regarding admission approvals and denials

20

First: Consider the Assumptions that Underlie Your Program

• To what degree are your assumptions about people experiencing homelessness informed by current data and research?

• Program staff are rarely familiar with current data and research; they express beliefs that are sometimes diametrically contrary to evidence.

21

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Challenging Assumptions:“High Need” Applicants

Assumption: SSVF is short-term and VA expects participants with higher needs are linked to community resources for longer-term stability. Therefore, if a person with high needs applies for assistance, we should only accept that person if s/he agrees to work on longer-term personal issues with a community resourcecommunity resource.

Challenging the Assumption: • Majority of people with “high needs” can and do live in independent

housing—whether or not they utilize services and whether or not we would call their lives “stable.”

• Programs cannot reliably predict who will succeed and who will fail; so admission decisions should not be based upon perceptions of “need” or “motivation” or “likelihood of success.”

22

Challenging Assumptions:Rapid Re-Housing

Assumption: Rapid Re-Housing is just a Band-Aid; most households (especially those with moderate-to-high barriers) will become literally homeless again as soon as assistance ends without permanent subsidy.

Ch ll i th A tiChallenging the Assumption: • Vast majority of households who become homeless will exit and not

return—with or without assistance. Only 10-20% will become chronically homeless.

• Established RRH programs have very high non-recidivism rates (success) – including for moderate and high-barrier households. For the small percent who return to shelter, recidivism doesn’t cluster near the time of case closing.

23

Challenging Assumptions:Homelessness Prevention

Assumption: Any household that is very low-income and has an eviction or utility shut-off will become literally homeless unless assisted with SSVF. Households who are denied prevention will then have to enter the homeless system (become literally homeless) to get help.

Challenging the Assumption:• Vast majority of low-income households who receive an eviction do not

immediately become literally homeless. Most end up with family or friends if own housing is lost.

• Rigorous data analysis has repeatedly shown that even when prevention is targeted to households with multiple risk factors, no more than 20% would have actually become literally homeless if not assisted. (Shinn)

• Best predictor of imminent literal homelessness: imminent loss of current housing, no other viable/safe housing options, no other resources/supports.

24

Page | 45

Why Challenge the Assumptions?

• If staff believe the program doesn’t work -- or doesn’t work for some subpopulations -- your program will reflect those <unspoken or explicit> assumptions in intake decisions.

• May give message that staff can make their own decisions based upon “gut feelings” BUT that often leads to staff feeling they will not have program s pport for their decisionsprogram support for their decisions.

• When staff don’t feel they have program support, they may make even more conservative decisions (to avoid failure) and screen out eligible participants who need assistance and could succeed.

• If assumptions are mixed, program may be less focused and decisions less consistent. Programs with a clear mission, policies and procedures tend to be more effective.

25

How Do You Decide Whom to Target?

Homelessness Prevention: 1. Local risk factors: characteristics of households who

are homeless. Applicants who do not resemble homeless households are less likely to become homeless if not assisted.

2. VA Screening form: setting your “scoring” threshold

Rapid Re-Housing:1. Characteristics of homeless unsheltered/sheltered

populations (households with no other means to quickly end their homelessness)

2. Your agency’s expertise

26

Assuring Program Operations & Services Support Program Mission

Example:POLICY: It is the policy of Our Home to provide homelessness prevention and rapid re-housing to households with the greatest barriers, because these are the persons who most need assistanceassistance.

PROCEDURES: • Screening: To assure that people with the highest barriers

receive priority, HP and RRH Screening Forms assign points for housing barriers. Applicants must receive a score of 23 or higher to be approved for assistance. Exceptions can be made for applicants who score between 18 and 23, but only with supervisory approval. 27

Page | 46

Assuring Program Operations & Services Support Program Mission

PROCEDURES: • Training: Intake staff are trained to assess SSVF

eligibility and assign points for priorities. Training includes interviewing techniques and practice scoring barriers. Methods: observation, guided practice, and t ti ith itesting with case scenarios.

• Supervision: Supervisors will periodically observe staff conducting screening interviews. Supervisors will review cases that were approved and denied during regular supervision. Supervisors will also be available to consult with staff, as needed, to make a decision about screening out a household with lower barriers.

28

You’ve Defined the Target Population—Now, How Will You Find Them?

• Establish an Outreach Plan – Base upon the most effective, efficient methods of

finding and engaging with your defined target population

• SSVF grantees must “use their best efforts to ensure that hard-to-reach very low-income veteran families…are found, engaged and provided supportive services.”

29

Outreach Plans: Good Practice Tips

• VA requires active coordination “with local VA facilities, state, local, tribal (if any) agencies and organizations providing supportive services to very low-income veteran families in the area or community.”

• Consult with formerly homeless persons with characteristics similar to your target population– Best locations and methods of engaging with potential SSVF

program participants

• Screen out people who self-refer for prevention who do not fit your target population

• Find and screen in people who do not self-refer and who fit your target population

• Proactive, assertive outreach to homeless families/individuals (RRH); focus on screening in those with high barriers 30

Page | 47

Outreach Methods

• Use a variety of approaches – Visibility in targeted locations and at selected events

• Public advertising will generate many self-referrals for Prevention – Is program prepared to handle volume and deny

assistance to many who are in crisis but not likely to become literally homeless?

• Outreach to homeless populations requires creativity and persistence– Consider separate strategies to find those who are living

outside vs. working with shelters to gain referrals or access to Veterans experiencing homelessness

31

Discussion

• You want to work with homeless Veterans in a local shelter, but the shelter director says they will only refer households who are “ready” for re-housing. They do not want you to come into the shelter and recruit program participants Whatshelter and recruit program participants. What do you do?

• Your Homelessness Prevention program was featured on the local news. How will you handle the calls that start coming in on the following day?

32

Thank You for Your Participation!We’ll begin tomorrow at 12:00pm ET/

11:00 am CT/ 10:00 am MT/ 9:00 am PT

The Powerpoints will be posted on

VA’s SSVF Website:

www va gov/homeless/ssvf aspwww.va.gov/homeless/ssvf.asp

Please send any questions or comments

regarding the materials covered to:

Kyia Watkins

[email protected]

Page | 48

Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) Homelessness Prevention

Eligibility Screening Disposition Form

SCREENING DATE (e.g., 05/24/2010) [All clients]

/ / Month Day Year

APPLICANT HEAD OF HOUSEHOLD

First Name Last Name

STAGE 1: VA ELIGIBILITY

Eligibility Condition I. Veteran Status

Eligible? ___ YES ___NO

VA Eligibility Requirements: Served in the active military, naval, air service, Merchant Marines, or was

activated by Presidential order and served in another state or country while in the National Guard or Reserves.

Other than dishonorable discharge

Eligibility Condition 2. Very Low Income Status


VA Eligibility Requirement: Gross annual household income less than 50% Area Median Income for

household size (grantee may set lower income threshold) Household size (all adults/children): _______

50% of Area Median Income for Household Size: $_______________________

Total Annual Gross Income from All Sources: $__________________________

Eligibility Condition 3. Imminently At-Risk of Literal Homelessness


VA Eligibility Requirements: Imminent loss of current primary nighttime residence (housing an

individual or family owns, rents, or lives in with or without paying rent; housing shared with others; and rooms in hotels or motels paid for by the individual or family); AND

No other residence; AND No resources or support networks, e.g., family, friends, faith-based or

other social networks, immediately available to prevent them from becoming literally homeless; AND

At least one of the following: Has moved because of economic reasons two or more times during

the 60 days immediately preceding the application for homelessness prevention assistance;

Is living in the home of another because of economic hardship;

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Has been notified in writing that their right to occupy their current housing or living situation will be terminated within 21 days after the date of application for assistance;

Lives in a hotel or motel and the cost of the hotel or motel stay is not paid by charitable organizations or by Federal, State, or local government programs for low-income individuals;

Is exiting a publicly funded institution, or system of care (such as a health-care facility, a mental health facility, or correctional institution) without a stable housing plan; OR

Otherwise lives in housing that has characteristics associated with instability and an increased risk of homelessness, as identified in the SSVF grantee’s approved screening tool.

Other Program Eligibility Conditions Eligible? ___ YES ___NO ___ Not Applicable

Additional Grantee Eligibility Requirements (must be VA approved)

Stage 1 Disposition

Eligible: Meets ALL Eligibility Requirements Above-Complete Stage 2

Not Eligible: Does Not Meet One or More Eligibility Requirements Above

STAGE 2: TARGETING

Targeting Criteria Circle all

that apply Targeting Criteria

3 Has moved because of economic factors two or more times in the past 60 days

3 Living in a hotel or motel not paid for by charitable organizations or by Federal, State, or local government programs

3 Living with friends or family, on a temporary basis

3 Being discharged from an institution and reintegrating into the community without a stable housing plan

3 History of homelessness as an adult, prior to any homeless episode occurring in the past 60 days

3 Households annual gross income is less than 30% of local Area Median Income for household size

3 Housing loss within 14 days

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3 At least one dependent child under age 6

2 At least one dependent child age 6 – 17

2 Veteran returning from Iraq or Afghanistan

2 Applied for shelter or spent at least one night during the prior 60 days literally homeless (shelter, place not meant for human habitation, transitional housing for homeless persons)

2 Sudden and significant loss of income, including employment and/or cash benefits

2 Housing loss within 21 days

1 Rental and/or utility arrears

Total Points (sum of VA targeting criteria circled points above)

Additional Target Factors/Scoring Established by Grantee (must be VA approved)

Total Points (sum of VA/Grantee points above)

Stage 2 Disposition

Meets Targeting Threshold (threshold must be VA approved)

Does Not Meet Targeting Threshold

SSVF STAFF COMPLETING SCREENING FORM:

First Name (Print) Last Name (Print)

Signature

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Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) Homelessness Prevention

Eligibility Screening Disposition Form Instructions

Persons applying for SSVF homelessness prevention assistance (i.e., category 1 of persons occupying permanent housing) must first be screened for VA eligibility. Eligibility must be documented using the SSVF Eligibility Screening Disposition Form. Forms must be completed by SSVF grantee staff using information obtained from the head of household. Screening disposition forms should be supported by additional assessment and documentation of the eligibility conditions and targeting factors indicated. All screening forms must be signed and dated by the authorized SSVF staff person completing the form. STAGE 1: VA ELIGIBILITY SSVF grantee staff should assess each applicant household according to the eligibility requirements listed below. Applicants must meet all eligibility requirements in order to receive SSVF assistance. SSVF Eligibility Requirements To be eligible for SSVF homelessness prevention assistance, each of the following VA conditions must be met. Note that SSVF grantees may require additional eligibility criteria in addition to the VA criteria listed below. 1. A member of a Veteran family: Applicant households must either be a Veteran or a member of a

family in which the head of household, or the spouse of the head of household, is a Veteran. A Veteran is a person who served in the active military, naval, air service, Merchant Marines, or was activated by Presidential order and served in another state or country while in the National Guard or Reserves, and who was discharged or released wherefrom under conditions other than dishonorable.

2. Very low-income: Household gross annual income does not exceed 50% of area median income based on the income limits most recently published at http://www.huduser.org/portal/datasets/il.html.

3. Imminently at-risk of literal homelessness: Applicant households must (1) be imminently losing

their primary nighttime residence, (2) have no other residence, and (3) not have sufficient resources or support networks, e.g., family, friends, faith-based or other social networks, immediately available to prevent them from becoming literally homeless. To further qualify for services under category 1, the grantee must (4) document that the participant meets at least one of the following conditions:

a) Has moved because of economic reasons two or more times during the 60 days immediately preceding the application for homelessness prevention assistance;

b) Is living in the home of another because of economic hardship; c) Has been notified in writing that their right to occupy their current housing or living

situation will be terminated within 21 days after the date of application for assistance;

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http://www.huduser.org/portal/datasets/il.html�

d) Lives in a hotel or motel and the cost of the hotel or motel stay is not paid by charitable organizations or by Federal, State, or local government programs for low-income individuals;

e) Is exiting a publicly funded institution, or system of care (such as a health-care facility, a mental health facility, or correctional institution) without a stable housing plan;

f) Otherwise lives in housing that has characteristics associated with instability and an increased risk of homelessness, as identified in the recipient’s approved screening tool.

STAGE 2: TARGETING Each grantee may establish priorities for prevention assistance based upon the targeting factors and point system included in the form. Targeting factors have been identified to help further assess risk of literal homelessness and to prioritize the provision of supportive services to those very low-income veteran families most in need. Points have been assigned to factors based on research and practical experience. SSVF grantees may use these targeting criteria to prioritize or limit SSVF services for applicant households who score higher or above a minimum threshold. SSVF targeting criteria and thresholds must be approved by the VA.

SSVF grantees should establish thresholds based upon the number of applicants vs. SSVF resources available. A grantee may establish that the higher the ratio of applicants to capacity, the higher the point threshold. For example, a program that can only accept and assist 10% of the number of eligible households who apply for prevention assistance could set a minimum score of 9 or higher to assign priority, while a program that has capacity to accept and assist 75% of eligible applicants may require only a score of 4.

Additionally, grantees may establish and score other targeting factors with applicants. The Stage 2 scoring sheet includes a row for this purpose. Grantee established factors must be approved by the VA and should be scored using a 1 to 3 scale.

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September 19, 2012

Day Two

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Reviewing the Previous Day

Reinforcing Key PointsReinforcing Key Points

Patti Holland, TAC

Key Points from SSVF: A Housing First Approach

• SSVF is key to preventing and ending homelessness for Veterans– SSVF is a key component in local CoC system and performance– Focus in on persons who are literally homeless or imminently literally

homeless• VA progrfam expected to use “Housing First” approach

– Housing First models focus on addressing housing needs as first priority• Success following Housing First may require us to challenge

assumptions– Everyone is housing ready, programs have to be consumer ready– Housing stabilization is an ongoing challenge and process that continues

beyond SSVF assistance – ending the immediate housing crisis and helping to prevent near-term recurrence is goal (just enough – SSVF not intended to solve poverty!)

• Eligibility Veteran families are experiencing a housing crisis– Crisis response first, then housing stabilization

2

Key Points from Outreach, Targeting & Screening

• Categories 2 and 3 – Homeless Assistance– Meets definition of literally homeless

– Consistent with HUD definition

– “BUT FOR” – household has no other housing options, financial resources or support systems to quickly exit homelessness

• Category 1 – Homeless Prevention– Veteran status, very low income, imminent loss of housing

– “BUT FOR”

– Housing status – must have one factor

– Risk Factors from research – weighted and scored

3

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Key Points from Outreach, Targeting & Screening

• Avoid assumptions not supported by research– High need participants can be successfully housed without

deep services– Rapid Re-Housing is not a Band-Aid– Most people with housing crises would NOT become

homeless• Policies, Procedures, Staff Training and Supervision

must support the program’s Mission• Outreach should use a variety of methods, including

direct contact and soliciting referrals– Be cautious about public advertising for prevention– Have an Outreach Plan that include direct contact and

referrals.

4

Provision of SSVF Temporary Financial Assistance

(TFA)

Jim Yates, TACJim Yates, TACPatti Holland, TAC



Conference Format

• Conference will last approximately 3 hours per day.

• Participants’ phone connections areParticipants phone connections are automatically “muted” due to the high number of callers.

6

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Questions?

Please send any questions that you have

during the webinar to:


7

Presenting Problems

• Individuals and families may become homeless because of a financial crisis that prevents them from being able to pay the rent.

• The financial crisis may be triggered by different i t l f j b d ti fli tcircumstances – loss of job, domestic conflict,

unmanageable medical bills, loss of ability to work…and for severely rent-burdened households paying up to 80% of their income for rent, one episode of bad luck or bad judgment is enough to result in homelessness.

• Too often, providers emphasize the trigger and focus attention on correcting this first– and not the actual and immediate financial crisis. 8

The Goal of Temporary Financial Assistance

• Help the individual or family obtain housing

• Help the individual or family retain housing; or relocate to new housing to prevent become homelessness

• Financial Assistance is temporary– SSVF program assistance is a short term intervention

intended to resolve an immediate housing crisis by rapidly re-housing or preventing imminent homelessness

9

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The Goal of Temporary Financial Assistance

• Providing direct financial assistance should be viewed as a last resort, after exploring the available homeless and mainstream financial assistance and income support resources such as:

Emergency Solution Grant (ESG) program assistance– Emergency Solution Grant (ESG) program assistance

– TANF

– Disability benefits

– Social Security

– Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAPS)

– Other rental assistance programs (HUD affordable housing and homeless programs)

10

Some Critical Decisions that will Shape Your SSVF Program’s TFA services

• Program design, program policies and procedures, staff recruitment, training and supervision….these decisions will guide your staff in providing SSVF services.

• How will you structure your TFA funds?• How will you structure your TFA funds?• How will you prioritize who receives your limited

TFA funds?• How will you determine how much to give each

prioritized eligible household for each allowable expense?

11

Some Decisions Are Already MadeParameters of SSVF TFA

• TFA is not a mandated service – Your application/contract defines your basic program limits

and funding amounts– Grantees may use up to 50% of total grant funds for TFA if

they seek a grant amendment

• TFA is not available for every housing-related need– Allowable expenses are detailed by VA and in VA SSVF

program rules (38 CFR Part 62)

• Limits on the amount and/or duration of eligible TFA expenses are pre-determined

• Grantees must use a minimum of 60% of grant funds for Rapid Re-housing services

12

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Some Decisions Are Already MadeParameters of SSVF TFA

• TFA can be used for:– Rental Assistance– Utility-fee payment assistance– Deposits (Security or Utility)– Moving Costsg– Purchase of Emergency Supplies– Transportation– Childcare

• Timeframes exist for each allowable expense • The SSVF Program Guide is your friend – know

what is allowable and what is not

13

The Challenge of Temporary Financial Assistance

• Providing the right resources in the right amount to the right people at the right point in time for the right amount of time.

• In other words:– Providing the least amount necessary for the shortest

amount of time.

14

Assumption #1 - Need to address the trigger leading to homelessness first , the household

will just wind up back in crisis.

Challenging the Assumption:

• Research supports that financial assistance is more correlated to stabilizing housing than servicesservices.

• Resolving the immediate housing crisis enables people to maintain jobs, comply with doctors’ orders, attend school—and thus they have a greater ability to prevent future housing crises.

15

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Your Program Management Decisions

Policy:• What are your policies regarding providing TFA

vs. non-TFA services-only?

• Does your program emphasize assessingDoes your program emphasize assessing comprehensive personal barriers

or

• Does it have a tightly-focused, Housing First approach?

16

More Program Management Decisions

Procedures:• What structures have you developed to deal with

financial problems that may be due to an inability or disability that prevents a participant y y p p pfrom regularly paying the rent?

• Can you work with participants to reach a mutual agreement around representative payee for SSI or vendor-paid rent (TANF)?

17


Staff Training: • Do your staff have access to recent research on

homeless prevention and rapid re-housing services?

dand • Do they have the chance to talk about how to

apply findings and recommendations to your program?

• Does agency training overemphasize clinical issues?

18

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Supervision:

• Does supervision regularly address each case and how TFA can assist the household to resolve the housing crisis? g

and

• How the Veteran family can be assisted without TFA?

19

Assumption #2– People shouldn’t pay more than 30% of their income towards rent and

shouldn’t complete our program rent-burdened


• Nearly 6 million households with “worst case’ housing needs have incomes that are less than 50% AMI and pay over half of that income towards rent. The vast majority avoid homelessness in any given year (Culhane, D 2011)D. 2011).

• The SSVF program is not intended to accomplish all the housing goals that participants (and staff) would like.– Rapidly preventing or resolving homelessness enables

households to avoid negative outcomes that would prevent them from achieving those future goals. With more stable housing, they can turn their energies to increasing their income, health and education.

20


Policy and Procedures:• How will your program allocate rental assistance to

eligible participants?– Deep subsidy vs. shallow subsidy (vs. some amount in

between)?• How will your TFA design work for persons with little or no• How will your TFA design work for persons with little or no

income?– Income based subsidy?

• What % of the participant’s income should they pay for rent?– Fixed subsidy amount?

• If income increases, the household benefits.– Graduated or declining subsidy amount?

• What if income does not increase in lock-step with rent increases?

– Guard against the “cliff effect” where the household cannot assume rent after TFA ends 21

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Staff Training: • Are existing policies and procedures for use of TFA

reviewed with staff? • Are staff taught how to determine the appropriate

amount of TFA to provide?amount of TFA to provide?

Supervision: • Do staff clearly understand what the parameters of

their role and responsibility is when providing TFA? • How does the supervisor evaluate and access a

staff’s competence in this area?

22

Train staff to analyze their assumptions!

Highestincome$XXXXX

Mediumincome$XXXXX

Lowincome$XXXXX

Highest RentHighest Rent Burden (X%)

Rent: $___ Rent: $___ Rent: $___

Medium Rent Burden(X%)

Rent: $___ Rent: $___ Rent: $___

Lowest Rent Burden(X%)

Rent: $___ Rent: $___ Rent: $___23

The Larssons: Assuming 1 wage-earner

Highest possible income$11/hour FT$22,880

Medium income

$9/hour FT$18,720

Lowest expected income$8/hr, 0.5FTE$8,320

Highest Rent Rent: Rent: Rent:Highest Rent Burden (65%-80%)

Rent: $1235-$1525

Rent: $1015-$1250

Rent: $450-$555

Medium Rent Burden(50%-64%)

Rent: $950-$1220

Rent: $780-$1000

Rent: $350-$445

Lowest Rent Burden(30%-49%)

Rent: $575-$934

Rent: $470-$765

Rent: $208-$340

24

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Plan for Larsson Family

Reasonable Assumption: $9/hour (Medium Income)50% Rent Burden

Rent ~$800

I it it i ibl t fi d d t 1 BR t t fIn your community, it is possible to find a decent 1-BR apartment for $800/month. Family has 3 children under 6.

Reasonable Plan: Second job or higher pay/hour? OR Higher rent burden? OR Less desirable neighborhood so HH can afford apartment with 2 BRs? OR Children sleep in BR + parents sleep on sofa-bed in living room?

25

Assumption #3 – Very low-income households with rental arrears will become homeless

without assistance. It’s our job to assist them!


• Research from NYC found that 56% of “highest-risk” families who were eligible for prevention but did NOT receive it did not enter shelter within 3 years. Among the “lowest-risk” eligible households who did NOT receive prevention, only 1% entered a shelter in the next 3 years. (Shinn & Greer, 2012)

26


Policy and Procedures:• How do your procedures apply the “BUT FOR” question?

– Use of high-risk factors will improve targeting for prevention assistance.

– Providing TFA to those households who would become homeless but for this assistance

• How are the necessary relationships created with community resources to establish a knowledge and referral base?

• How will you assist households to increase income and/or decrease expenses?

• What free/reduced cost resources are available?• Can credit repair services negotiate debt

reduction/repayment?

27

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Staff Training: • Are staff taught the differences between

homelessness prevention and rapid re-housing needs and services?

• Do staff know the expectations of how many h h ld t f h?households to serve for each?

• Are staff taught other strategies to resolve housing crises that do not involve TFA?

Supervision: • Do supervisors support and address the stress staff

feel when having to say no to participants?

28

Assumption #4: The participant’s Housing Stability Plan involves getting a job that pays

substantially more than s/he has in income now.Challenging the Assumption:

• Data from HPRP showed 88% success rate (stable housing) at program exit, even though 70.3% had the same income at exit; 2.7% had less income and only 6 2% h d i6.2% had more income

• Approximately 10-15% of people who rely on public assistance becomes homeless. This means that approximately 85% do not. People can and do live on very low incomes without becoming homeless.

29

Assumption #4: The participant’s Housing Stability Plan involves getting a job that pays

substantially more than s/he has in income now.Challenging the Assumption:

• The Housing Stability Plan must be reasonable. Factor in minor to moderate income increase only if options are truly viable. Otherwise, the Plan must be based upon current income.

• At the same time, staff should assist with increasing income and decreasing expenses by stressing employment and/or assisting participants to attain all benefits for which they may be eligible.

30

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Policy and Procedures: • Does your program have policies and procedures including

systems of ‘checks and balances that balance staff empowerment to make decisions with appropriate oversight?

Whi h t ff ill k d i i di TFA– Which staff will make decisions regarding TFA assistance as part of the Housing Plans? All direct service staff or specialist?

– Who has final approval of TFA amount and duration?• All TFA plans reviewed and/or approved by program

manager?• Certain dollar amount triggers higher level review?

31


Staff Training: • Do you provide training to staff on developing

appropriate TFA plans? • Does training cover how to determine TFA needs

(and not just clinical needs)?(and not just clinical needs)?

Supervision:• Do you use individual supervision as opportunity to

review existing TFA assistance and other options? • Is case consultation available to staff in a timely

way?

32

Designing Your SSVF Program’s TFA Services

• A flexible approach can allow programs to meet each household’s unique circumstances.

• A lack of clear policies and procedures that guide decisions and minimal staff training or supervision will create confusion and anxiety for program staff who are working directly with participants. – It will also result in inconsistency and a lack of

transparency.– Answer the questions Who/What/How Much/How

Long

33

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Considerations When Designing Your SSVF Program’s TFA Services

• How will your program prioritize which participants receive TFA?– First-come-first served until all the funds are used?

– Certain # receiving RRH services and certain number receiving Prevention services?

– How will you determine if/when to deny TFA to a participant?

34


• How will your program determine type, amount and duration?– All allowable expenses will be provided if needed?

• Only certain allowable expenses with referrals to community resources for additional assistance?co u y esou ces o add o a ass s a ce

– Amount per household?• Same amount for all eligible households? Any caps on

amounts for Prevention vs. Rapid Re-housing assistance?

– How long will each household receive TFA?• For the maximum allowable for each expense?• Different for each household based on resources and

circumstances? If so, how will you calculate this?35


• It is important to think through with your SSVF Program team the previous questions in light of:– What you proposed to do in your application?

• Number of households to serve for RRH and Prevention

• Amount of contracted funds to be used for TFAAmount of contracted funds to be used for TFA

– Who your SSVF program targets?• E.g. if you will target a certain % with incomes below 30% AMI,

will they need more TFA than other participants you serve?

– What has your experience has taught you from administering an HPRP program?

– What other resources are in your community that you can connect and partner with so you do not have to “do it all”?

36

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Reflect/Discuss in Your Program

• What housing crisis situations may not require financial assistance to resolve?– What are some strategies for resolving a housing crisis

other than financial assistance?

• When the only service that seems necessary is one y ytime financial assistance, is there anything else the SSVF program staff should do (other than cut a check)?

• What are some ways to teach staff how to determine the “right resources in the right amount to the right people at the right point in time for the right amount of time”?

37

Time for a Break!



38

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Provision of SSVF Non-Financial Supportive Services


Patti Holland, TAC

First of All…What is the SSVF Program Intent?

“Enhance the housing stability of very low-income Veteran families…”

“The aim of the provision of supportive services is to rapidly transition to stable housing very low-incomerapidly transition to stable housing very low-income Veteran families….”

“The SSVF Program is not intended to provide long-term support for participants, nor will it be able to address all of the financial and supportive service needs of participants that affect housing stability.”

2

Some Decisions are Already Made:

Required SSVF non-financial services (statutory requirements)

C M t• Case Management• Assistance in obtaining VA Benefits

• Assistance in obtaining and coordinating other public benefits

3

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Your Application/Contract Defines Other Non-Financial Service Decisions

• The services you will directly provide

• Referral resources you will use in the community

• Other specific service design decisions

BUT you still have to decide how to manage your program’s distribution of services, based on: best practice, your target population, your agency’s structure/traditions.

4

What Will Guide Those Decisions?

• Unconscious assumptions– Beware of unconscious assumptions about why people

become homeless and how to resolve their crisis – Think about the lens of staff, management, Board of

Directors and other fundersDirectors and other funders

• Explicit Assumptions– Develop explicit assumptions and use those to guide

program design, implementation, management and evaluation. Otherwise, those more unconscious assumptions will affect every aspect of your program.

5

Assumption #1: The most important goal is long-term housing stability

Challenging the Assumption:• SSVF is intended to rapidly resolve a housing crisis:

homelessness or imminent homelessness.

• Crisis resolution seeks a return to pre-crisis function. Improvements beyond this are desirable but not the core mission of the program.

• SSVF does not measure long-term stability. Funding renewal decisions are not based upon long-term housing stability outcomes for participants.

6

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Policy:• What is your approach to rapidly transitioning a

participant from housing crisis to stability?

• What services will you provide vs. refer?What services will you provide vs. refer?

• What are the expected timelines for re-housing?

• When is a housing crisis considered resolved?

• How do you decide when to close a case?

7


Procedures:• What roles and activities will staff perform to

accomplish this?

• What tools will staff need to consistentlyWhat tools will staff need to consistently implement your SSVF non-financial services?

• What documentation and monitoring processes will you use to assure quality, effectiveness and efficiency?

8


Staff Training: • What skills do your staff need to be able to

rapidly resolve housing crises?

• How will you “ground” staff practice with relevantHow will you ground staff practice with relevant research?

• How can you use people who are formerly homeless to train staff on engagement, assessing barriers, client-driven planning, etc?

9

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Staff Supervision: • How can supervisors help staff by consulting on

crisis intervention and case closing decisions?

• How will your staff model, coach, observe andHow will your staff model, coach, observe and evaluate staff service delivery?

• In what ways can staff learn from and teach each other?

10

Assumption #2: Long-term housing stability is not possible without addressing comprehensive unmet

needs, especially core issues like disability

Challenging the Assumption:• The core cause of homelessness is poverty and a

shortage of affordable housing. (NAEH)

• There is a shortfall of at least 5.1 million units affordable to households at the lowest income level. Among existing affordable units, as many as 40% are rented by households with higher incomes. (State of the Nation’s Housing, 2012)

• Among households in the lowest income groups, 68% pay over half their income on rent. (State of the Nation’s Housing, 2012)

11

Assumption #2: Long-term housing stability is not possible without addressing comprehensive unmet needs, especially core issues like disability (cont)

• People in this country who are living with disabilities are 200-300% more likely to live in poverty (the income disparity is greater in the U.S. than in many other Western nations with a different social policy approach). Thus, disabled people are more over-represented , p p pamong the poor than all ethnic/racial minorities combined and more over-represented than single parents. (Half in Ten)

• People with a mental illness lose their housing for the same reasons as people without a mental illness: most often an inability to pay the rent. (Mojtabai, 2005)

12

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Policy: • What is your program’s emphasis on poverty vs.

disability or other “clinical” issues? • How are they reflected in your service design?•Procedures: • How does your Housing Stability Plan format

and process address ‘needs’ vs. participant choice?

• Financial vs. treatment-related assistance?

13


Staff Training: • How will staff know when personal issues are

primary, vs. secondary vs. mostly irrelevant?

• In what ways does your staff training incorporateIn what ways does your staff training incorporate the perspectives of formerly homeless people—with and without disabilities?

• In what ways does your training include the perspectives of landlords?

• How will staff teach tenancy skills?

14


Supervision:• Will supervisors consult with staff on identifying

the primary factors causing the housing crisis?

• How will supervision use case examples,How will supervision use case examples, readings, observation/shadowing, file reviews, etc. to teach, coach and monitor staff’s Housing Plans ?

15

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Assumption #3: People can make the life changes they need if they are motivated

Challenging the Assumption:• Neurologically, we are programmed for

homeostasis, not change.

• Attempting multiple, simultaneous, significant b h i h l d t i d f ilbehavior changes leads to increased failure.

• Factors associated with more difficulty making changes: people without a history of success and rewards, genetics, stress levels, social reinforcements for the unwanted behavior.

• Change is a muscle: life change is more likely if the changes are small, sequential, and successful

16


Policy:• Does your program take an intentional, highly-

focused Housing First approach to client Housing Plans?

OOr • Do you have a holistic, comprehensive approach

to goal-setting? • Are staff required to set goals in a series of life

domains that may or may not be related to stabilizing the presenting crisis?

17


Procedures:• Does the format and procedure for creating a

Housing Stability Plan reflect prioritizing and sequencing of participant goals and action q g p p gsteps?

Or

• Are participants supposed to be simultaneously establishing new behavior patterns?

18

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Staff Training: • Are staff taught about the complexity of

changing ingrained behaviors and which approaches are most likely to be successful for a pp yspecific person?

Supervision: • Does supervision regularly assess the

complexity/feasibility of the Housing Stability Plans developed by staff?

19

Case Management

• Assessment– Assessing the crisis situation and the household’s ability to resolve it. What can they do? What are they unable to do without assistance?

• Reasonable Plan—Assisting the household to develop their plan, based upon their situation, skills and choices.

20

Case Management (cont.)

• Referral for Resources—Helping the household access the financial and non-financial services they need to retain or obtain housing. “Warm hand-off”

• Education—Teaching information and skills that will empower the household to achieve and maintain longer-term housing stability.

21

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Assistance in Obtaining VA Benefits

• Income supplements: VA pensions, disability benefits (application and, sometimes, request for review of the existing level of benefits)

• Medical services—VA Medical Centers and outpatient clinics

• Employment and training programs.

• CD and MH treatment , outpatient care and follow-up

• VBA gives priority to homeless Veterans!

22

Assistance in Obtaining and Coordinating Other Public Benefits

The Grantee may refer to a wide range of resources—or may directly provide the following:

• Personal financial planning

• Transportation services

• Income support servicesIncome support services

• Fiduciary and representative payee services

• Legal services

• Child care

• Housing counseling—housing search assistance, rental and rent subsidy programs, Fair Housing, landlord-tenant laws, lease terms, rent delinquency, and resolution or prevention of mortgage delinquency.

23

Do Your Program’s Non-Financial Services:

• Focus on housing– Resolving the immediate crisis– Getting and keeping housing

F l dl d d t t t• Focus on landlord and tenant supports– Recruitment and retention of landlords– Lease compliance, care of the unit, and the social

expectations of renting for tenants

• Focus on Participant Choice – Voluntary services

24

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Housing-Focused Services

Include:• Hands-on teaching, coaching, demonstrating

tenancy skills (everything from understanding the lease to plunging a stopped-up toilet)

• Teaching coaching role-playing the “social• Teaching, coaching, role-playing the social expectations” of renting (managing noise, garbage/trash, visitors, children, etc.)

• Ability to pay the rent: decrease expenses; obtain benefits or subsidies; free or reduced cost goods and services; increase income; relocate to less costly housing; utilize a budget.

25

Landlord-Focused Supports

• Recruit landlords: outreach, incentives, references from other landlords

• Retain landlords: communication, promises made and kept, rapid response to problemsp p p p

• Negotiate with landlords for more difficult-to-house tenants

• Negotiate on behalf of tenants when necessary for rent reductions, delayed rent payment, repairs, complaints, etc.

26

Tenancy Supports

• Home Visits – to provide support, observe red flags, take advantage of teachable moments

• Model, coach and rehearse communication skills: requesting repairs, making a complaint, asking for a

t t i di t l i t d lrent extension, responding to complaints and lease violation notices.

• Explain the lease—plain language about the rules and penalties.

• Protecting the rent money; building and protecting an emergency reserve savings account.

27

Page | 76

Discussion

• When is mental illness a “core” cause of a housing crisis? How do you know?

• When might a Housing Stability Plan include g g yTemporary Financial Assistance but no referrals for additional non-financial assistance?

• How long does it usually take to resolve the immediate housing crisis? What is the focus of assistance after the crisis is resolved?

28

Thank You for Your Participation!We’ll begin tomorrow at 12:00pm ET/

11:00 am CT/ 10:00 am MT/ 9:00 am PT

The Powerpoints will be posted on

VA’s SSVF Website:

www va gov/homeless/ssvf aspwww.va.gov/homeless/ssvf.asp

Please send any questions

regarding the materials covered to:

Kyia Watkins

[email protected]

Page | 77


September 20, 2012

Day Three

Page | 78

Reviewing the Previous Day

Reinforcing Key PointsReinforcing Key Points

Patti Holland, TAC

Key Points:Provision of Financial Assistance

• The Goal of TFA is to help the individual or family obtain housing; retain housing; or relocate to new housing.

• Financial Assistance is TEMPORARY– Intended as a short term intervention to resolve immediate housing crisis by

rapidly re-housing or preventing imminent homelessness• TFA is allowable for certain expenses and each have restrictions

– Rental Assistance; Utility-fee payment; Deposits Moving Costs; Purchase of ; y p y ; p g ;emergency supplies; Transportation; and Childcare

• There are restriction for use of TFA – specific timeframes• Importance of providing “Just Enough”

– Right resources in the right amount to the right people at the point in time for the right amount of time’

– Program policies & procedures structure the design of your program’s TFA services; staff training and supervision support the implementation of TFA services

• “BUT FOR” this assistance the household would become literally homeless

2

Key Points:Provision of Non-Financial Services

• SSVF Requirement:– Case Management – including the assessment and reasonable

plan– Assistance in obtaining VA Benefits– Assistance in obtaining and coordinating other public benefits,

on a voluntary basis

H d i d i l t b• How you design and implement your program may be influenced by the unconscious assumptions that are not supported by research– The SSVF program does not focus on long-term housing stability

– it’s primarily a crisis intervention model– Housing stability does not depend upon addressing “core issues”

such as disability– Motivation is not sufficient in order to make life changes,

particularly multiple of significant changes

3

Page | 79

Key Points:Provision of Non-Financial Services

• As you develop or refine your program, all programs will have to address the following:– Are policies consistent with VA requirements, your contract with VA and

your philosophy?– Do procedures clearly explain to staff how to implement these policies –

who does what?– Do you train your staff to understand and follow policies and procedures,

along with the skills they need for their interactions with participants?along with the skills they need for their interactions with participants?– Does supervision assure that staff are effective in doing their job?

• Non-Financial services should focus on:– Housing – resolving an immediate crisis that risks health/safety and

assistance to obtain/retain housing– Landlords and tenant supports – recruitment and retention of landlords; in

vivo assistance with getting/keeping housing (compliance with lease, social expectations of renting, etc.)

– Focus on participant choice – all referrals are voluntary; participants do not have to commit to treatment as a condition of assistance

4

Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) Data

Data Management Requirements: HMIS and VA RepositoryHMIS and VA Repository

Molly McEvilley, Abt Associates

Matt White, Abt Associates



Conference Format

• Conference will last approximately 3 hours per day.

• Participants’ phone connections areParticipants phone connections are automatically “muted” due to the high number of callers.

6

Page | 80

Questions?

Please send any questions that you have

during the webinar to:


7

Session Topics

• HMIS & data collection requirements for SSVF

• The role of HMIS and the VA Repository in managing SSVF datamanaging SSVF data

• Tools and resources for grantees

8

What is HMIS?

• A Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) is a community-based software application that collects and reports on client-level information about the characteristics and needs of people who are served by programs intended to prevent and end homelessness

Reference: HMIS Training Manual

9

Page | 81

Homelessness Data Before HMIS

• Estimates of the numbers of homeless people locally, regionally, and nationally varied widely

• Programs filed paper reports with counts of people served, often based on paper records p p p p

• Communities conducted point-in-time counts but there was no way to get an unduplicated count of people at the community level over time

• There was no reliable way to assess the effectiveness of homeless programs

10

The Beginning of HMIS

• The FY 2001 HUD Appropriations Act required HUD to take the lead in working with communities to collect “an array of data on homelessness in order to prevent duplicate counting of homeless persons, and to analyze their patterns of use of assistance, including how they enter and exit the homeless assistance system and the effectiveness of the systems.”

11

Goals of HMIS

• Produce an unduplicated count of homeless persons for each Continuum of Care

• Help understand the extent and nature of• Help understand the extent and nature of homelessness locally, regionally, and nationally

• Understand patterns of service use

• Measure the effectiveness of programs

12

Page | 82

VA Participation in HMIS

• The utility of HMIS data at the local level depends on participation by all programs that serve people who are homeless and at risk of homelessness, regardless of funding source

• VA is committed to grantee participation in HMIS to support community-based service planning and coordination for Veterans who are homeless and at risk of homelessness

13

SSVF and HMIS

• SSVF programs are required to participate in their local HMIS– Grantees operating within the jurisdictions of multiple

HMIS implementations will participate in multiple HMIS i l t tiHMIS implementations

• If you have not already begun working with your local HMIS to get your SSVF program set up, you should do this immediately

• Technical assistance is available to your program, your HMIS, and the HMIS vendor

14

Local HMIS Requirements

• SSVF programs are participating in local HMIS implementations

• A local HMIS may have additional requirements

• Communicate with your local HMIS administratorCommunicate with your local HMIS administrator to be sure that you understand local requirements

• If local requirements conflict with SSVF program requirements, contact your regional coordinator to seek technical assistance

15

Page | 83

Data Flow

• SSVF grantees enter program data into local HMIS application

• Every month, SSVF data is exported from HMIS

HMIS 2

HMIS 1

is exported from HMIS and uploaded to VA Repository

• National-level reporting is generated based on uploaded data

16

VA Repository

HMIS 3

Data Collected in HMIS

• Who are your clients?• When did you serve them?• What are their characteristics?• What are their circumstances at the time they enter your

program?program?• Do they have any special needs?• What services are you providing?• Did their circumstances change while in your program?

Reference: SSVF Data Collection Template, 2010 Revised HMIS Data Standards

17

Who Are Your Clients?

100% of your records in HMIS must include:

• Name

• Social Security number

• Date of birth

18

Page | 84

When Did You Serve Them?

These data elements are required:

• Program entry date

• Program exit date

• Dates on service records

19

What Are Their Characteristics?

Required for each client record:

• Race

• Ethnicity

• Gender

Required for each program entry

• Veteran status (adults only)

• Disabling condition

20

What Are Their Circumstances When They Enter Your Program?

Required at each program entry:

• Residence prior to program entry (adults only)

ZIP d f l t t dd• ZIP code of last permanent address (adults only)

• Housing status

• Income and sources

• Non-cash benefits21

Page | 85

Do They Have Any Special Needs?

These data elements are optional:• Physical Disability• Developmental Disability• Chronic Health Condition• Chronic Health Condition• HIV / AIDS*• Mental Health• Substance Abuse*• Domestic Violence

22

Special Issues for Special Needs

• Information about specific disabilities is collected as clients enter the program, at least once per year while they are enrolled, and at program exit

• If you collect data related to HIV/AIDS or ysubstance abuse for SSVF and enter it into HMIS, that data may not be shared with other organizations

• If your HMIS doesn’t allow keeping HIV/AIDS and substance abuse data private, don’t enter it into HMIS

23

What Services Are You Providing?

These data elements are required for each service provided when it is provided:

• Financial Assistance Provided

H i R l ti & St bili ti• Housing Relocation & Stabilization Services Provided

This data element is optional:

• Services Provided24

Page | 86

Did Their Circumstances Change While In Your Program?

These data elements are required at program exit:

• Destination

H i t t• Housing status

• Income and sources*

• Non-cash benefits*

25

*Also collected at least once annually for clients who are in your program for more than one year

Goals of SSVF Data Collection

• Produce an unduplicated count of Veterans and household members served by the SSVF program nationally

• Understand the characteristics of Veterans who are homeless or at risk of homelessness

• Identify which other VA-funded services SSVF clients may be accessing

• Measure the effectiveness of the SSVF program

26

The VA Repository

The Repository is a secure web-based application. It’s primary functions are to• Process uploads of HMIS data from SSVF

granteesV if th t l d d d t t VA d t l d• Verify that uploaded data meet VA data upload and integration specifications

• Integrate all SSVF client-level data into a single database

• Provide national-level reporting on the SSVF program

27

Page | 87

SSVF Data in Context

Your SSVF

28

NationalSSVF Program

Local Continuum

of Care

Program

Client

SSVF Data Requirements

• You must ask for every required data element for every client– Household members are clients

• You must enter the data into HMIS accuratelyy

• You must make every effort to enter and update client records in HMIS within 24 hours of data collection

• You must make sure that your data is exported from HMIS and uploaded to the VA’s Repository every month

29

HMIS Data Exchange Formats

• HUD has published standards to enable the exchange of HMIS data among databases in two different formats:o CSV (Comma-Separated Values) o XML (eXtensible Markup Language)o XML (eXtensible Markup Language)

• The Repository will accept HMIS XML 3.0 or HMIS CSV 3.02 (although CSV is preferred)

Reference: Repository Data Upload and Integration Specifications

30

Page | 88

Repository Timeline

• The Repository is open for uploads on the first five business days of every month

• All Repository users will receive an email notification when the Repository opens p y p

• All Repository users for programs that haven’t completed the upload will receive a reminder on the last day of the upload cycle

31

Setting Up Repository Accounts

• Check with your HMIS administrator – s/he may be able to export and upload data for you

• You should have at least two people – a primary and a backup – who can export and upload data p p pfor your program

• The VA HMIS technical assistance team will contact you about the local HMIS application, how to set up Repository accounts, and to answer any questions you have about HMIS

32

Repository Upload Process

• SSVF data is exported from HMIS in either XML or CSV format

• The exported files are packaged in a zip file• The person doing the upload logs into the

R it d l d th i filRepository and uploads the zip file• The Repository provides feedback on success of

upload– For CSV uploads, feedback occurs immediately– For XML uploads, feedback will occur after

Repository staff process the data set

33

Page | 89

All SSVF Data Every Time

34

Zipping Your Files

• Zip only the CSV files or the XML file

35

• Don’t zip the folder the files are in or the processor will not be able to find your files

Logging In to the Repository

http://www.hmisrepository.va.gov

36

Page | 90

Uploading Your Data

• Select ‘Upload CSV’ or ‘Upload XML’ from the User Options menu

37

File Validation

• Data collection and HMIS data entry is mandatory for SSVF granteeso If too many client records are missing critical data

elements, the data set will be rejected by the R itRepository

• In order for the Repository to process the data set, the export must be compliant with HUD’s XML or CSV standards o If the export is not compliant, the data set will be

rejected by the Repository

38

File Validation Report

39

Page | 91

Rejected Data Sets

• Most SSVF programs successfully upload data without receiving any data quality alerts

• If a data set is rejected because of missing data, SSVF program staff will have to update client p g precords in HMIS – not in the exported files

• Once corrections / updates are made, try the export and upload again• Try uploading before the last day of the upload cycle

so that you have time to correct errors

40

Identifying Records with Missing Data

• Most HMIS applications have data quality reports that can help identify records with missing data

• Exported CSV files open in Excel and every record has a Personal Identification Number that uniquely identifies a clientidentifies a client

• If your HMIS exports XML, you may be able to use the XML->CSV Parsing Tool

• Ask for help if you are having trouble identifying problem records

• Reference: SSVF Data Quality Policy & Thresholds

41

Don’t Know and Refused

• ‘Don’t Know’ means that you asked and the client does not know the answer

• ‘Refused’ means that you asked for information and the client would not provide itp

• These are options for many data elements in HMIS systems – that does not mean that they are useful data

• If your data has too many ‘Don’t Know’ and ‘Refused’ responses, it will be rejected

42

Page | 92

Repository Technical Support

• You can reset your password with the ‘I Forgot My Password’ link on the login page

• TA staff are available during normal business hours (Eastern time zone) to help resolve other issuesissues– The last day of the upload cycle is very busy – there

is a better chance of resolving any problems you might encounter if you upload early

• Contact information for TA staff is available by clicking the ‘Support’ link on the Repository home page

43

Time for a Break!



44

Page | 93

Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) Data

Establishing a Data Management Strategy:

Roles, Responsibilities, and Implementation

Kelli Barker, Abt Associates

Matt White, Abt Associates

Quick Review:SSVF Eligible Activities

• Required Supportive Services:– outreach services;– case management services;– assistance in obtaining VA benefits; and

b h bl b f– assistance in obtaining other public benefits

• Optional Financial Assistance to 3rd Parties:– Rent Assistance ‐‐ Rent Deposit– Utility‐Fee Payments ‐‐ Utility Deposit– Emergency Supplies ‐‐Moving Costs– Child care ‐‐ Transportation

SSVF Activity → HMIS Data Element

SSVFSupportive Services:

HMIS Data Element:

Outreach Services Outreach and engagement

Case Management ServicesCase management

Assistance Obtaining VA Benefits

Assistance Obtaining Other Public Benefits

Page | 94

SSVF Activity → HMIS Data Element

SSVF Financial Assistance: HMIS Data Element:

Rent Rental assistance

Rent security deposit Security deposit

Utility‐fee payment Utility depositUtility fee payment Utility deposit

Utility payment

Moving expenses Moving cost assistance

Emergency Supplies

Child Care

Transportation

Preferred: Customization to 4.13, Financial Assistance

Optional: Tracked without specific financial amounts in 4.15H, Services Provided or in a separate non‐HMIS system

Session Topics

• Roles of SSVF grantees, HMIS administrators, HMIS software solution providers and CoC management

• Data quality thresholds and the process of q y pestablishing data quality improvement procedures

• How to initiate planning and setup SSVF in HMIS

• Basic steps and sequencing for implementation

5

HMIS System Administrator

Each HMIS implementation designates a system administrator to provide day-to-day management and support to the HMIS project• Program set up guidance• Training and technical assistance support• Oversight and monitoring of HMIS operations• Management of HMIS documentation,

including client consent, privacy and security practices, and other policy and procedures

6

Page | 95

HMIS System Administrator

Contact your local System Administrator to identify the locally specific HMIS participation requirements:• Training, certifications, fees, participation

standards, monitoring expectations• Assistance with monthly data uploads to the

VA Repository• Local system administrators are likely to be

your initial resource for TA and support

7

HMIS Software Solution Provider

• Software solution provider is the entity that created and/or services the software your HMIS uses

• There are many different software solution yproviders. Each may play a slightly different role in each community

• Solution providers often release general product use documentation that may be very helpful for SSVF program staff.

8

CoC Staff

The CoC addresses homelessness for a defined geographic region through coordinated planning, funding, and management of homeless assistance resources• Coordinates system of housing and services to• Coordinates system of housing and services to

address homeless needs• Designates a HMIS to track the extent of

homelessness and measure program effectiveness

• Establishes strategic plan for the CoC

9

Page | 96

CoC Staff

CoC may operate the HMIS or may designate/authorize a HMIS lead agency to perform the following: Establish HMIS participation guidelines and

expectationsexpectations Establish privacy protections for client data entered

into HMIS Establish security protections to create safe and

secure HMIS operating environments Monitor and enforce compliance with participation

requirements

10

Grantee Roles and Responsibilities:

• The SSVF Grantee is responsible for all activity associated with agency staff and use of the HMIS– CoC Participation

– HMIS Participation and Governance Compliance

– Privacy and Security Compliance

– HMIS Policy and Procedure Compliance

– Data Quality Compliance

– Community Planning/Use of Data

11


• CoC Participation– Attend/Participate regularly in CoC meetings and

workgroups– Represent Veteran population in planning process– Improve coordination with other service providers– Improve coordination with other service providers– Increase awareness of homeless Veteran needs– Identify additional resources for homeless Veterans

• HMIS Participation and Governance Compliance– HMIS Agency Participation Agreement– HMIS End user Agreements– Client Consent

12

Page | 97


• Privacy and Security Compliance– Know HMIS Privacy and Security requirements– Communicate HMIS Privacy and Security requirements to

data custodians and system users– Regularly monitor for compliance

• HMIS Policy and Procedure Compliance– Establish business controls and practices to ensure

compliance to HMIS policies– Communicate HMIS policy and procedure requirements to

data custodians and system users– Monitor compliance and periodically review business

controls and practices for effectiveness

13


• Data Quality Compliance– Know Data Quality expectations for timeliness,

completeness, and accuracy

– Communicate Data Quality expectations to end users

– Monitor for compliance

• Community Planning/ Use of Data– Provide quality data for community planning

– Actively participate in planning process

– Provide data on program characteristics (Program Descriptors) for HMIS and CoC program inventory and reporting purposes

14

What Is Data Quality?

• Data Quality indicators– Timeliness

– Completeness

– Accuracy

• Data Quality processes– Monitoring

– Incentives and enforcement

Page | 98

Data Quality Requirements

• Data collection and HMIS data entry is mandatory for SSVF Grantees

• Data is uploaded to the VA SSVF Repository during the first 5 business days of each monthg y

• Uploads are rejected if data quality is below thresholds

Reference: Data Quality Policy and Thresholds

16

Data Quality Benefits

• Ensures target population is being served and services are being tracked

• Enables grant activity monitoring and performance measurementp

• Informs program planning and potential for mid-course corrections or adjustments

*Note: Data provided to VA is cumulative – ‘bad data’ does not go away until it is corrected in the HMIS

17

Data Quality Monitoring

• There are two levels of data quality thresholds for SSVF data: Notify and Reject.

• At the Notify level, users are alerted to potential data quality issues, but the Repository will accept the upload.the upload. – For example, if any client record is missing a last name,

the user will be notified.

• Grantees are strongly encouraged to correct issues at the Notify level. Even if the Repository does not reject your upload, missing data at these levels is a problem.

18

Page | 99

Data Quality Monitoring

• At the Reject level, the Repository will reject the uploaded data set– For example, if more than 10% of client records are

missing a last name, the upload will be rejected

• Thresholds are currently set very high for the Reject level; if you are complying with the terms of your grant and making an effort to collect and enter data, you will have no problem submitting your data

19

Identifying and Correcting Errors

• If your data is rejected, update the records in HMIS to correct missing data– If you do not have the resources to identify which records

are missing data, technical assistance is available

• Once issues are resolved in HMIS a new export file• Once issues are resolved in HMIS, a new export file should be created and uploaded to the Repository

• Resolving issues may take some time – upload to the Repository as early as possible each month to allow extra time to make corrections and resubmit data

20

Planning and HMIS Set-up

• SSVF grantees should be contacting the CoC(s) and HMIS staff now– Negotiate and execute agreements– Start HMIS training, including data collection and privacy

and security training – Work with HMIS staff for data entry needs

• Consider that the SSVF Grant may cover multiple CoC jurisdictions. Where will data be entered?

• Will subgrantees enter data directly into HMIS?• Request individual logon and passwords for all

Repository users, including back-up staff.

Page | 100

Planning and HMIS Set-up

• Establish and test data collection workflow and tools

• Determine HMIS reporting capabilities• Determine who will upload data to the VA

R itRepository:• Preferred method: HMIS Administrator will upload• Alternative: Grantee will manage the upload process• Caution: The Grantee is ultimately responsible for

complete, accurate and timely uploads to the Repository – even if the HMIS Lead Agency agrees to manage the upload process!

Basic Steps and Sequencing for Implementation

• Set-up– Develop intake forms that capture required VA SSVF

information

– Develop the SSVF workflow

– Establish data collection and entry policies and procedures

– Train staff

23


• Set-up– Establish management and end user accountability

for data accuracy, timeliness and completeness

– Train SSVF staff to consistently collect and record all i d i f ti li i / d drequired information per policies/procedures and

workflow

– Test data entry using HMIS training database

– Confirm that HMIS can produce all information needed for monthly and quarterly VA reporting

24

Page | 101


• Data Collection and Entry– Supervise client data collection and entry

– Include regular data monitoring as part of the data collection and entry process to assure that i f ti i ti l l t d tinformation is timely, complete and accurate

– Provide feedback and additional training, as necessary, to data entry staff

25


• Before Exporting Data From HMIS– Confirm that all information for the calendar month

has been entered into HMIS

– Use any available data quality tools to check for i i d t i t th d f hmissing or erroneous data prior to the end of each

month and update records in HMIS

26


• Upload to the Repository– Make sure that your data is uploaded to the

Repository BEFORE the last day of the upload cycle (the fifth business day of the month)

If d t i j t d t d b it d t t– If data is rejected, correct errors and resubmit data to the Repository

– Data may be resubmitted at anytime during the five day window – only the most recent successful upload will be stored in the Repository

27

Page | 102

Other Resources

• SSVF Data Collection Guide – October 2011www.va.gov/HOMELESS/docs/SSVF_Data_Collection_Guide.pdf

• SSVF Grantee Resourceswww.va.gov/homeless/ssvf_grantee_resources.asp

• HUD Homelessness Resource Exchange:www.HUDHRE.info

• 2010 HMIS Data Standardshttp://www.hudhre.info/documents/FinalHMISDataStandards_March2010.pdf

• VA Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) Training Manual

• HMIS Data Quality Toolkit http://www.hudhre.info/documents/HUDDataQualityToolkit.pdf

28

Time for a Break!



29

Page | 103

1

SSVF Data Quality Policy and Thresholds

SSVF Data Quality Policy Purpose: To ensure collection of comprehensive and accurate data from beneficiaries of the VA’s SSVF program. Policy: It is the policy of the VA to require that all SSVF grantees collect and manage beneficiary data in HMIS and maintain a level of data completeness and quality that successfully meets a tiered system defined as follows:

Tier 1: Data must be 100% accurate and complete. Missing data, “Don’t Know”, and “Refused” responses are not allowable. Tier 2: Data must be 90% accurate and complete. Missing data, “Don’t Know”, and “Refused” responses do not count toward the 90% threshold goal. Tier 3: Data are important but will not be monitored for completeness or accuracy.

SSVF Data Quality Thresholds SSVF Data Field Repository upload will be rejected for… Tier First name Any missing values 1 Last name Any missing values 1 Social Security number* Any missing values* 1 SSN data quality* Any missing/ don’t know / refused responses* 1 Date of birth Any missing values 1 Date of birth quality Any missing / don’t know / refused responses 1 Veteran status Any missing / don’t know / refused responses for

adults 1

Personal identification number** Any missing values 1 Household identification number** Any missing values 1 Program entry date Any missing values 1 Program exit date Any program exit date that is earlier than the program

entry date 1

Race >=10% missing / don’t know / refused responses 2 Ethnicity >=10% missing / don’t know / refused responses 2 Gender >=10% missing / don’t know / refused responses 2 Disabling condition >=10% missing / don’t know / refused responses 2 Residence prior to program entry >=10% missing / don’t know / refused responses for

adults 2

Length of stay in previous place >=10% missing / don’t~ know / refused responses for adults

2

Housing status (at entry) >=10% missing / don’t know / refused responses 2 Housing status (at exit) >=10% missing / don’t know / refused responses for

records with a Program Exit Dates 2

Destination >=10% missing / don’t know / refused responses for 2

Page | 104

2

records with a Program Exit Date Income received from any source in past 30 days (at entry)

Any missing / don’t know / refused responses for adults >=10% missing data

1

Income received from any source in past 30 days (at exit)

Any missing / don’t know / refused responses for adults with a Program Exit Date >=10% missing data

1

Total monthly income Non-numeric data in field 3 Non-cash benefit received from any source in past 30 days (at entry)

>=10% missing data / don’t know / refused 2

Non-cash benefit received from any source in past 30 days (at exit)

>=10% missing data / don’t know / refused 2

ZIP code of last permanent address Non-numeric data in field 3 ZIP code type 3 Financial Assistance Provided 3 Housing Relocation and Stabilization Services Provided

3

*Grantees must make prior arrangement with TA staff if upload will include a record for any individual who legitimately does not have a Social Security number.

**These identification numbers are assigned automatically by the HMIS application and may not be under the control of the grantee.

Page | 105

VA Homeless Management

Information System (HMIS)

VA Repository Data Upload and Integration

Specifications

Contract # GS-10F-0086K

September 2012

Prepared for: Department of Veterans

Affairs Technology Acquisition Center

260 Industrial Way West Eatontown, New Jersey 07724

Submitted by: Abt Associates Inc.

4550 Montgomery Avenue Suite 800 North

Bethesda, MD 20814-3343

Page | 106

VA HMIS Data Upload and Integration Specifications Contract # GS-10F-0086K

Revision History

DATE VERSION DESCRIPTION AUTHOR 6/27/2011 DRAFT Draft of SSVF Data Upload and

Integration Specifications Abt Associates Inc.

7/13/2011 1.0 Added page numbers, corrected data validation for ZIPCode (p.6).

Abt Associates Inc.

8/25/2011 1.1 Added definition of adult (p. 6). Abt Associates Inc.

9/13/2011 1.2 Correct Value in ServiceCode for Childcare where Value in ServiceEventType = 1.

Abt Associates Inc.

10/26/2011 1.3 Clarify explanation of threshold levels and document that they are subject to change (p. 3); specify that error checking for ExitDate in ProgramParticipation.csv should only occur if date is present (p.6).

Abt Associates Inc.

2/9/2012 1.4 Change request; modify validation criteria to accommodate some common irregularities in field length.

Abt Associates Inc.

2/15/2012 1.41 Change request to address one additional common irregularity in field length.

Abt Associates Inc.

8/6/2012 1.42 Increase field size for household identifier and adjust criteria for ServiceEventType and ServiceCode.. Clarification of field length for SourceOther in IncomeBenefits.csv.

Abt Associates Inc.

9/12/2012 1.43 Update to thresholds for second grant year.

Abt Associates Inc.

Page | 107


Abt Associates Inc. Contents ▌pg. i

Table of Contents

1. Overview .................................................................................................................................. 1-1

2. Data Upload Format ............................................................................................................... 2-2

2.1 HUD HMIS CSV Format ............................................................................................... 2-2

2.1.1 Data Integration Criteria ................................................................................... 2-2

2.1.2 File Names ........................................................................................................ 2-3

2.1.3 Data Structure ................................................................................................... 2-3

2.1.4 Field Names ...................................................................................................... 2-3

2.1.5 Data Types ........................................................................................................ 2-3

2.1.6 Required Fields (Allow Null = “N”) ................................................................ 2-3

2.1.7 Data Quality ...................................................................................................... 2-4

2.1.8 CSV Files .......................................................................................................... 2-4

2.1.9 AgencyProgram.csv .......................................................................................... 2-5

2.1.10 Client.csv .......................................................................................................... 2-6

2.1.11 ProgramParticipation.csv .................................................................................. 2-7

2.1.12 ClientHistorical.csv .......................................................................................... 2-9

2.1.13 IncomeBenefits.csv......................................................................................... 2-11

2.1.14 ServiceEvent.csv............................................................................................. 2-12

2.2 HUD HMIS XML Format ............................................................................................ 2-14

List of Exhibits

Exhibit 1.1: CSV Export File Specifications ......................................................................... 2-4

Exhibit 1.2: CSV Agency Program Identification Specifications ....................................... 2-5

Exhibit 1.3: CSV Client File Specifications .......................................................................... 2-6

Exhibit 1.4: CSV Program Participation Specifications...................................................... 2-7

Exhibit 1.5: CSV Client Historical Specifications ................................................................ 2-9

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Abt Associates Inc. Contents ▌pg. ii

Exhibit 1.6: CSV Income & Benefits Specifications........................................................... 2-12

Exhibit 1.7: CSV Service Event Specifications ................................................................... 2-13

Exhibit 1.8: CSV Financial Assistance Type Specifciations .............................................. 2-14

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Abt Associates Inc. SSVF Upload Specifications ▌pg. 1-1

1. Overview

Each upload of SSVF data to the Repository will contain a complete data set reflecting program activity from program inception to the date of export.

This document identifies the data upload format and the data quality criteria that an uploaded data set must meet in order to be accepted by the Repository for integration into the VA data warehouse, the Registry.

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2. Data Upload Format

The preferred format for the upload of SSVF data to the Repository is the HUD HMIS Comma-Separated Value Format1

The Repository will also accept data in the HUD HMIS XML Format. Data uploaded in the XML format will be parsed into the CSV format using the publicly available HUD-funded XML-to-CSV Parser prior to further processing. This process will require the intervention of Repository staff and will delay data validation and final acceptance; for this reason, the XML format is not preferred.

; a subset of the complete set of CSV files will be required, and will be described here in detail. Each of the fields defined in the HUD HMIS CSV documentation must be present in the uploaded files, although not all of the fields must contain data; the fields which must contain data are identified in tables below.

Data exported from HMIS systems should be packaged in a ZIP file prior to upload to the Repository.

2.1 HUD HMIS CSV Format

The complete CSV standard includes eleven distinct tables/files consisting of six that contain client specific information, another four containing information about the service provider infrastructure of the contributing data source, and one other containing information on the export itself.

For purposes of integrating SSVF into the VA Registry via upload of a CSV file, a subset of files will be required; all other files will be ignored. Within each of the files, only some fields are relevant to SSVF programs. If there is data contained in fields that are not relevant to SSVF programs, the data will be ignored by the Repository.

This document provides for a single expansion to the existing CSV format, which will enable the export of data related to the provision of three types of financial assistance that SSVF programs provide but HPRP programs do not. The details of this are in the sections titled ServiceEvent.csv.

Aside from that modification, this document makes no changes to the existing CSV specification. In some cases, the requirements of the Repository are less stringent than those of the HUD HMIS CSV format, e.g. the HUD specification does not permit a null value in the Gender field of Client.csv, but the Repository will accept a client record that does not include a gender. This document does not constitute documentation of the complete HUD HMIS CSV format, nor does it contain all of the information needed to produce a valid CSV export from HMIS data; the documentation published by HUD must be referenced when programming a CSV export.

2.1.1 Data Integration Criteria

Upon upload of a dataset, the Repository will extract the CSV files from the zip file and run a series of validation checks to determine whether or not the uploaded data is compliant with the HUD CSV specifications and with the data quality requirements. Specific criteria are outlined below.

1 For complete documentation of the current HUD HMIS CSV format, see

http://www.hmis.info/Resources/7527/HMIS-Comma-Separated-Value-(CSV)-Format-V.-3.0-(Based-on-March-2010-Data-Standards).aspx.

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http://www.hmis.info/Resources/7527/HMIS-Comma-Separated-Value-(CSV)-Format-V.-3.0-(Based-on-March-2010-Data-Standards).aspx�

http://www.hmis.info/Resources/7527/HMIS-Comma-Separated-Value-(CSV)-Format-V.-3.0-(Based-on-March-2010-Data-Standards).aspx�



2.1.2 File Names

File names for a CSV data set must match the names as they are included in this document. For purposes of matching, the Repository will disregard underscores in file names; matching is not case sensitive.

For example, files named ClientHistorical.csv, Client_Historical.csv, client_historical.csv, and even C_L_ienT_HiS_ToRi_CaL.csv are acceptable (and all the same) under the matching criteria and would be accepted for processing by the Repository. Client-Historical.csv and ClientHostorical.csv, however, would not meet the matching criteria (because of the dash in the first and the misspelling of Historical in the second) and would be disregarded by the Repository.

2.1.3 Data Structure

Each of the CSV files included in the uploaded dataset must contain all of the fields defined for that particular file in the HUD HMIS CSV specifications, however, fields listed in the sections that follow that are in greyed out cells need not contain data, regardless of whether or not data was entered into HMIS for those fields. If the greyed out fields do contain data, the data will be disregarded by the Repository.

Each file should include a header row with field names, and CSV data must be padded with quotation marks.

2.1.4 Field Names

Field names in the CSV dataset must match the field names as they are included in this document. For purposes of matching, matching is not case-sensitive and will ignore the presence or absence of question marks (?) and virgules (/). The Repository will scan uploaded datasets to verify that all of the fields are present and that the field names are as defined in the HUD CSV specifications. In the event that one or more fields are missing, the user will be notified that the upload has been rejected (along with the reason).

2.1.5 Data Types

Data values are set in the HUD CSV Exchange Format according to the key of D=Date, N=Numeric, T=Time, $=Money, or V=Variable. Dates should be in the format MM/DD/CCYY (i.e. 10/09/2011). Money data should include digits, an optional decimal, and a maximum of two optional digits after the decimal. In instances where the data types do not align between the uploaded data set and the HUD CSV specifications, the user will be alerted that the upload has been rejected (along with the reason).

2.1.6 Required Fields (Allow Null = “N”)

Mandatory fields such as PersonalIdentificationNumber and EntryDate are defined in the HUD CSV specifications with “Allow Null?” set to N (No) in the data formats. Optional fields are marked with Y (Yes). The requirements set forth in this document are less stringent than the HUD specifications, but the fields identified in the tables of the following sections as required are absolutely required. The upload will be rejected in its entirety if there are NULL values in required fields.

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2.1.7 Data Quality

The Repository will evaluate the files for data quality. There are set data quality thresholds for critical fields at two levels: Notify and Reject.

At the Notify level, the Repository will require that the user acknowledge that the data quality is below the expected threshold. This will verify that the data quality in the uploaded data set accurately reflects the quality of the data entered into HMIS and that the issue was not created by a faulty export process; it also serves to alert the user to potential data quality issues in the program that entered the data.

At the Reject level, where data quality is excessively poor, or where missing data indicates that there is a potential defect in the export process, the entire uploaded dataset will be rejected by the Repository. Initial data quality thresholds are provided in the following sections; they are subject to change over time.

2.1.8 CSV Files

Export.csv This file is required. If this file is not present in the uploaded data set, the person performing the upload will be notified that the upload does not meet the integration criteria and has been rejected.

Exhibit 1.1: CSV Export File Specifications

EXPORT.CSV Field Notes

ExportIDStr Required; uploaded dataset will be rejected if this field is blank. SourceID

SourceName

SourceContactFirst

SourceContactLast

SourceContactPhone

SourceContactExtension

SourceContactEmail

ExportDate Required; uploaded dataset will be rejected if this field is blank. ExportPeriodBegin Required; should be 7/1/2011 or the date on which the SSVF

program began operation. This will be matched against the Repository’s record of the program identified in AgencyProgram.csv; if the export period is after the Repository’s recorded start date for the program, the uploaded dataset will be rejected.

ExportPeriodEnd Required; should be equal to the ExportDate. ExportHashing If present, the value should be 0 (Not Hashed). Hashed data will

not be accepted. This data will not be stored.

SoftwareVendor Required; uploaded dataset will be rejected if this field is blank. SoftwareVersion

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EXPORT.CSV Field Notes

AgencyProgramFile BedInventoryFile ClientFile ClientHistoricalFile IncomeBenefitsFile OutcomeMeasuresFile RegionsFile ProgramParticipation ServiceEventFile SiteInformationFile DeltaOrRefresh If present, the value should be 1 (Refresh). Each uploaded dataset

should contain a complete record of all program activity from the first day the program began operating. This data will not be stored.

2.1.9 AgencyProgram.csv

This file is required. If this file is not present in the uploaded data set, the person performing the upload will be notified that the upload does not meet the integration criteria and has been rejected.

Exhibit 1.2: CSV Agency Program Identification Specifications

AGENCYPROGRAM.CSV Field Notes

OrganizationID Required; may be up to 16 characters long. OrganizationName Required; may be up to 125 characters long. ProgramID Required. ProgramName Required; may be up to 125 characters long. DirectServiceCode SiteID SiteConfigurationType ProgramTypeCode TargetPopulationA TargetPopulationB TrackingMethod GranteeIdentifier ReceivesMcKinneyFunding DateCreated DateUpdated ExportIDStr

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2.1.10 Client.csv

This file is not required; however, if the file is missing, the person performing the upload will be required to verify that the program has not yet admitted any clients. If the person performing the upload does not verify this, the uploaded data set will be discarded by the Repository.

If a client has a record in Client.csv, but no corresponding record in ProgramParticipation.csv, this may indicate an issue with the HMIS export process. Any such records will be ignored by the Repository. The Repository will require the user to acknowledge any such records found at the time of upload.

Note that per the CSV specifications, OrganizationID is limited to 8 characters. Under some circumstances, however, the XML-to-CSV Parser includes values of up to 16 characters in this column. The Repository should accept values of up to 16 characters.

Exhibit 1.3: CSV Client File Specifications

CLIENT.CSV Field Notify Reject

OrganizationID Personal Identification Number Any missing values

LegalFirstName Any missing values

LegalMiddleName

LegalLastName Any missing values

LegalSuffix

SocialSecurityNumber Any missing values

SocialSecNumberQualityCode Any missing, don’t know, or refused responses

DateOfBirth Any missing values Data not in date format

DateOfBirthQualityCode Any missing, don’t know, or refused responses

PrimaryRace >=3% missing data (NULL values) OR

>=10% missing data (NULL values) / don’t know (8) / refused (9) OR Values not included in CSV specs

SecondaryRace Values not included in CSV specs

Ethnicity >=3% missing data (NULL values)


Gender >=3% missing data (NULL values)

>=10% missing data (NULL values) / don’t know (8) /

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CLIENT.CSV Field Notify Reject

refused (9) OR Values not included in CSV specs

DateAdded DateUpdated UpdateOrDelete IdentityVerification ReleaseOfInformation ExportIDStr <> ExportIDStr in Export.csv

2.1.11 ProgramParticipation.csv


Validation of some of the fields in this file is contingent on whether or not the client was an adult at the time of program entry. For each record in ProgramParticipation.csv, a client is an adult if [Client.csv].[DateOfBirth] <= ([ProgramParticipation.csv].[EntryDate] – 18 years).


Exhibit 1.4: CSV Program Participation Specifications

PROGRAMPARTICIPATION.CSV Field Notify Reject

PersonalIdentificationNumber Records with a value not included in Client.csv will be discarded.

Any missing data

OrganizationID Records with a value not included in AgencyProgram.csv will be discarded.

Any missing data

ProgramID Records with a value not included in AgencyProgram.csv will be discarded.

Any missing data

SiteID

EntryDate Any missing data

ExitDate If present, ExitDate < EntryDate OR Data not in date format

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DateUpdated

VeteranStatus Any missing, don’t know, or refused responses for Adults

DisablingCondition >=5% missing data (NULL values)


PriorResidence >=5% missing data (NULL values) for adults

>=10% missing data (NULL values) / don’t know (8) / refused (9) for adults OR Values not included in CSV specs

LengthOfStayAtPriorResidence >=5% missing data (NULL values) for adults

>=10% missing data (NULL values) / don’t know (8) / refused (9) for adults OR Values not included in CSV specs

ZIPCode >=10% missing data (NULL values) for adults OR values that do not match 5 digit zip code format

Non-numeric data in field

ZIPQualityCode Values not included in CSV specs

HousingStatusAtEntry >=5% missing data (NULL values)


HousingStatusAtExit >=5% missing data (NULL values) for records where ExitDate is not NULL

>=10% missing data (NULL values) / don’t know (8) / refused (9) for records where ExitDate is not NULL OR Values not included in CSV specs

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HouseholdIdentificationNumber Any missing data

Destination >=5% missing data (NULL values) for records where ExitDate is not NULL

>=10% missing data (NULL values) / don’t know (8) / refused (9) for records where ExitDate is not NULL OR Values not included in CSV specs

ReasonForLeaving RelationshipToHeadOfHousehold HUDChronicHomeless ExportIDStr <> ExportIDStr in

Export.csv

2.1.12 ClientHistorical.csv


Collection of data in fields with an asterisk (*) before the field name in the table below will be optional for SSVF programs; if the data is entered into HMIS, however, including the data in the export is not optional.


Exhibit 1.5: CSV Client Historical Specifications

CLIENTHISTORICAL.CSV Field Notify Reject


Any missing data


Any missing data


Any missing data

SiteID AssessmentDate Data not in date format

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DateUpdated IncomeTotalMonthly Non-numeric data in field.

IncomeLast30Days >= Any missing data (NULL values) / don’t know (8) / refused (9) for adults OR >= 10% missing data (NULL values) for all OR Values not included in CSV specs

NonCashBenefitsLast30Days >=10% missing data (NULL values) / don’t know (8) / refused (9) OR Values not included in CSV specs

* PhysicalDisability Values not included in CSV specs

* ReceivePhysicalDisabilityServices Values not included in CSV specs

* HasDevelopmentalDisability Values not included in CSV specs

* ReceiveDevelopmentalDisabilityServices Values not included in CSV specs

* HasChronicHealthCondition Values not included in CSV specs

* ReceiveChronicHealthServices Values not included in CSV specs

* HasHIVAIDS Values not included in CSV specs

* ReceiveHIVAIDSServices Values not included in CSV specs

* HasMentalHealthProblem Values not included in CSV specs

* MentalHealthIndefinite Values not included in CSV specs

* ReceiveMentalHealthServices Values not included in CSV specs

* HasSubstanceAbuseProblem Values not included in CSV specs

* SubstanceAbuseIndefinite Values not included in CSV specs

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* ReceiveSubstanceAbuseServices Values not included in CSV specs

* DomesticViolenceSurvivor Values not included in CSV specs

* DVOccurred Values not included in CSV specs

CurrentlyEmployed HoursWorkedLastWeek EmploymentTenure LookingForWork CurrentlyInSchool VocationalTraining HighestSchoolLevel Degree HealthStatus PregnancyStatus DueDate ServiceEra MilitaryServiceDuration ServedInWarZone WarZone MonthsInWarZone ReceivedFire MilitaryBranch DischargeStatus ChildCurrentlyEnrolledInSchool ChildSchoolName ChildMcKinneyVentoLiaison ChildSchoolType ChildSchoolLastEnrolledDate ChildEnrollmentBarrier ExportIDStr <> ExportIDStr in

Export.csv DataCollectionStage

2.1.13 IncomeBenefits.csv

This file is not required; however, if the file is missing, the person performing the upload will be required to verify that either the program has not yet admitted any clients or that none of the

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program’s clients have even a single source of income or benefits. If the person performing the upload does not verify this, the uploaded data set will be discarded by the Repository.

All fields must be included in the ClientHistorical.csv file, but fields identified in greyed out cells need not contain data, regardless of whether or not data was entered into HMIS for those fields; if the greyed out fields do contain data, it will be disregarded by the Repository. The Repository will check the uploaded file for missing values – fields that contain a NULL value – and for values in fields that utilize picklist values that are not valid options in the CSV format documentation. The data quality thresholds are identified in the table below. Note that only fields in which there was nothing entered by the user are counted as missing values; picklist values that indicate that the client did not know or refused to provide the data are not considered to be missing data.

Note that per the CSV specifications, OrganizationID is limited to 8 characters. Under some circumstances, however, the XML-to-CSV Parser includes values of up to 16 characters in this column. The Repository should accept values of up to 16 characters. SourceOther is limited to 30 characters per the CSV specifications; the field commonly contains values that exceed 30 characters in length, however; the Repository should accept values of up to 125 characters.

Exhibit 1.6: CSV Income & Benefits Specifications

INCOMEBENEFITS.CSV Field Notify Reject


Any missing data


Any missing data


Any missing data

SiteID AssessmentDate Data not in date format. DateUpdated IncomeBenefitType Any missing data

SourceCode Values not included in CSV specs

SourceOther

MonthlyAmount Non-numeric data in field ExportIDStr <> ExportIDStr in Export.csv DataCollectionStage

2.1.14 ServiceEvent.csv

This file is not required; however, if the file is missing, the person performing the upload will be required to verify that while the program may have admitted clients to the program, the program has

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not yet provided any services funded by the SSVF grant. If the person performing the upload does not verify this, the uploaded data set will be discarded by the Repository.


Exhibit 1.7: CSV Service Event Specifications

SERVICEEVENT.CSV Field Notify Reject


Any missing data


Any missing data


Any missing data

SiteID

ServiceEventType Records with values other than 1, 2, or 4 will be ignored.

ServiceEventStartDate Records with a missing date will be ignored.

Data not in date format

ServiceEventEndDate If present, data not in date format or date is prior to ServiceEventStartDate

ServiceCode Missing data where ServiceEventType is 1 or 2

ServiceAIRSCode IsReferral QuantityFrequency FinancialAssistanceAmount Missing data where

ServiceEventType is 1 and ServiceCode is 1-9

Non-numeric data in field

FundingCategory GrantIDNumber IsRecurring PeriodInterval AdvanceArrears ContactTime ContactSite ClientEngaged

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SERVICEEVENT.CSV Field Notify Reject

AssetListID AssetID DomainIDCode DateUpdated ExportIDStr <> ExportIDStr in Export.csv

Note that there are three types of financial assistance that the SSVF programs provide, but are not included in the HMIS data standards for HPRP programs: financial assistance for transportation, material goods, and childcare. SSVF programs may negotiate either customization to expand on the categories defined in the HPRP data element (March 2010 HMIS Data Standards data element 4.13) to record this financial assistance, or they may use the optional Services Provided data element (March 2010 HMIS Data Standards data element 4.15H) to record it. This data may be exported as follows:

Exhibit 1.8: CSV Extension for SSVF Financial Assistance Types

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TYPE

VALUE IN SERVICE EVENT TYPE

VALUE IN SERVICE CODE

VALUE IN FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

AMOUNT Transportation 1 8 (Required)

Transportation 4 5 NULL

Material Goods 1 7 (Required)

Material Goods 4 3 NULL

Childcare 1 9 (Required)

Childcare 4 17 NULL

2.2 HUD HMIS XML Format

Data uploaded in the XML format will be parsed into the CSV format using the publicly available HUD-funded XML-to-CSV Parser prior to further processing. This process will require the intervention of Repository staff and will delay data validation and final acceptance; for this reason, the XML format is not preferred.

Acceptance of uploaded data will require that the resultant CSV files meet all of the data quality criteria identified in this document; in order for this to occur, all of the required data must be included. The XML file must be in the current HMIS XML V3.0 format or greater.

The Parser currently supports just one source per XML file, the folder/directory containing the XML file must have write permission, and the XML file name should not contain any special characters such that are not supported in the directory/folder naming structure used by Microsoft Windows and other operating systems.

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- 1 -

Supportive Services for Veterans Families (SSVF): HMIS Data Collection Templates & Instructions Overview This document provides data collection instructions for Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) data that must be collected from clients receiving assistance through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Supportive Services for Veterans Families (SSVF). Public Law 110-387 authorized the VA to develop the SSVF program and makes HMIS participation a statutory requirement for SSVF grant recipients and sub-recipients. Grantees providing SSVF assistance and services must report client-level data into the applicable community CoC HMIS system. In addition, reports to the VA on SSVF activity and outcomes must be generated from HMIS.

Data collection instructions below are based on HUD’s Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) Data Standards, which can be found at http://www.hudhre.info/documents/FinalHMISDataStandards_March2010.pdf. These instructions have been developed for Supportive Services for Veterans Families grant recipients and sub-recipients, along with five SSVF HMIS templates, which may be used as they are or adapted to meet local needs:

Supportive Services for Veterans Families Grant HMIS Templates

Required SSVF HMIS Data Elements The following table groups the HMIS data elements by type (Universal, Program-Specific and VA Custom Data Elements) and summarizes requirements regarding: 1) from whom the data are collected (for client-specific data elements); and 2) when the data are collected.

HUD

# Universal Data Elements Subjects Collect

at Entry

Collect at Exit

Collect at 90 Days

3.1 Name All Persons in the Household X 3.2 Social Security Number All Persons in the Household X 3.3 Date of Birth All Persons in the Household X 3.4 Race All Persons in the Household X 3.5 Ethnicity All Persons in the Household X 3.6 Gender All Persons in the Household X 3.7 Veteran Status All Adults in Household X 3.8 Disabling Condition All Persons in the Household X 3.9 Residence Prior to Program Entry All Adults in Household X 3.9a Length of Stay in Previous Place All Adults in Household X 3.10 Zip Code of Last Permanent Address All Adults in Household X 3.11 Housing Status All Persons in the Household X X

Intake Template

Income Template

Financial Assistance Provided Template

Supportive Services Provided Template

Exit Template

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http://www.hudhre.info/documents/FinalHMISDataStandards_March2010.pdf�

- 2 -

3.12 Program Entry Date All Persons in the Household X 3.13 Program Exit Date All Persons in the Household X 3.14 Unique Person Identification Number All Persons in the Household

– System Generated

X

3.15 Household Identification Number All Persons in the Household – System Generated

X

HUD #

Program Specific Data Elements Subjects Collect at

Entry

Collect at Exit

Collect at 90 Days

4.1 Source and Amount of Income All Persons in the Household X X X 4.1a Income Received in Last 30 Days All Persons in the Household X X X 4.2 Non-Cash Benefits All Persons in the Household X X X 4.2a Non-Cash Benefits Received in Last

30 Days All Persons in the Household

X

X

X 4.10 Destination All Persons in the Household X 4.13 Financial Assistance Provided1

All Persons in the Household X

X

4.14 Housing Relocation & Stabilization Services Provided2

All Persons in the Household

X

X

4.15E Veteran’s Information All Persons that Answered “Yes” to Veterans Status Data Element

X

VA # VA Custom Data Elements Subjects Collect at

Entry

Collect at Exit

Collect at 90 Days

6.2 Housing Category All Adults in Household X 6.3 Formerly Chronically Homeless All Heads of Household or All

Adults

X

6.3a Currently Chronically Homeless All Heads of Household or All Adults

X

6.4 Percent of AMI All Heads of Household or All Adults

X

1 Rent Assistance should be tracked in HMIS as “Rent”; Utility Assistance should be tracked in HMIS as either “Utility deposit” or Utility Payment”: Moving Expenses should be tracked in HMIS as “Moving cost assistance”. 2 Outreach Services should be tracked in HMIS as “Outreach and engagement”; Case Management Services should be tracked in HMIS as “Case Management”; Assistance in Obtaining VA Benefits and Assistance in Obtaining Other Public Benefits should both be tracked in HMIS as “case management”, if your HMIS system does not include these response options.

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- 3 -

Data Collection Instructions The template SSVF HMIS data collection forms may be used in conjunction with existing program intake forms to ensure all HMIS data is collected from SSVF participants. HMIS data forms should be completed by SSVF program staff with responsibility for collecting information from SSVF participants. Completed forms should be given to the person who enters data into HMIS or other comparable data system. Copies of HMIS data forms should be kept in the participant’s case file. Completed HMIS data forms must be kept in a secure location to protect personal information.

1. Data Collection Date Rationale: To determine the date that the data collection occurred. Data Source: Program staff. When Data are Collected: Upon initiating data collection. Subjects: All clients. Definitions and Instructions: Record the month, day, and year of the date the data was collected. Response: DATA COLLECTION DATE (e.g., 05/24/2010) [All clients]

/ / Month Day Year

2. Program Entry Date

Rationale: To determine the start of a client’s period of program involvement with the ESG Program. This data element is needed for reporting purposes for all programs and to measure lengths of stay for residential programs. Data Source: Program staff. When Data are Collected: Upon any program entry (whether or not it is an initial program entry). Subjects: All clients. Definitions and Instructions: Record the month, day, and year of first day of service or program entry. For residential programs, this date would represent the first day of residence in the program following residence at any other place. There should be a new program entry date (and corresponding exit date) for each continuous period of residence. If there is a gap in residence (except for gaps allowed in Permanent Supportive Housing programs), a return to the residential program should be recorded as a new program entry date.

For non-residential service programs, the entry date may represent the day a service was provided or the first date of a period of ongoing service. The entry date should coincide with the date the client is considered a program participant. Programs should have a clear and consistently applied procedure for determining when a client who is receiving supportive services is considered a client. For example, if a person will be receiving weekly counseling as part of an ongoing treatment program the first date of service is the date of the first counseling session. If a client uses a service for just one day (i.e., starts and stops before midnight of same day, such as an outreach encounter), the entry and exit date would be the same date.

Note: Most data elements include a “Don’t Know” or “Refused” response category. These are considered valid responses if the client does not know or the client refuses to respond to the question. The “Don’t Know” or “Refused” responses should not be used to indicate that the case manager or data entry person does not know the client’s response.

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- 4 -

Response: PROGRAM ENTRY DATE (e.g., 05/24/2010) [All clients]

/ / Month Day Year

3. Name

Rationale: The first, middle, last names, and suffix should be collected to support the unique identification of each person served. Data Source: Client interview or self-administered form. When Data are Collected: Upon initial program entry or as soon as possible thereafter. Subjects: All clients. Definitions and Instructions: Four fields should be created in the HMIS database to capture the client’s full first, middle, and last names and any suffixes (e.g., John David Doe, Jr.). Programs should seek to obtain legal names only and avoid aliases or nicknames. Response:

CURRENT NAME (first, middle, last name, suffix (e.g., Jr, Sr, III)) [All clients] N/A

Client does not

know

Client refused to provide

First name

Middle name

Last name

Suffix

4. Social Security Number

Rationale: The collection of a client’s Social Security Number (SSN) and other personal identifying information is required and key to producing an accurate, unduplicated local count of homeless persons accessing services covered by HMIS. Data Source: Interview or self-administered form. When Data are Collected: Upon initial program entry or as soon as possible thereafter. Subjects: All clients. Definitions and Instructions: In one field, record the nine-digit Social Security Number. In another field, record the appropriate SSN type (data quality code). If you do not have the entire SSN, make sure to place the numbers you do have in the appropriate location in the box. For example, last four digits of the SSN should be recorded in the last four boxes. Leave the rest of the boxes blank, unless your CoC has a policy for what to record in blank fields. Response: SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER [All clients]

- -

SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER AND TYPE [All clients]

Full SSN reported

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- 5 -

Partial SSN reported Client does not know or does not have SSN Client refused to provide

5. Date of Birth Rationale: The date of birth can be used to calculate the age of persons served at time of program entry or at any point in receiving services. It will also support the unique identification of each person served. Data Source: Client interview or self-administered form. When Data are Collected: Upon initial program entry or as soon as possible thereafter. Subjects: All clients. Definitions and Instructions: Collect the month, day, and year of birth for every person served. If a client cannot remember the year of birth, ask the person’s age and calculate the approximate year of birth. If a client cannot remember the month or day of birth, record an approximate date of “01” for month and “01” for day. In another field, record the appropriate date of birth type (data quality code). Response: DATE OF BIRTH (e.g., 10/23/1978) [All clients]

/ / Month Day Year

DATE OF BIRTH AND TYPE [All clients]

Full date of birth reported Approximate or partial date of birth reported Client does not know Client refused to provide

6. Race

Rationale: Race is used to count the number of homeless persons who identify themselves within five different racial categories established by the federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Data Source: Client interview or self-administered form. When Data are Collected: Upon initial program entry or as soon as possible thereafter. Subjects: All clients. Definitions and Instructions: In separate data fields, collect the self-identified race of each client served. Allow clients to identify multiple racial categories. Staff observations should not be used to collect information on race. Definitions of each of the race categories are as follows: 1 = American Indian or Alaska Native is a person having origins in any of the original peoples of North and

South America, including Central America, and who maintains tribal affiliation or community attachment. 2 = Asian is a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia or the Indian

subcontinent including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand and Vietnam.

3 = Black or African American is a person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa. Terms such as “Haitian” can be used in addition to “Black or African American.”

4 = Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander is a person having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa or other Pacific Islands.

5 = White is a person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East or North Africa.

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Response: RACE More than one race is permitted. [All clients]

American Indian or Alaskan Native White

Asian Client does not know

Black or African American Client refused to provide

Native / Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander

7. Ethnicity

Rationale: Ethnicity is used to count the number of homeless persons who identify themselves as Hispanic or Latino. Data Source: Client interview or self-administered form. When Data are Collected: Upon initial program entry or as soon as possible thereafter. Subjects: All clients. Definitions and Instructions: Collect the self-identified Hispanic or Latino ethnicity of each client served. Staff observations should not be used to determine ethnicity. The definition of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity is a person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American or other Spanish culture of origin, regardless of race. Response: ETHNICITY [All clients]

Non-Hispanic / Non-Latino Client does not know

Hispanic / Latino Client refused to provide

8. Gender

Rationale: To create separate counts of homeless males, females, and transgendered clients served. Data Source: Client interview or self-administered form. When Data are Collected: Upon initial program entry or as soon as possible thereafter. Subjects: All clients. Definitions and Instructions: Record the reported gender of each client served. Gender should be assigned based on the client’s self-perceived gender identity. Transgender is defined as identification with, or presentation as, a gender that is different from the gender at birth. Response: GENDER [All clients]

Female Other

Male Client does not know

Transgendered male to female Client refused to provide

Transgendered female to male

9. Disabling Condition Rationale: Disability condition is needed to help identify clients that meet HUD’s definition of chronically homeless and, depending on the source of program funds, may be required to establish client eligibility to be served by the program. Data Source: Client interview, self-administered form, or assessment. Where disability is required to determine program eligibility, the data source is the evidence required by the funding source.

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When Data are Collected: At any time after the client has been admitted into the program (unless a disabling condition is required for determining the client’s eligibility for the program). Subjects: All clients served. Definitions and Instructions: For this data element, a disabling condition means: (1) a disability as defined in Section 223 of the Social Security Act; (2) a physical, mental, or emotional impairment which is (a) expected to be of long-continued and indefinite duration, (b) substantially impedes an individual’s ability to live independently, and (c) of such a nature that such ability could be improved by more suitable housing conditions; (3) a developmental disability as defined in Section 102 of the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act; (4) the disease of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome or any conditions arising from the etiological agency for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome; or (5) a diagnosable substance abuse disorder. Response: DISABLING CONDITION [All clients]

No Client does not know

Yes Client refused to provide Special Issues: For residential homeless assistance programs (e.g., emergency shelters), client intake as part of the program admission process must be separated from the collection of disability information in order to comply with Fair Housing laws and practices, unless this information is required to determine program eligibility or is needed to determine whether applicants need units with special features or if they have special needs related to communication. Operators of ESG Programs should be especially sensitive to collecting information on disabling condition from clients under the age of 18. In households composed of adults and children, the disabling status of children should be reported by an adult in the household.

10. Veteran Status Rationale: To determine the number of homeless veterans. Data Source: Client interview or self-administered form. When Data are Collected: Upon initial program entry or as soon as possible thereafter. Subjects: All adults served. Definitions and Instructions: A veteran is someone who has served on active duty in the Armed Forces of the United States. This does not include inactive military reserves or the National Guard unless the person was called up to active duty. Response: VETERAN STATUS [All adults] No Client does not know

Yes Client refused to provide

11. Additional Veteran Information Rationale: To collect a more detailed profile of the homeless veteran’s experience and to measure performance outcomes. Data Source: Client interview or self-administered form. When Data are Collected: In the course of client assessment nearest to program entry. Subjects: All persons who answered “Yes” to Veterans Status data element. Definition and Instructions: In separate fields, determine: 1) which military service era did the client serve; 2) how many months did the client serve on active duty in the military; 3) if the client served in a war zone; 4) if the client served in a war zone, the name of the war zone; 5) if the client served in a war zone, the number of

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months served in the war zone; 6) if the client served in a war zone, whether the client received hostile or friendly fire; 7) what branch of the military did the client serve in; and 8) what type of discharge did the client receive. In identifying the military service era served by the client, programs are encouraged to begin with the most recent service era and proceed in descending order through the various eras. Allow clients to identify multiple service eras and branches of the military. Response: [IF YES] In which military service era did the client serve?

Persian Gulf Era (August 1991 – September 10, 2001) Between WWII and Korean War (August 1947 –

May 1950) Post Vietnam (May 1975 – July 1991) World War II (September 1940 – July 1947)

Vietnam Era (August 1964 – April 1975) Post September 11, 2001 (September 11, 2001 -Present)

Between Korean and Vietnam War (February 1955– July 1964) Client does not know

Korean War (June 1950 – January 1955) Client refused to provide Duration of Active Duty [Veteran]

Number of months Client does not know


Served In A War Zone [Veteran] No Client does not know


[IF YES] Name of War Zone [Veteran] Europe South Pacific North Africa Persian Gulf Vietnam Afghanistan Laos and Cambodia Other: (Describe) ___Iraq___________________ South China Sea Client refused to provide China, Burma, India Client does not know Korea [IF YES] Number of Months in War Zone [Veteran]

Number of months Client does not know

Client refused to provide [IF YES] Received Hostile or Friendly Fire [Veteran] No Client does not know


Branch of the Military [Veteran] Army Other: (Describe) _______________________ Air Force Client refused to provide Navy Client does not know Marines What type of discharge did you receive? Honorable Dishonorable General Other: (Describe) _______________________

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Medical Client does not know Bad conduct Client refused to provide

12. Residence Prior to Program Entry & Length of Stay in Previous Place Rationale: To identify the type of residence and length of stay at that residence just prior to (i.e., the night before) program admission. Data Source: Interview or self-administered form. When Data are Collected: At any time after the client has been admitted into the program (unless a residence just prior to program admission is required for determining the client’s eligibility for the program). Subjects: All adults served and unaccompanied youth served. Definitions and Instructions: Record the type of living arrangement of the client the night before their entry into the program. For rental by client and owned by client, select the response that includes the type of housing subsidy, if any, the client received. A housing subsidy may be tenant, project or sponsor-based and provides ongoing assistance to reduce rent burden. This includes either a housing subsidy provided through the Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) program or other housing subsidy. Other housing subsidies may include a HUD-funded subsidy (e.g., public housing, Housing Choice Voucher or “Section 8”) or other housing subsidy (e.g., state rental assistance voucher). Response: RESIDENCE PRIOR TO PROGRAM ENTRY [All adults and unaccompanied youth]

Emergency shelter, including hotel or motel paid for with emergency shelter voucher

Place not meant for habitation (e.g. a vehicle, an abandoned building, bus/train/subway station/airport or anywhere outside)

Transitional housing for homeless persons (including homeless youth) Other: (Describe) _______________________

Permanent housing for formerly homeless persons (such as SHP, S+C, or SRO Mod Rehab) Safe Haven

Psychiatric hospital or other psychiatric facility Rental by client, with VASH housing subsidy

Substance abuse treatment facility or detox center Rental by client, with other (non-VASH) housing subsidy

Hospital (non psychiatric) Owned by client, with ongoing housing subsidy

Jail, prison, or juvenile detention facility Rental by client, no ongoing housing subsidy

Staying or living in a family member’s room, apartment, or house Owned by client, no ongoing housing subsidy

Staying or living in a friend’s room, apartment, or house Client does not know

Hotel or motel paid for without emergency shelter voucher Client refused to provide

Foster care home or foster care group home LENGTH OF STAY IN PREVIOUS PLACE (Last Night) [All adults and unaccompanied youth]

One week or less One year or longer More than one week, but less than one month Client does not know One to three months Client refused to provide More than 3 months, but less than one year Special Issues: This standard does not preclude the collection of residential history information beyond the residence experienced the night prior to program admission. This data element must be recorded in a transactional

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field each time a client enters a program. Communities may decide whether to include additional response values as long as they can be mapped to the categories included here, including the “other” category.

13. Zip Code of Last Permanent Address and Type

Rationale: To identify the former geographic location of persons experiencing homelessness or current geographic location of persons who are at risk of homelessness. Data Source: Interview or self-administered form. When Data are Collected: Upon any program entry or as soon as possible thereafter. Subjects: All adults and unaccompanied youth served. Definitions and Instructions: In one field, record the five-digit zip code of the apartment, room, or house where the client last lived for 90 days or more. If you do not have the entire ZIP Code, make sure to place the numbers you do have in the appropriate location in the box. Do not use place holders, but leave unknown numbers blank, unless your CoC has a policy for what to record in blank fields. In another field, record the appropriate zip code type (data quality code). Response: ZIP CODE OF LAST PERMANENT HOUSING ADDRESS AND TYPE [All adults and unaccompanied youth]

Zip code Full or partial zip code reported Client does not know


Special Issues: Homelessness prevention programs serving persons who are currently living in housing that they have resided in for 90 days or longer (as of the Program Entry Date) should record the zip code of the apartment, room, or house, where the client is currently living.

14. Housing Status Rationale: To identify persons who, at program entry and program exit, are literally homeless; housed, but at imminent risk of losing their housing; housed, but at-risk of losing their housing; or in a stable housing situation. This data element allows programs that serve homeless and non-homeless persons to separate these two populations for reporting purposes. Data Source: Client interview or self-administered form. When Data are Collected: Upon initial program entry or as soon as possible thereafter and at program exit for all programs except emergency shelters. This information may be needed prior to admission to determine program eligibility. Subjects: All clients. Definitions and Instructions: For each client, determine whether the client is: literally homeless; imminently losing their housing; unstably housed and at-risk of losing their housing; or stably housed at program entry and exit. A client must be coded to a single response category. For clients exiting a program, the Housing Status should reflect their housing status immediately after exiting the program as determined by the client’s housing destination and anticipated housing stability. Persons who are literally homeless include people who at program entry or program exit are in one of the following:

• Places not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings, including a car, park, abandoned building, bus or train station, airport, or camping ground;

• A supervised publicly or privately operated shelter designated to provide temporary living arrangements (including hotels and motels paid for by Federal, State, or local government programs for low-income

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individuals or by charitable organizations, congregate shelters, and transitional housing for homeless persons);

• A hospital or other institution, if the person was sleeping in an emergency shelter or other place not meant for human habitation (cars, parks, streets, etc.) immediately prior to entry into the hospital or institution;

• Fleeing a domestic violence situation.

Persons who are imminently losing their housing include people who at program entry or program exit: • Are currently housed and not literally homeless, per above definition; • Are imminently losing their housing, whether permanent or temporary; • Have no subsequent housing options identified; and • Lack the resources or support networks needed to retain current housing or obtain temporary or

permanent housing. Examples of imminent housing loss include:

• Being evicted from a private dwelling unit (including housing they own, rent, or live in without paying rent, are sharing with others, and rooms in hotels or motels not paid for by Federal, State, or local government programs for low-income individuals or by charitable organizations);

• Being discharged from a hospital or other institution; • Living in housing that has been condemned by housing officials and is no longer considered meant

for human habitation.

Persons who are unstably housed and at-risk of losing their housing include people who at program entry or program exit:

• Are currently housed and not literally homeless or imminently losing their housing, per above definitions;

• Are experiencing housing instability, but may have one or more other temporary housing options; and • Lack the resources or support networks to retain or obtain permanent housing.

Housing instability may be evidenced by: • Frequent moves because of economic reasons; • Living in the home of another because of economic hardship; • Being evicted from a private dwelling unit (including housing they own, rent, or live in without paying

rent, are sharing with others, and rooms in hotels or motels not paid for by Federal, State, or local government programs for low-income individuals or by charitable organizations);

• Living in a hotel or motel not paid for by Federal, State, or local government programs for low-income individuals or by charitable organizations;

• Living in severely overcrowded housing; • Being discharged from a hospital or other institution; or • Otherwise living in housing that has characteristics associated with instability and an increased risk of

homelessness.

Persons who are stably housed are in a stable housing situation and not at risk of losing this housing (i.e., do not meet the criteria for any of the other housing response categories, per above definitions). Response: HOUSING STATUS [All clients]

Literally homeless Stably housed Imminently losing their housing Client does not know Unstably housed and at-risk of losing housing Client refused to provide

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Special Issues: For programs that serve only persons who are literally homeless, the HMIS software application may default the value of this data element to “1 = literally homeless.”

15. Program Exit Date Rationale: To determine the end of a period of program involvement for all clients of CoC Programs. This data element is required for reporting purposes for all programs and to calculate the lengths of stay in residential programs or the amount of time spent participating in services-only ESG Programs. Data Source: Program staff. When Data are Collected: Upon any program exit. Subjects: All clients. Definitions and Instructions: Record the month, day and year of last day of service. For a program providing housing or shelter to a client, this date would represent the last day of continuous residence in the program’s housing before the client transfers to another residential program or otherwise stops residing in the shelter or housing program. For example, if a person checked into an overnight shelter on January 30, 2008, stayed over night and left in the morning, the last date of service for that shelter stay would be January 31, 2008. If the client returned on February 2, 2008, a new program entry date is recorded. To minimize staff and client burden at shelters that require most (or all) clients to reapply for service on a nightly basis, the provider can enter the entry and exit date at the same time or can specify software that automatically enters the exit date as the day after the entry date for clients of the overnight program.

For non-residential service programs, the exit date may represent the day a service was provided or the last date of a period of ongoing service. The exit date should coincide with the date the client is no longer considered a program participant. Programs should have a clear and consistently applied procedure for determining when a client who is receiving supportive services is no longer considered a client. For example, if a person has been receiving weekly counseling as part of an ongoing treatment program and either formally terminates his or her involvement or fails to return for counseling, the last date of service is the date of the last counseling session. If a client uses a service for just one day (i.e., starts and stops before midnight of same day, such as an outreach encounter), the entry and exit date would be the same date.

For ESG programs the Program Exit Date may be the same as the Program Entry Date if the participation in the service begins and ends on the same day. For a client receiving short-term or medium-term rental assistance for two or more consecutive months, the Program Exit Date should be equivalent to the last day of the last month for which the rental assistance payment applies. Response: PROGRAM EXIT DATE (e.g., 05/24/2010) [All clients]

/ / Month Day Year

16. Income and Sources

Rationale: Income and sources of income are important for determining service needs of people at the time of program entry, determining whether they are accessing all income sources for which they are eligible, and describing the characteristics of the homeless population. Capturing the receipt of cash income from various sources will help to: ensure all income sources are counted in the calculation of total income; enable program staff to take into account the composition of income in determining needs; determine if people are receiving the mainstream program benefits to which they may be entitled; help clients apply for benefits assistance; and allow analysis of changes in the composition of income between entry and exit from the program and annual changes prior to program exit. Data Source: Client interview, self-administered form, and/or case manager records.

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When Data Are Collected: In the course of client assessment nearest to program entry, at program exit and at least once annually during program enrollment, if the period between program entry and exit exceeds one year. Programs may decide when to collect the information on an annual basis, but HUD encourages programs that are required to complete an APR to update these data elements near the end of their APR operating year. Subjects: All clients served. Definition and Instructions: In separate fields, determine (a) whether the client receives any income from any source listed below in the past 30 days, (b) if the client received any earned income, the amount of income received in the past 30 days (recording the amount of income received is optional for all other income sources, although recording client’s total income is still required) and (c) the client’s total monthly income (rounded to the nearest U.S. dollar). Allow clients to identify multiple sources of income. As a general rule, income is assigned to a household member if the income source/amount leaves the household upon the departure of that member. The same income source and income amount should not be assigned to more than one person in the same household. For example, for a household with one adult and three children, if only the adult member of the household reports earned income then that adult’s record should have a “Yes” for earned income, and the amount of earned income received over the past 30 days. The children in the household should have a “No” value for earned income. For Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Child Support, Alimony or other spousal support income, the “Receiving Income from Source” and “Amount from Source” responses should be assigned to the adult member of the household who is issued the income payment. For Supplemental Security Income (SSI) received on behalf of a minor child, income source/amount should be assigned to the minor child. However, if it is not possible to discern which minor child the SSI benefit is intended for, the program may assign the SSI benefit to the child’s parent or legal guardian. Response: INCOME AND SOURCES [All clients] Have you received any income from any source over the last 30 days? No Client does not know

Yes Client refused to provide [IF YES] Please state whether you have received income from the following sources within the last 30 days. If you have received income from a source, state the amount of income you received in the last 30 days.

Source of income

Receiving income from

source? Amount from source (round to nearest dollar)

Earned income (i.e., employment income) No

Yes $ . 0 0

Unemployment Insurance No

Yes $ . 0 0

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) No

Yes $ . 0 0

Social Security Disability Income (SSDI) No

Yes $ . 0 0

Veteran’s disability payment No

Yes $ . 0 0

Private disability insurance No

Yes $ . 0 0

Worker’s compensation No

Yes $ . 0 0

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Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)

No

Yes $ . 0 0

General Assistance (GA) No

Yes $ . 0 0

Retirement income from Social Security No

Yes $ . 0 0

Veteran’s pension No

Yes $ . 0 0

Pension from a former job No

Yes $ . 0 0

Child support No

Yes $ . 0 0

Alimony or other spousal support No

Yes $ . 0 0

Other source No

Yes $ . 0 0

Total monthly income Monthly income from all sources $ . 0 0

Special Issues: Income should be reported at the client-level. Programs may choose to disaggregate the sources of income into more detailed categories as long as these categories can be aggregated into the above stated sources of income. Programs collecting data through client interviews should ask clients whether they receive income from each of the sources listed under “Required Response Categories” rather than asking them to state the sources of income they receive. The “Don’t Know” and “Refused” responses should only be used when clients do not know or refuse to answer whether they have any income. When a client has income, but does not know the amount, a “Yes” response should be recorded for both the overall income question and the specific source, and the income amount should be left blank. To reduce data collection and reporting burden, if a client reports receiving no income from any source in the past 30 days, no additional data collection is required. If a client reports receiving income, an HMIS may be designed such that programs only need to directly enter “Yes” for the benefits the clients received. The HMIS software may automatically generate a “No” response for the other income sources. The HMIS may also be designed to automatically generate a “Yes” response where income amounts are recorded. However, since clients often know the source of income, but not the precise amount, users should have the ability to enter “Yes” without recording an exact amount.

17. Non-Cash Benefits Rationale: Non-cash benefits are important to determine whether clients are accessing all mainstream program benefits for which they may be eligible and to ascertain a more complete picture of their economic circumstances. Data Source: Client interview, self-administered form, and/or case manager records. When Data Are Collected: In the course of client assessment nearest to program entry, at program exit and at least once annually during program enrollment, if the period between program entry and exit exceeds one year. Programs may decide when to collect the information on an annual basis, but HUD encourages programs that are required to complete an APR to update these data elements near the end of their APR operating year. Subjects: All clients served.

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Definition and Instructions: For each source listed below, determine if the client received any non-cash benefits in the past 30 days. Clients may identify multiple sources of non-cash benefits. For households with more than one member, non-cash benefits should be assigned in HMIS to all members of the household for whom the benefit is intended. For example, if an entire family is enrolled in Medicaid, the “Non-cash benefits received from any source in the past 30 days” question would be assigned as “Yes” for all household members and the “Source of non-cash benefit: Medicaid health insurance program” would be assigned as “Yes” for all household members. Response: NON-CASH BENEFITS [All clients] Did you receive any non-cash benefits over the last 30 days?



[IF YES] Which of the following non-cash benefits have you received over the last 30 days? Received benefit?

No Yes Source of non-cash benefit

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) (Formerly known as Food Stamps)

MEDICAID health insurance program

MEDICARE health insurance program

State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP)

Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)

Veteran’s Administration (VA) Medical Services

TANF Child Care services

TANF transportation services

Other TANF-Funded Services

Section 8, Public Housing, or other rental assistance

Other source: __________________________________________________________________________

Temporary rental assistance

18. Destination

Rationale: Destination is an important outcome measure needed to complete required reporting requirements. Data Source: Client interview or self-administered form. When Data Are Collected: At program exit. Subjects: All clients served. Definition and Instructions: Determine the response value that best describes where the client will be staying after they leave the program. For clients who will be staying with family or friends, select the response that includes the expected tenure of the destination (permanent or temporary). For rental by client and owned by client, select the response that includes the type of housing subsidy, if any, the client will be receiving. A housing subsidy may be tenant-, project- or sponsor-based and provides ongoing assistance to reduce rent burden. This includes either a housing subsidy provided through the Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) program or other housing subsidy. Other housing subsidies may include a HUD-funded subsidy (e.g.,

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public housing, Housing Choice Voucher or “Section 8”) or other housing subsidy (e.g., state rental assistance voucher). Response: DESTINATION [All Clients]

Emergency shelter, including hotel or motel paid for with emergency shelter voucher Foster care home or foster care group home

Transitional housing for homeless persons (including homeless youth)

Place not meant for habitation (e.g. a vehicle, an abandoned building, bus/train/subway station/airport or anywhere outside)

Permanent housing for formerly homeless persons (such as SHP, S+C, or SRO Mod Rehab) Other: (Describe) _______________________

Psychiatric hospital or other psychiatric facility Safe Haven

Substance abuse treatment facility or detox center Rental by client, with VASH housing subsidy

Hospital (non psychiatric) Rental by client, with other (non-VASH) housing subsidy

Jail, prison, or juvenile detention facility Owned by client, with ongoing housing subsidy

Staying or living with family, temporary tenure (e.g., room, apartment or house) Rental by client, no ongoing housing subsidy

Staying or living with friends, temporary tenure (.e.g., room apartment or house;) Owned by client, no ongoing housing subsidy

Staying or living with family, permanent tenure Client does not know

Staying or living with friends, permanent tenure Client refused to provide

Hotel or motel paid for without emergency shelter voucher

19. SSVF Financial Assistance Provided

Rationale: To determine the type of financial assistance (including rental assistance, security deposits, utility deposits, utility payments, moving cost assistance, child care assistance, transportation costs and emergency supplies) and amount provided during program participation. Child care, transportation and emergency supplies assistance may not be available for data entry in HMIS, but must be collected for quarterly reporting purposes. Amount of assistance in these categories may be entered in HMIS if the HMIS system includes these options. Data Source: Case manager records. When Data are Collected: When SSVF financial assistance is provided as a one-time transaction and at least once every three months for participants receiving medium-term rental assistance. Subjects: All clients served. Definition and Instructions: Record SSVF financial assistance that is provided to a third party for the benefit of program clients. In separate fields record the following financial assistance information: start date for financial assistance, end date of financial assistance, type of financial assistance, and amount of SSVF financial assistance. Financial Assistance Provided data should be collected for each member of the household benefiting from SSVF financial assistance.

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Response: SSVF FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE PROVIDED [All clients] Record start date and end of financial assistance provided by type of assistance and amount. Collect and enter when financial assistance is provided as a one-time transaction and at least once every three months for programs that provide on-going assistance for consecutive months.

Start date (MM/DD/YYYY)

End date (MM/DD/YYYY)

Rental assistance

amount

Utility payment amount

Security deposit amount

Utility deposit amount

Moving costs

amount

Child care Amount

Transportation

amount

Emergency

supplies amount

_ _/_ _/_ _ _ _ _ _/_ _/_ _ _ _ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $

_ _/_ _/_ _ _ _ _ _/_ _/_ _ _ _ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $

_ _/_ _/_ _ _ _ _ _/_ _/_ _ _ _ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $

_ _/_ _/_ _ _ _ _ _/_ _/_ _ _ _ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $

_ _/_ _/_ _ _ _ _ _/_ _/_ _ _ _ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $

_ _/_ _/_ _ _ _ _ _/_ _/_ _ _ _ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $

_ _/_ _/_ _ _ _ _ _/_ _/_ _ _ _ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $

_ _/_ _/_ _ _ _ _ _/_ _/_ _ _ _ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $

_ _/_ _/_ _ _ _ _ _/_ _/_ _ _ _ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $

_ _/_ _/_ _ _ _ _ _/_ _/_ _ _ _ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $

_ _/_ _/_ _ _ _ _ _/_ _/_ _ _ _ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $

_ _/_ _/_ _ _ _ _ _/_ _/_ _ _ _ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $

_ _/_ _/_ _ _ _ _ _/_ _/_ _ _ _ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $

Total SSVF amount $ $ $ $ $ $ $

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20. SSVF Supportive Services Provided Rationale: To determine SSVF services provided during program participation. Data Source: Case manager records. When Data are Collected: At least once every three months during program enrollment, if the period between program entry and exit exceeds three months, and at program exit. Subjects: All clients served. Definition and Instructions: Services provided are those that the program provides directly for the benefit of program clients. In separate fields record the following information: start date of services, end date of services, and type of service(s) provided. Response: SSVF SUPPORTIVE SERVICES PROVIDED [All clients] Check ( or X) all services that were provided during each start and end date. Time between start and end dates cannot exceed three months. Enter assistance in obtaining VA benefits or other public benefits under Case Management in HMIS if your HMIS system does not include these response options.

Start date (MM/DD/YYYY)

End date (MM/DD/YYYY)

Case Management

Outreach and engagement

General case management

Case management assistance in

obtaining VA benefits

Case management assistance in

obtaining other public benefits

_ _/_ _/_ _ _ _ _ _/_ _/_ _ _ _

_ _/_ _/_ _ _ _ _ _/_ _/_ _ _ _

_ _/_ _/_ _ _ _ _ _/_ _/_ _ _ _

_ _/_ _/_ _ _ _ _ _/_ _/_ _ _ _

_ _/_ _/_ _ _ _ _ _/_ _/_ _ _ _

_ _/_ _/_ _ _ _ _ _/_ _/_ _ _ _

_ _/_ _/_ _ _ _ _ _/_ _/_ _ _ _

_ _/_ _/_ _ _ _ _ _/_ _/_ _ _ _

_ _/_ _/_ _ _ _ _ _/_ _/_ _ _ _

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21. Housing Category

Rationale: Data element may not be currently available in your CoC HMIS system. However, grantees are required to collect this information in order to meet quarterly reporting requirements. Data Source: Client interview or self-administered form. When Data Are Collected: At program entry. Subjects: All adults served. Definition and Instructions: Determine the response value that best describes where the client has been staying prior to entering the program. Response: HOUSING CATEGORY [All adults]

Category 1: Residing in permanent housing

Category 2: Homeless and scheduled to become resident of permanent housing within 90 days pending the location or development of housing suitable for permanent housing

Category 3: Exited permanent housing within the previous 90 days to seek other housing that is responsive to the very low-income Veteran family’s needs and preferences

Other (ineligible): (Describe)

22. Formally Chronically Homeless Rationale: Data element may not be currently available in your CoC HMIS system. However, grantees are required to collect this information in order to meet quarterly reporting requirements. Data Source: Client interview or self-administered form. When Data Are Collected: At program entry. Subjects: All Adults or Head of Household served. Definition and Instructions: Determine whether or not the household had previously experienced chronic homelessness based on the following definition:

Response: FORMERLY CHRONICALLY HOMELESS [All Adults or Head of Household]



23. Currently Chronically Homeless Rationale: Data element may not be currently available in your CoC HMIS system. However, grantees are required to collect this information in order to meet quarterly reporting requirements. Data Source: Client interview or self-administered form.

Chronic Homeless Definition: An unaccompanied homeless adult individual (persons 18 years or older) or a family with at least one adult member (persons 18 or older) who has a disabling condition who has either been continuously homeless for a year or more OR has had at least four (4) episodes of homelessness in the past three (3) years. To be considered chronically homeless, persons must have been sleeping in a place not meant for human habitation (e.g., living on the streets) and/or in an emergency shelter/safe haven during that time. Disabling condition is defined as "a diagnosable substance use disorder, serious mental illness, developmental disability, or chronic physical illness or disability, including the co-occurrence of two or more of these conditions."

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- 20 -

When Data Are Collected: At program entry. Subjects: All Adults or Head of Household served. Definition and Instructions: Determine whether or not the household is currently chronically homeless based on the following definition: Response: CURRENTLY CHRONICALLY HOMELESS [All adults or Head of Household]



24. Household Income as a Percentage of AMI Rationale: Data element may not be currently available in your CoC HMIS system. However, grantees are required to collect this information in order to meet quarterly reporting requirements. Data Source: Client interview or self-administered form. When Data Are Collected: At program entry. Subjects: All adults served. Definition and Instructions: Determine if the household earns less than 30% of the area median income, between 30% and 50% of the area median income or more than 50% of the area median income as published annually by HUD at (http://www.huduser.org).. Response: HOUSEHOLD INCOME AS A PERCENTAGE OF AREA MEDIAN INCOME (AMI) [All adults]

Less than 30% AMI

30% to 50% AMI

Greater than 50% AMI (ineligible)

Chronic Homeless Definition: An unaccompanied homeless adult individual (persons 18 years or older) or a family with at least one adult member (persons 18 or older) who has a disabling condition who has either been continuously homeless for a year or more OR has had at least four (4) episodes of homelessness in the past three (3) years. To be considered chronically homeless, persons must have been sleeping in a place not meant for human habitation (e.g., living on the streets) and/or in an emergency shelter/safe haven during that time. Disabling condition is defined as "a diagnosable substance use disorder, serious mental illness, developmental disability, or chronic physical illness or disability, including the co-occurrence of two or more of these conditions."

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http://www.huduser.org/�

VA Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) Final Training Manual

Contract No. GS-10F-0086K August 2012 Prepared for Department of Veterans Affairs Technology Acquisition Center 260 Industrial Way West Eatontown, New Jersey07724 Prepared by Abt Associates Inc. 4550 Montgomery Avenue Suite 800 North Bethesda, MD20814-334

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Abt Associates Inc. ▌pg. i

Table of Contents

Deliverable Context .............................................................................................................................. 1

1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 2

2. VA Homeless Program Participation in HMIS ....................................................................... 5

3. Getting Started ........................................................................................................................... 9

4. HMIS Fundamentals ............................................................................................................... 13

5. Data Collection Requirements for VA Grantees ................................................................... 17

6. Roles and Responsibilities ....................................................................................................... 25

7. HMIS Costs and Staffing ......................................................................................................... 27

8. Data Quality ............................................................................................................................. 31

What is Data Quality? ................................................................................................................ 31

What is a Data Quality Plan? ..................................................................................................... 31

What is a Data Quality Monitoring Plan? .................................................................................. 34

9. VA National Homeless Registry & Repository ...................................................................... 35

Appendix A: Glossary of HMIS Definitions and Acronyms ..................................................... 37

Appendix B – VA Grantee Implementation Chart ..................................................................... 45

Appendix C – Agency Readiness Worksheet ............................................................................ 58

Appendix D – Agency and Service Profile Worksheet .............................................................. 63

10. Instructions: .............................................................................................................................. 64

Organization and Program Profile Information Template ......................................................... 71

Organization and Program Profile Information Worksheet ....................................................... 73

Appendix E – VA Required Data Elements ............................................................................... 75

Program Descriptor Data Elements ................................................................................. 75

Universal Data Elements ................................................................................................. 76

Program-Specific Data Elements ..................................................................................... 77

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Abt Associates Inc. ▌pg. 1

Deliverable Context

This deliverable represents fulfillment of the Training Manual, identified as deliverable 0005AA in Abt Associates Inc. (Abt) contract with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) GS-10F-0086K.

The Training Manual provides training and support documentation for the VA’s HMIS approach; the VA will collect data on homeless veterans through HMIS for SSVF programs, through HOMES for all other VA-funded homeless programs, and will integrate data from both HMIS and HOMES in the homeless Registry to generate an unduplicated accounting of homeless veterans served by VA programs. The HMIS Options and Evaluation Report presents the VA HMIS approach in detail. If the VA decides to pursue an alternative approach, this manual may need to be revised to correspond with the HMIS changes.

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1. Introduction

In order to comprehensively understand homelessness among veterans and the effectiveness of VA-funded strategies to end veteran homelessness, the VA is implementing a new approach to collect information electronically from the VA and community-based organizations about homeless veterans and the services veterans receive. The new data collection approach focuses on data from homeless programs funded by the VA, but will ultimately also provide stronger data about those homeless veterans who do not seek assistance from the VA or VA-funded programs. Further, the VA strategy will improve information on veteran homelessness at the community-level, which is intended to facilitate closer coordination of VA-funded and non-VA homeless programs and improved community planning around veteran homelessness.

The VA’s homelessness data collection strategy has three primary components:

1. VA Medical Center staff will be required to collect data on homeless veterans served through internally-operated homeless programs and to record the data in Homeless Operations Management and Evaluation System (HOMES), a comprehensive internal VA recordkeeping and case management system. HOMES facilitates and integrates the collection of standardized client-level case management and detailed health services information from VA-funded programs that serve homeless veterans. The goal of HOMES is to enable the centralized management of data from all homeless veterans served in VA-funded programs and to make those data accessible for analysis and reporting; as such, it will function as both a data collection application and management system internally for the VA. With the HOMES system, the VA intends to track individual veterans across all VA-funded programs and facilities to better understand clients’ needs and assess program performance. HOMES is internal to the VA and is not accessible to community-based homeless assistance providers. In many ways HOMES functions as a data management system like HMIS, except that HOMES is only accessible to VA staff.

2. VA Medical Center staff working with Grant and Per Diem (GPD) and HUD-VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) grantees will be required to collect and record comprehensive client data about GPD and HUD-VASH clients in the HOMES system. As of March 31, 2011, community-based GPD grantees are required to collect and record a limited amount of data about these same clients in their corresponding CoC’s existing local Homeless Management Information Systems (HMIS). HUD-VASH providers are strongly encouraged to work with local HMIS to develop methods for providing a limited amount of data about their clients for entry into the HMIS.

3. From the onset, community-based Supportive Services for Low Income Veterans and their Families (SSVF) grantees will be required to collect and record comprehensive data about SSVF clients in existing local HMIS and to work with local HMIS administrators to periodically provide SSVF client data to the VA.

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VA Program Data

Collection System

Data Collection Start Date

VA Medical Center internally-operated homeless programs HOMES Ongoing

Health Care for Homeless Veterans • VA Community Contract Emergency Housing • VA Community Contract Residential Treatment • VA Community Contract Safe Haven

HOMES and HMIS

HOMES: Immediately HMIS: March 31, 2011

Mental Health Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Programs (MH RRTP) • Domiciliary Care for Homeless Veterans

HOMES and HMIS

HOMES: Immediately HMIS: As soon as possible

VA Grant and Per Diem (GPD) programs HOMES and HMIS

HOMES: Immediately HMIS: March 31, 2011

Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) HMIS At program start up

HUD-VASH HOMES and HMIS


Compensated Work Therapy (CWT) – Transitional Residence

HOMES and HMIS


This VA HMIS training manual and companion training materials have been developed to help GPD, SSVF, and HUD-VASH grantees understand the VA’s recently adopted data collection requirements for data collection in local HMIS. The VA will independently train VA Medical Center staff and grantees on the HOMES data collection requirements.

Section 2 of the manual provides an overview of HMIS, an explanation of why the VA has incorporated participation in HMIS as part of its data collection strategy, and what is expected of GPD, HUD-VASH and SSVF grantees, in terms of HMIS participation.

Section 3 of the manual provides a step by step guide to assistant a new VA HMIS user through the initial steps of HMIS implementation.

Section 4 highlights required technical standards for successful HMIS participation. These HMIS Standards are derived from the 2004 and 2010 HMIS Data and Technical Standards published by US Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Section 5 outlines the explicit data collection requirements for each of the VA program types participating in HMIS.

Section 6 reviews the roles and responsibilities of VA leadership, HMIS project staff, CoC managers and VA grantees.

Section 7 provides and overview of the expected costs and staffing needs associated with HMIS. General guidelines are provided to help new users understand the rational for HMIS resource needs and project the costs and staffing needs of their particular HMIS implementation.

Section 8 discussing the data quality standards and approaches require to ensure that data entered and managed in HMIS are high quality, complete, timely, and accurate for purposes of understanding the extent and scope of veteran homelessness.

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Finally, Section 9 addresses the planned data extraction, migration, and integration process from a CoC’s HMIS to the VA’s Repository and then finally to the national VA Registry itself.

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2. VA Homeless Program Participation in HMIS

What Is an HMIS?

Homeless Management Information Systems (HMIS) are electronic repositories of client-level information collected over time about persons who experience homelessness within each community across the country. Not all communities have an HMIS, but HMIS are now so wide-spread that most of the nation is affiliated with one. Data collected in HMIS are typically entered by the homeless providers who provide shelter, housing, and other services to persons to help prevent or address homelessness; thus, HMIS are community data partnerships, frequently managed by the local Continuum of Care (CoC) that is identified as the lead homeless planning body by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

HMIS are designed to facilitate case management, data collection, and performance assessment for local continuums and federal agencies. HMIS has been adopted by the VA and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as the official client data collection and management system for homeless providers to collect client-level data from persons experiencing homelessness.

HMIS software must include functionality to collect data on persons who are homeless and the services they receive, but most software offer functionality far beyond a basic data collection module. HMIS frequently offer modules to support client intake and electronic referral, case management, service tracking, housing search and placement, bed inventory management, and searchable community and mainstream benefit information resource listings.

A primary goal of the HMIS is to aid local CoCs in their efforts to end homelessness by collecting longitudinal data to support local service delivery, to understand the extent and nature of homelessness, and to understand the effectiveness of local responses to homelessness. By compiling data from across the country, Congress and federal agencies have also gained an improved understanding of the scope and patterns of homelessness, which has served as a platform for the development of federal strategies to end homelessness and a means to benchmark progress on them.

Why participate in locally-managed HMIS databases rather than enter data into a VA-specific system?

The VA has recognized that there is an existing data collection and management infrastructure in place throughout the country specifically for collecting data on homelessness from community-based organizations. The existing HMIS not only have funding and management structures already in place, but they are also governed by federally-defined HMIS Data and Technical Standards, which are closely aligned with the VA’s homeless data collection needs. These HMIS standards ensure that HMIS implementations throughout the country meet minimum privacy, security, and functional requirements and that all systems collect the data elements that the federal government has determined are necessary to understand homelessness and effectiveness of homeless programs. Thus, it makes sense for the VA to leverage existing HMIS.

By reinforcing the collection of data about veterans experiencing homelessness in each locality’s HMIS, the VA is also enabling communities and partner federal agencies to gain a more accurate and comprehensive understanding of veteran homelessness grounded in the actual experiences of homeless veterans and the service providers who assist them throughout the country. Merging data from VA-funded programs and non-VA providers who serve veterans is the only way to obtain a valid, comprehensive, yet unduplicated count of veteran homelessness.

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Another benefit of HMIS is the ability for community-based GPD, HUD-VASH and SSVF case managers to track information about their clients in a way that supports the case management process. Through the HMIS, case managers will be able to assist veterans through quicker access to community information and on-line benefits screening to identify and obtain the resources necessary to meet client identified goals, such as finding and keeping permanent housing, improving their health, or accessing job training and employment opportunities. Service coordination is also frequently improved by electronically sharing information among case management staff working with the same clients.

Aggregate program-level and agency-level information also will benefit VA-funded agencies and program managers by providing a more complete picture of veterans’ needs and service outcomes. HMIS reports can also provide more detailed information to help programs advocate for additional resources, complete grant applications, conduct evaluations of program services and staff performance, and report to funders.

For legal, privacy, and security reasons related to the broad range of sensitive clinical data collected by programs that are operated directly by VA Medical Center staff, the VA has determined that it is not appropriate to require internal VA programs to enter data directly into HMIS. However, the larger VA HMIS strategy is to identify ways to merge data from the VA’s internal data warehouse (VA Registry) with HMIS data. This data integration will happen in stages. Initially, client data from SSVF programs will be collected in the local HMIS and regularly submitted to the VA for program reporting and analysis purposes. Since GPD and HUD-VASH data will be dually entered into both HOMES and the HMIS, there will not be a need to transfer data about clients served by these programs from the HMIS to HOMES. However, since the GPD and HUD-VASH programs will be entering universal data in each locality’s HMIS about the homeless veterans served within the area, the locality will be able to immediately generate more comprehensive reports of veteran homelessness that provide critical information for adequate planning to meet veteran’s needs.

This VA HMIS strategy will provide unduplicated, de-identified, readily accessible, system-wide information to provide a more complete understanding of veteran homelessness, veterans’ needs and outcomes, and program and system-level performance and to inform policy decisions aimed at addressing and ending veteran homelessness at local, state and federal levels. The HMIS will also be able to generate data and/or reports to fulfill VA reporting requirements, the Federal Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR), Continuum application requirements, and local-wide and system-level funding reports.

Ultimately, the VA would like to identify feasible mechanisms to exchange and integrate data on veterans experiencing homelessness served by VA Medical Center programs with local HMIS and to integrate data about homeless veterans who are served within non-VA programs with the HOMES data; however, this is recognized as a longer-term goal.

What Does Participation in an HMIS mean for GPD, HUD-VASH, and SSVF Programs?

All SSVF grantees (GPD and HUD-VASH, if participating in HMIS) must participate in the HMIS that is associated with the jurisdiction in which the grant-funded services are provided. As mentioned previously, HUD has issued HMIS Data and Technical Standards that establish minimum requirements for data collection, privacy, security,

Staff from US Department of Veteran Affairs are not expected to enter data directly into HMIS. Entry of data for GPD, HUD-VASH, and SSVF is conducted by the community-based service organizations receiving funding to operate these programs.

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and application functionality. The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act as amended by the HEARTH Act of 2009 establishes further statutory authority for HMIS, including some of the minimum standards by which they should be operated. HMIS standards are expected to be incorporated into the forthcoming McKinney-Vento regulations as amended by HEARTH.

In order to be considered participating, GPD, HUD-VASH, and SSVF grantees must meet the federally-defined baseline HMIS standards that are in effect at any given time. The current standards are documented in the HMIS Data Standards Notice published in the Federal Register in March 2010.1

Further, since each HMIS is managed locally, there may be additional local participation requirements. For instance, the lead HMIS organization may require agency participation and user fees, additional client notification or consent procedures, and additional data collection requirements. VA-funded programs are not exempt from additional local requirements and should negotiate the applicability of them directly with the relevant HMIS lead organization.

The 2010 standards do not specifically provide data collection requirements for the VA homeless programs, although universal data collection requirements would apply to any homeless program regardless of funding. Data collection requirements for VA homeless programs will be specified in future HMIS Standards. Current expectations are articulated in Section 5.Data Collection Requirements for VA Grantees, in this manual.

Finally, SSVF grantees must work with the VA and nationally-identified protocols for data integration to submit SSVF client data to the VA at least monthly.

When Will The New Requirements Take Effect? The HMIS participation requirements will be rolled out in phases. VA GPD grantees are expected to begin participating in local HMIS implementations no later than March 31, 2011. Grantees of the Supportive Services for Low Income Veterans and their Families (SSVF) program will be required to begin in July 2011 or immediately following grant execution. HUD-VASH programs are strongly encouraged to begin discussions now with the local HMIS/CoC on methods for contributing data to the HMIS.

What Needs to Happen Next?

As a first step, VA grantees should identify the HMIS that is associated with the jurisdiction they serve. This information can be readily found on the HUD Homeless Resource Exchange website (www.HUDhre.info). Grantees should then approach the HMIS lead organization to determine what is entailed in local HMIS participation. A roadmap for participation that includes a list of potential questions to ask and activities to complete is included in Section 3.Getting Started, in this manual.

The HMIS lead organization should be able to describe the process for enrolling in the HMIS so the VA grantees can prepare accordingly. The SSVF grantees will also need to begin discussions with the HMIS administrator about transmitting SSVF client data to the VA on a monthly basis.

1http://www.hudhre.info/documents/FinalHMISDataStandards_March2010.pdf

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http://www.hudhre.info/�

http://www.hudhre.info/documents/FinalHMISDataStandards_March2010.pdf�


Where Can I Find More Information?

This manual includes an extensive Appendix of resources for use by VA HMIS participating programs. The appendix includes charts, worksheets, check sheets, community examples, a glossary of terms, and other useful documents. The VA also has additional resources available through the Homeless Veterans website (http://www.va.gov/homeless), including information on the National Center for Veteran Homelessness. In addition, HUD maintains an easily accessible online site where additional information, FAQs, and access to HMIS experts can be found: the Homeless Resource Exchange (www.HUDhre.info).

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http://www.va.gov/homeless�



3. Getting Started

First and foremost, VA grantees should completely review this entire manual as grantees initiate contact with the local HMIS project. This manual will assist you in becoming an informed and capable partner for participating in the HMIS and CoC. Following that, there are fifteen general steps to successful HMIS integration. They are:

1. Make initial contact with the CoC/HMIS staff

2. Participate in meetings to discuss needs and concerns; discuss solutions

3. Assess work flow

4. Identify and define functional needs to utilize HMIS

5. Identify and define technical needs of to utilize HMIS

6. Assess staffing needs

7. Assist HMIS staff with defining HMIS system customization needs

8. Assess funding needs

9. Adjust policies and procedures

10. Adjust agreements and contracts as necessary

11. Assist with developing a plan for ongoing training and help desk support

12. Assist HMIS staff with developing and implementing a data quality monitoring plan

13. Participate in Pre-Implementation Training

14. Begin entering data and reviewing data quality

15. Assist HMIS staff with developing, as necessary, the SSVF export.

A chart containing each step with questions and action steps is included in this Manual as Appendix B: VA Grantee Implementation Chart.

Step 1. Make Contact

Go to www.HUDhre.info, find the CoC and HMIS Lead for your geographic area. Call the HMIS Lead Contact; tell them why you are calling, and request a meeting to begin discussions. Review the questions identified in the Make Initial Contact activity. Attend the meeting prepared to provide the information under Grantee Questions and be prepared to answer the questions under the HMIS Lead Questions. Identify next steps and set up additional meetings as necessary to complete discussions on participation.

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Step 2. Participate in Meetings

Review the questions under the Participate in Meetings activity of the Implementation Chart. Be prepared to take notes on the answers to your questions and to answer the HMIS Lead Questions. Work collaboratively with HMIS staff to identify solutions and overcome barriers.

Step 3. Assess Work Flow

For SSVF programs, the HMIS staff will be invaluable in helping design how program data is collected and stored in the HMIS. They can recommend structures for intake forms, data entry forms, and operational processes. They can help connect grantees to other community partners who may be collecting similar data in a similar way and can make recommendations on how to make the HMIS work more efficiently for VA grantees. They can help assure that grantees are meeting all the data collection requirements outlined by the VA. The Assess Work Flow step is particularly important to HUD-VASH programs as they work with the HMIS staff to develop ways to contribute the Universal Data Elements to the HMIS. Review the questions on the VA Grantee Implementation Chart.

Step 4. Identify Functional Needs to Utilize HMIS

Functional needs are those things that are necessary to work efficiently and manage the VA programs. This may mean requesting customized screens for easy data entry. An example of a function is the ability to share data in the HMIS with other service providers to reduce duplicative data entry, facilitate online referrals. Another example of a function is the ability for the HMIS to export data in either XML or CSV file formats. This functionality is a requirement for SSVF programs. For HUD-VASH programs, a required functionality may be that the HMIS has the ability to import information into the HMIS in XML or CSV file formats. Review the questions on the VA Grantee Implementation Chart.

Step 5. Identify Technical Needs to Utilize HMIS

Technical needs are those things that are necessary to operate the system. Examples are update-to-date computer equipment, access to high speed internet, current operating system software on agency computers, anti-virus and anti-spyware, licenses to the HMIS software, etc. Complete the Agency Readiness Worksheet for each grantee/sub grantee who will be accessing the HMIS directly. This worksheet is found in Appendix C, Agency Readiness Worksheet, of this manual. HUD-VASH programs may need to assess their system’s capacity for data collection and export functions, depending on the solution the program and the HMIS create to contribute HUD-VASH data to HMIS.

Step 6. Assess Staffing Needs

Although the HMIS will have staff dedicated to managing the software, conducting training, and assisting with data quality, VA grantees will need to assess what kind and how many staff the program needs to conduct intake and data entry, both at the grantee and subgrantee level. VA grantees and subgrantees will need to plan for these necessary staffing needs while conducting budgeting and funding activities. Review the questions on the VA Grantee Implementation Chart. For more information see Section 7. HMIS Costs and Staffing, in this manual.

Step 7. Adjust Policies and Procedures

For GPD and HUD-VASH programs, it is not likely that any significant adjustment to policies and procedures is required. However, SSVF programs will need to develop new policies and procedures for the program, particularly around privacy and data security. SSVF programs may choose to make

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recommendations to existing HMIS policies and procedures. Regardless, it is strongly recommended that SSVF programs obtain and review a copy of the HMIS current policies and procedures manual.

Step 8. Define System Customization Needs

Although the HMIS staff will conduct most of this assessment, VA grantees should be prepared to assist the HMIS with making decisions on any customization necessary. In most cases, no customization will be necessary. However, SSVF programs will require an export of data to the VA Registry, which some HMIS may view as a customization. VA grantees should review the questions for this activity and be prepared to support any costs associated with software customization.

Step 9. Assess Funding Needs

The majority of the costs associated with the HMIS are covered by the HMIS funding streams. However, there are other costs associated with an HMIS that VA grantees must consider during budgeting. Licensing fees, costs associated with exporting data, data quality monitoring, training and online helpdesk facilities, and updating computer equipment and online connectivity are all costs that VA grantees should account for during the budgeting process. The HMIS staff will be able to assist in determining reasonable costs for these activities. For more information on funding and budgeting strategies, see Section 7. HMIS Costs and Staffing, in this manual.

Step 10. Execute/Adjust Contracts and Agreements

There are many aspects to consider when developing Participating Agreements with the HMIS. All HMIS projects require Agency Participation Agreements, which cover, amongst other things, agency roles and responsibilities regarding data security, privacy, confidentiality, use of the system, payment for licensing, and data quality. All HMIS projects also require that any individual who has access to the client level data in the system must sign an end user agreement, which details specifically the role, responsibility, and sanctions for non-compliance by a user to HMIS policies and procedures. GPD programs may already be participating in the local HMIS due to requirements by other funding sources, such as HUD’s Supportive Housing Program (SHP). In this case, existing agreements may only need to be reviewed and updated. SSVF and HUD-VASH programs, however, will likely need to develop new and distinct agreements based on program needs and methods of participation. Review the questions under the Execute/Adjust Contracts and Agreements activity. The HMIS will be able to provide you with a blank copy of their standard Participating Agreement for your review. Be prepared to collaboratively make decisions with HMIS staff to expedite contract/agreement execution.

Step 11. Participate in Pre-Implementation Training

The HMIS staff will provide training on how to enter data into the HMIS. It is critical that all data entry staff attend this training. It would be helpful if program intake staff could also attend – data quality is directly related to how well the intake and data entry staff mutually understand the data elements, the intake form, and the process for entering data.

Step 12. Develop a Plan for Ongoing Training

The HMIS staff will develop a plan for ongoing training and helpdesk support for the HMIS software. For GPD programs, the data entry is minimal and is likely to only involve a few screens. However, SSVF programs have larger data collection requirements and it is imperative that grantees also monitor intake and data entry in order to identify issues immediately for resolution. Data that is incorrectly captured and entered can be a huge problem if not identified until the data export is being conducted. Additionally,

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program staff will need training on the aspects of the program itself: eligibility, documentation requirements, limitations on benefits, as well as privacy, confidentiality, and security. HUD-VASH program training will be limited to the method agreed upon to contribute data to the HMIS and may not require data entry training with the HMIS staff.

Step 13. Develop and Implement a Data Quality Plan

Most HMIS already have a Data Quality Standard and Compliance Plan in place. GPD programs, because they are only entering Universal Data Elements, will not need to do anything special in addition to these existing plans. HMIS staff will provide data quality reports for GPD program review and will assist data entry staff in understanding how to correct data issues, just as they would other participating programs. SSVF programs may require additional monitoring and review for the local data quality process. Like other programs, HMIS staff will support SSVF data quality efforts by providing reports and training on how to fix identified issues; however, it is the SSVF program’s responsibility to monitoring and enforce data quality policies across all subgrantees. For more information on Data Quality Standards and Compliance Plans, see Section 8. Data Quality, in this manual.

Step 14. Enter Data

After adequate planning, training, and policies are in place, begin entering data into the HMIS. The HMIS staff will notify data entry personnel of their user IDs and passwords and will insure End User Agreements are signed and retained by the HMIS Lead Agency before data entry staff can gain access to the system. It is important to remember that VA programs have an obligation to insure proper use of the system and adherence to HMIS policies and procedures.

Step 15. Develop Reporting/Export Functions

Reporting for VA program’s will be handled in two ways. GPD and HUD-VASH programs have no required reporting from the HMIS. Any reports developed for these programs, other than data quality reports, are external to VA requirements and will need to be supported by the program’s agency directly. SSVF programs, however, are required to export the SSVF data elements from HMIS on a monthly basis. SSVF programs will need to work with HMIS staff to accommodate this function.

Following these fifteen steps will greatly enhance successful participation in HMIS.

For some HUD-VASH programs, this step will not include entering data directly into the HMIS. This step may be execution of a data export from an existing system for import into the HMIS, implementation of a process for a 3rd party provider to enter the data on behalf of the community, or implementation of the agreed upon method for contributing data to the HMIS.

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4. HMIS Fundamentals

Homeless Management Information Systems are locally administered, electronic repositories of longitudinal client-level information about persons who experience homelessness and housing instability and receive services within each community across the country.

The concept of HMIS originated in the late 1980’s as a grassroots effort to better understand homelessness by collecting electronic data on those persons served by homeless programs in communities. In 2001 Congress directed HUD to develop and implement data collection solutions at the local level as a means to measure homelessness and to inform program design and funding opportunities. Rather than develop and support a single software solution, HUD established baseline standards or parameters that systems must meet and allowed communities to define their own local needs and choose their own software.

HMIS Data and Technical Standards

HMIS is governed by a set of standards published in the Federal Register. There are two HMIS Standards in effect currently: The 2010 Revised HMIS Data Standards (which cover data elements, response values, and data collection requirements) and the 2004 HMIS Technical Standards (which cover privacy and security). HUD is currently in the process of revising both the 2004 Technical Standards and the 2010 Data Standards. Revisions will likely be released for comment in late 2012. Final Data and Technical Standards will not be effective for VA programs until the beginning of the federal fiscal year that commences on October 1, 2013.

The 2010 Revised HMIS Data Standards outline the data elements to be collected for HUD programs and provides standardized response categories for each element as well as definitions and guidance for collection. The HMIS Data Elements are outlined under three separate categories: Program Descriptor Data Elements (PDDEs), Universal Data Elements (UDEs), and Program-Specific Data Elements.

The Program Descriptor data elements are used to collect basic information on the programs utilizing the HMIS and to gather information for HUD’s Housing Inventory Count. To assist VA programs with accurately providing Program Descriptor data elements, please see Appendix D, Agency and Service Profile Worksheet, in this manual. The Program Descriptor data elements are:

• 2.1. Organization Identifier

• 2.2. Organization Name

• 2.3. Program Identifier

• 2.4. Program Name

• 2.5. Direct Service Code

• 2.6. Site Information

• 2.7. Continuum of Care Number

• 2.8. Program Type Code

• 2.9. Bed and Unit Inventory Information

• 2.10. Target Population A

• 2.11. Target Population B

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• 2.12. Method for Tracking Residential Program Occupancy

• 2.13 Grantee Identifier

The Universal Data Elements are basic administrative data required for collection on all cases entered into the HMIS. These data elements are:

• 3.1 Name

• 3.2 Social Security Number

• 3.3 Date of Birth

• 3.4 Race

• 3.5 Ethnicity

• 3.6 Gender

• 3.7 Veteran Status

• 3.8 Disabling Condition

• 3.9 Residence Prior to Program Entry

• 3.10 Zip Code of Last Permanent Address

• 3.11 Housing Status

• 3.12 Program Entry Date

• 3.13 Program Exit Date

• 3.14 Unique Person Identification Number

• 3.15 Household Identification Number

The Program-Specific Data Elements are additional data about the client and the services clients utilize. Not every Program-Specific Data Elements is required for every program. The data elements required are different for different programs. For the list of Data Elements required for VA Programs, see Section 4. Data Collection Requirements for VA Grantees, in this manual. The HUD Program-Specific Data Elements are:

• 4.1 Income and Sources

• 4.2 Non-Cash Benefits

• 4.3 Physical Disability

• 4.4 Developmental Disability

• 4.5 Chronic Health Condition

• 4.6 HIV/AIDS

• 4.7 Mental Health

• 4.8 Substance Use

• 4.9 Domestic Violence

• 4.10 Destination

• 4.11 Date of Contact

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• 4.12 Date of Engagement

• 4.13 Financial Services Provided

• 4.14 Housing Relocation & Stabilization Services Provided

• 4.15 Optional Data Elements

− 4.15A Employment

− 4.15B Adult Education

− 4.15C General Health Status

− 4.15D Pregnancy Status

− 4.15E Veteran’s Information

− 4.15F Children’s Education

− 4.15G Reason for Leaving

− 4.15H Services Provided

The HMIS Technical Standards include sections on privacy and security. These sections address minimum and optional privacy and security standards that all data collections systems collecting HMIS data must meet.

Privacy standards protect client personal information from unauthorized disclosure. HMIS Privacy Standards cover seven areas: limitations, data quality, purpose and use limitations, openness, access and correction, and accountability. Under these standards, the HMIS itself and the agencies that use HMIS must adhere to minimum expectations for collecting and using data only when necessary, relevant, and appropriate; posting of privacy policy signs at intake desks; adopting and making easily accessible policies on purpose and use, practices for client data; client access to their information, and procedures for HMIS record review and correction, if necessary; procedures for accepting and considering questions or complaints about its policy; and a requirement that all participating agency staff must sign (annually or otherwise) a confidentiality agreement that pledges the staff to maintain client privacy within the scope of the HMIS and its data collection and reporting practices. For more information, please reference the 2004 HMIS Technical Standards.

Security Standards protect the data from unauthorized access to a client’s information. Data security is achieved through people, policies, and products. Staff accessing an HMIS must adhere to system security requirements such as the specific parameters for creation and use of a user ID and password. The HMIS Security System must also protect the data by having authentication procedures, virus protection and firewalls on computers storing or accessing the HMIS, restricting public access, physical security (locked doors, continuously monitored computer stations, etc.), disaster protection and recovery (backups), proper equipment and data disposal, and active system monitoring and auditing. Additionally, the HMIS software itself must apply security during data entry, storage and review, or any other processing function, such as electronic data transfers. HMIS Security Standards also apply to any hard copy or paper that contains data collected for or generated from HMIS, such as, but not limited to, paper case files, intake forms, signed consents, nightly bed lists, and data correction spreadsheets that contain record or client identifiers. For more information, please reference the 2004 HMIS Technical Standards.

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HMIS Implementation Structures

There are three typical HMIS models: Statewide, Multi-CoC and/or Regional, and Single CoC. Regardless of the model, there can be only one system identified by the CoC as the HMIS for the community and only one HMIS Lead Agency.

The Single CoC is the most common and is characterized by a single HMIS which serves a single CoC exclusively. In this instance, the CoC is solely responsible for the HMIS, including oversight and governance of the HMIS by the CoC Lead and/or its subcommittee designate. In this model, the HMIS Lead Agency is usually a local service provider who provides day-to-day system administration and helpdesk functions. In Single CoCs, they have local control over the system, enhancing system customization, reporting, and stakeholder coverage capacity. A primary drawback to a Single CoC HMIS is the burden of covering the full costs of the HMIS operations.

A Multi-CoC (or regional) HMIS occurs when multiple CoCs band together and select a single HMIS to meet their collective needs. In this model, participating CoCs share responsibility for the HMIS, including oversight and financial support. Often the HMIS Lead Agency is a Homeless Coalition or a local government entity, bringing the advantage of access to enhanced system administrative and data analysis capacity. Additionally, financial burden for Multi-CoC HMIS is decreased because the support is spread across multiple sources. While this model brings enhancements, efficiencies, and less financial burden, it also loses the local control a Single CoC enjoys, accessing local reporting may be problematic, and customization and growth needs may be focused regionally rather than locally.

There are a growing number of Statewide HMIS. These systems are robust – all (or almost all) of the CoCs within the State are on a single HMIS, greatly enhancing reporting for affecting State policy. The HMIS Lead is generally a Homeless Coalition or a state government entity and so enjoy the enhanced access to additional resources that a Single, or even a Multi-CoC, HMIS would not. Benefits include statewide analysis, sharing of cost burden, sharing of staffing burden, greater government involvement, greater access to technical resources, and greater access to political powers. Drawbacks include potential loss of local system administration and control, difficulty in local reporting, and system customization focused on state, rather than local, needs.

VA service providers should determine what their local HMIS implementation model is. This information can be very valuable in integrating VA services and Veteran needs into local, regional, and statewide planning and funding processes.

HMIS Governance

There are typically four HMIS governance models: HMIS Governing Committee, CoC Lead Agency, CoC with on committee structure, and CoC with multi-committee structure. VA service providers should review the local governance process to understand how decisions and policies are made regarding the local HMIS. Often the CoC Lead Agency is not the same as the HMIS Lead Agency and the CoC general membership is not involved in the day-to-day operation of the system. These tasks are the responsibility of a governing committee which reports status and progress back to the general CoC membership and the CoC Executive Committee on a monthly basis.

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5. Data Collection Requirements for VA Grantees

Comprehensive, reliable data is important to local planning processes. Currently, there are two VA programs expected to enter data into HMIS: GPD and the SSVF program. The Veterans Administration has determined that including GPD and HUD VASH information on the extent and characteristics of Veterans experiencing homelessness in the local HMIS will support local efforts to prevent and end homelessness and will help ensure homeless Veteran needs are represented in local planning. VA strongly encourages HUD VASH programs to enter data into HMIS, although VASH participation in HMIS is currently not required. The data elements for VA programs participating in HMIS are outlined below.

GPD Required Data Elements

GPD required reporting will continue to be facilitated through HOMES; therefore, the GPD data elements to be entered into HMIS are minimal and confined to the Program Descriptor and Universal Data Elements. GPD programs are expected to begin entering data into HMIS by March 31, 2011.

GPD HMIS Data Elements

Program Descriptor Universal 2.1 Organization Identifier 2.2 Organization Name 2.3 Program Identifier 2.4 Program Name 2.5 Direct Service Code 2.6 Site Information 2.7 Continuum of Care Number 2.8 Program Type Code 2.9 Bed and Unit Inventory Information 2.10 Target Population A 2.11 Target Population B 2.12 Method for Tracking Residential Program

Occupancy 2.13 Grantee Identifier

3.1 Name 3.2 Social Security Number 3.3 Date of Birth 3.4 Race 3.5 Ethnicity 3.6 Gender 3.7 Veteran Status 3.8 Disabling Condition 3.9 Residence Prior to Program Entry 3.10 Zip Code of Last Permanent Address 3.11 Housing Status 3.12 Program Entry Date 3.13 Program Exit Date 3.14 Unique Person Identification Number 3.15 Household Identification Number

GPD Program Descriptor Data Elements are collected prior to HMIS participation, are only collected once, but should be updated annually in tandem with the CoC’s Annual Point-in-Time Count.

GPD Universal Data Elements are collected at client entry into the program. Program Exit Date is recorded when the client exits the program. The Unique Person Identification Number and the Household Identification Number are automatically generated and assigned by the HMIS during the program entry process.

SSVF Data Elements

For the SSVF program, all program data will be collected within the local HMIS while data analysis and reporting will be facilitated by the Veterans Administration. SSVF programs are required to enter the Program Descriptor and Universal Data Elements. However, SSVF programs are also required to collect

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additional Program Specific Data Elements. The SSVF required data elements are identified in the chart below.

SSVF Data Elements

Program Descriptor Universal Program Specific 2.1 Organization Identifier 2.2 Organization Name 2.3 Program Identifier 2.4 Program Name 2.5 Direct Service Code 2.6 Site Information 2.7 Continuum of Care Number 2.8 Program Type Code 2.9 Bed and Unit Inventory

Information 2.10 Target Population A 2.11 Target Population B 2.12 Method for Tracking

Residential Program Occupancy

2.13 Grantee Identifier

3.1 Name 3.2 Social Security Number 3.3 Date of Birth 3.4 Race 3.5 Ethnicity 3.6 Gender 3.7 Veteran Status 3.8 Disabling Condition 3.9 Residence Prior to Program

Entry 3.10 Zip Code of Last Permanent

Address 3.11 Housing Status 3.12 Program Entry Date 3.13 Program Exit Date 3.14 Unique Person Identification

Number 3.15 Household Identification

Number

4.1 Source and Amount of Income

4.2 Non-Cash Benefits 4.10 Destination 4.13 Start Date of Financial

Assist. 4.14 Housing Relocation &

Stabilization Services Provided

To facilitate analysis and reporting, these data elements will be extracted from the HMIS and transferred to the Registry. SSVF programs are expected to begin entering data into the local HMIS on the date that program activities begin.

HUD-VASH Data Elements

HUD-VASH required reporting will continue to be facilitated through HOMES; therefore, the HUD-VASH data elements to be entered into HMIS are minimal and confined to the Program Descriptor and Universal Data Elements. Program Descriptor data elements are required in accordance with HUD’s Housing Inventory Chart requirements; however, HUD-VASH contribution of Universal Data Elements to HMIS is not required but is strongly encouraged. HUD-VASH programs should work collaboratively with communities on solutions for contributing HUD-VASH data elements into the HMIS.

HUD VASH HMIS Data Elements

Program Descriptor Universal

2.1 Organization Identifier 2.2 Organization Name 2.3 Program Identifier 2.4 Program Name 2.5 Direct Service Code 2.6 Site Information 2.7 Continuum of Care Number 2.8 Program Type Code 2.9 Bed and Unit Inventory Information 2.10 Target Population A 2.11 Target Population B

3.1 Name 3.2 Social Security Number 3.3 Date of Birth 3.4 Race 3.5 Ethnicity 3.6 Gender 3.7 Veteran Status 3.8 Disabling Condition 3.9 Residence Prior to Program Entry 3.10 Zip Code of Last Permanent Address 3.11 Housing Status

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HUD VASH HMIS Data Elements

Program Descriptor Universal 2.12 Method for Tracking Residential Program

Occupancy 2.13 Grantee Identifier

3.12 Program Entry Date 3.13 Program Exit Date 3.14 Unique Person Identification Number 3.15 Household Identification Number

HUD-VASH Program Descriptor Data Elements are collected prior to HMIS participation, are only collected once, but should be updated annually in tandem with the CoC’s Annual Point in Time Count. These data elements are required for HMIS regardless of Universal Data Elements and in accordance with HUD requirements concerning the CoC Housing Inventory Chart.

HUD-VASH Universal Data Elements are collected at client entry into the program. Program Exit Date is recorded when the client exits the program. The Unique Person Identification Number and the Household Identification Number are generated and assigned by the HMIS during the program entry process.

Additional information on data elements, when to collect them, and from whom are they collected, please see Appendix E. VA Data Elements and Response Categories, in this manual.

Security Standards

VA programs are required to adhere to all HMIS Security Standards, including any additional local standards established by the CoC. For more information on HMIS Security Standards, see the 2004 HMIS Technical Standards.

Privacy Standards

VA programs are required to adhere to all HMIS Privacy Standards, including additional and local Standards set forth by the CoC. VA programs are encouraged to review HMIS Privacy Standards and make recommendations, provided such changes minimally meet the Privacy Standards set forth in the 2004 HMIS Technical Standards. VA programs may choose to implement privacy standards more stringent than the HMIS and local privacy standards, including client consent protocols, provided such restrictions do not interfere with operation of the HMIS or the programs participating in it.

Reporting/ Data Exports

VA GPD programs have no VA-specific reporting required for generation from the HMIS. All GPD reporting and analysis will be conducted through HOMES. However, GPD programs are expected to be included in each CoC’s Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR) under the transitional housing reporting category.

HUD-VASH programs contributing data to HMIS have no VA-required reporting requirements that HMIS generate and submit data to VA. All HUD-VASH reporting and analysis will be conducted through HOMES.

SSVF programs are required to export a dataset from the HMIS to the VA Registry. The export may be in either HMIS XML 3.0 or CSV 3.02 file formats.

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Other VA Program Requirements

CoC Participation As a homeless provider it is strongly encouraged that all VA programs become an active member of theCoC. As a first step, the VA has encouraged use of the CoC’s local HMIS to collect client-level data on individuals and families at-risk of or currently experiencing homelessness. As an active member of a CoC it is expected that VA programs and staff take part in regular CoC operations including (but not limited to):

• Housing Inventory Count

• Point-In-Time Count (both Sheltered and Unsheltered)

• Annual Homeless Assessment Report

• Community Homeless Planning

Housing Inventory Count (HIC)

The HIC is designed to accurately reflect each Continuum of Care’s (CoC) capacity to house homeless and formerly homeless persons. Thus, the HIC is a complete inventory of emergency, transitional, rapid rehousing, and permanent supportive housing beds available in the CoC. The inventory should include all HUD-funded residential programs, as well as non-HUD funded programs (including VA programs) that provide housing to homeless and formerly homeless persons, even if those programs do not actively participate in the CoC planning process.

The Housing Inventory Count collects information about all of the beds and units designated for homeless individuals and families in each CoC, categorized by five Program Types.

1. Emergency Shelter: Total number of emergency shelter beds and units that are designated to serve people who are homeless and are recognized as part of the formal homeless system.

2. Transitional Housing: Total number of transitional housing beds and units designated to serve people who are homeless and are recognized as part of the formal homeless system.

All VA Domiciliary Beds that are providing housing and services to homeless veterans will be captured in the Emergency Shelter category.

3. Rapid Rehousing: Total number of Rapid ReHousing beds and units that are recognized as part of the formal system.

All VA GPD beds will be captured in the Transitional Housing category.

All SSVF beds serving literally homeless persons will be captured in the Rapid ReHousing category

4. Safe Haven: Total number of Safe Haven beds and units that satisfy HUD’s standards, as identified in the 2009 NOFA.

.

5. Permanent Supportive Housing: Total number of permanent supportive housing beds and units.

Continuums of Care use HIC data in combination with homeless Point-In-Time (PIT) counts to determine whether local housing capacity is sufficient to meet current needs. In addition, COCs must report on the number of persons staying in each program on the night of the count and this number must match the total

All HUD VASH beds and units will be captured as Permanent Support Housing.

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number of persons reported on the PIT count. Homeless veteran program participation in the HIC is critical in helping to determine whether or not the needs of homeless veterans are being adequately addressed.

The HIC also provides comparisons by program and in aggregate between number of beds available and number of beds participating in local HMIS. The HMIS participation rate is derived for each program and in aggregate by program type to determine overall CoC coverage. HMIS participation rates are used by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for annual homeless application scoring purposes and as qualifying information for CoC participation in the Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR). Continuums of Care are required to include veteran homeless beds on their housing inventory regardless of HMIS participation. Increased participation in HMIS by homeless veteran programs will result in higher HMIS participation rates and corresponding benefits to the Continuum of Care. There are numerous advantages of increased homeless veteran program participation in HMIS including:

• Higher scores on CoCs annual HUD homeless application;

• Increased opportunities for CoC AHAR participation;

• A better understanding of size and scope of homeless problem and the capacity of the shelter system to meet those needs;

• Improved planning of housing and services to appropriately address local needs; and

• Increased ability to measure progress in addressing homelessness for all homeless populations, including veterans.

For the most recent guidance and information on HIC and PIT please see the HUDHRE (http://www.hudhre.info/) .

Point-In-Time Count

Continuums of Care (CoCs) across the country undertake community-wide efforts to collect information on the number and characteristics of individuals and families experiencing homelessness. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires CoCs to complete a sheltered point-in-time (PIT) count annually, and an unsheltered count in odd calendar years (all CoCs are required to conduct a PIT count in 2013). The PIT count should be conducted during the last ten days of January and should include the number of homeless households with at least one adult and one child, households without children, and households with only children. Beginning in 2013, CoCs are required to report the number of persons age 25 and older, the number of persons ages 18-24, and the number of persons under the age of 17 by household type. CoCs must also collect information about how many individuals are veterans, number of veterans that are female, chronically homeless individuals and families, as well as those identified as severely mentally ill, substance abusers, those with HIV/AIDS, and victims of domestic violence (though this population is optional).

It is important that each CoC complete an accurate PIT count, as this data on the number, characteristics, and service needs of individuals, families, and unaccompanied children experiencing homeless is a critical component of homeless planning and program development. Accurate PIT data assist the federal government in understanding the trends among homeless populations, as well as adjust programs and services according to need in an effort to use resources as efficiently as possible. PIT data are the primary data source on homelessness for federal agencies, including the HUD and the VA. For example, the

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Congressionally-mandated Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) is prepared using PIT and HMIS data. PIT data is also used to track national progress against the goals and objectives contained in Opening Doors, the Federal Strategic Plan to End Homelessness. At the local level, PIT data allows communities to measure their progress towards preventing and ending homelessness.

It is critically important that homeless service providers, whether HUD-funded or not, participate in planning for and conducting the PIT count. In particular, CoCs should be sure to reach out to providers serving homeless veterans and unaccompanied children to ensure the accurate and appropriate collection of PIT data for these two subpopulations.

PIT efforts are divided into two categories:

• Sheltered Count. The Sheltered Count is required of all housing programs that serve persons that meet the HUD definition of homelessness in Emergency Shelter, Transitional Housing and Safe Haven programs (not Permanent Housing programs). This will affect the GPD, HUD VASH, and other VA housing programs. For more information please refer to the document: A Guide to Counting Sheltered Homeless People located at: http://www.hudhre.info/documents/counting_sheltered.pdf.

• Unsheltered Count. The Unsheltered Count is required of all CoC to capture information on homeless persons that have a primary nighttime residence that is in a public or private place and not designed for regular sleeping accommodations, such as cars, parks, abandoned buildings, bus or train stations, airports, or camping grounds.. Generally this is completed by supportive service and outreach providers, and thus will affect the VA homeless outreach teams. For more information please refer to the document: A Guide to Counting Unsheltered Homeless People located at: http://www.hudhre.info/documents/counting_unsheltered.pdf.

For more information please see the most recent HIC and PIT count guidance on the HUD HRE (http://www.hudhre.info/). Guidance:http://www.hudhre.info/documents/2012HICandPITGuidance.pdf

Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR)

Each year HUD is required to submit an Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress documenting the extent and nature of homelessness in the U.S. The AHAR is based on three data sources: HIC, PIT, and 12-month counts of people using homeless residential programs based on HMIS data. While all CoCs must submit PIT and HIC data, CoCs are not required to submit 12-month HMIS counts for the AHAR. CoCs that do submit this data are referred to as AHAR participants. While AHAR participation is not required, it is part of HUD’s scoring criteria in determining allocation of Supportive Housing Program (SHP) funding.

The HMIS data used in the AHAR are based largely on the universal data elements in HUD’s HMIS Data and Technical Standards. All HMIS data are reported in the aggregate for each CoC to the research team. The data is aggregated by the CoC’s HMIS administrator. Individual programs are responsible for ensuring that their staff is regularly entering, exiting, and maintain up-to-date client records in their HMIS and completing all the required data elements.

The data submitted for the AHAR should represent all persons who spent at least one night in an emergency shelter, transitional housing program, or permanent supportive housing program during a 12-month reporting period, from October 1 to September 30 of the previous year. Data are reported

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separately for individuals and persons in families in each of the three program types. Thus there are six reporting categories:

• Emergency Shelters for Individuals (ESIND),

• Emergency Shelter for Families (ESFAM),

• Transitional Housing for Individuals (THIND),

• Transitional Housing for Families (THFAM),

• Permanent Supportive Housing for Individuals (PSHIND), and

• Permanent Supportive Housing for Families (PSHFAM).

In addition, there is now an AHAR Veterans Supplemental Report. The data elements for this report are the same as the elements for the regular AHAR report, but only veteran participants are included. Note that all veterans are included in the Veterans Supplemental Report regardless of which programs provide the service (HUD-funded, VA-funded, or non-governmentally funded). The data collection process for the Veterans Supplemental Report takes place at the same time as the data collection for the regular AHAR. Thus, in total there are 12 separate reporting categories for which communities can submit data to the AHAR.

The Veterans Supplemental Report is published jointly by HUD and VA and is considered the benchmark for measuring homelessness among veterans.

For more information please refer to the document: Introductory Guide to the Annual Homeless Assessment Report located at: http://www.hudhre.info/documents/IntroGuidetoAHAR2010.pdf.

Community Homeless Planning

The main purpose for the local CoC’s existence is to plan for and address the needs of the person’s at-risk of and experiencing homelessness within the community. VA providers will be expected to meet the baseline CoC participation requirements discussed above (HIC, PIT, and AHAR). In many cases, VA providers will be asked to meet a higher level of participation within the local CoC, these expectations could include:

• Monthly CoC meetings attendance and/or leadership;

• Sub-committee or work group participation; and/or leadership

• Gaps Analysis;

• Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) planning and/or response;

• Rating and ranking process for the NOFA;

• 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness participation; and

• Discharge planning participation.

Participation in the CoC is not simply a one-way street, where VA providers will be asked to give; VA providers will also receive benefits from participation. The benefits that VA providers will realize will vary from community to community but may include:

• Representation of an underserved homeless subpopulation (veterans) in the community homeless planning process;

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• Improved coordination with other homeless service providers;

• Identification of additional resources that can assist VA homeless clients throughout the community;

• Increased awareness of the nature and extent of homelessness beyond veterans; and

• Improved data collection (through HMIS) and community homeless data.

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6. Roles and Responsibilities

A number of coordinated staff activities and functions are necessary for successful HMIS participation. Some of these staffing functions are a housed within the HMIS project, while others are the responsibility of a participation program. The following section highlights these typical roles and the responsibilities inherent in each.

Veterans Administration Responsibilities:

The VA will support the overall HMIS initiative, in particular advising VA service providers on HMIS participation requirements and data submission protocols.

The VA has authority to approve final decisions on key VA grantee HMIS participation issues including, but not limited to:

• Setting and enforcing minimum data collection requirements for VA grantees;

• Encouraging VA-wide homeless provider participation;

• Facilitating veteran and service provider involvement;

• Establishing VA mechanisms for monitoring and/or enforcing compliance with applicable data standards for VA participation in HMIS, data quality, security protections, and uses and disclosures of veteran data;

• Collecting HMIS data from local implementations and processing the data with HOMES data in the VA Registry; and

• Compiling and analyzing HMIS data with other federal partners.

Executive Director of VA Grantee Responsibilities:

A VA grantee’s executive director is responsible for all activity associated with agency staff access and use of the HMIS. The following roles and responsibilities represent the minimum expectations within a local HMIS implementation, however VA programs will need to become familiar with and follow any local HMIS policies and procedures.

Typically, the executive director is responsible for monitoring agency procedures to ensure compliance and ongoing agency access to the HMIS. The executive director will be ultimately responsible for any misuse of the HMIS system by his/her designated staff. The executive director agrees to only allow access to the HMIS based upon need. Need exists only for those program staff, volunteers, or designated personnel who work directly with (or supervise staff who work directly with) clients and have data entry or other data-related agency administrative responsibilities. These activities include:

• Monitoring Privacy and Security Compliance

• HMIS Policies and Procedures/Governance

− Use of Data for Community Reporting

− Agency and User Participation Agreements

• CoC Governance/participation

• Data Quality

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− Assume responsibility for completeness, accuracy, and protection of client-level data entered into the HMIS;

− Establish business controls and practices to ensure organizational adherence to the HMIS Policies;

− Communicate control and protection requirements to agency custodians and users;

− Authorize data access to agency staff and assign responsibility for custody of the data; and

− Monitor compliance and periodically review control decisions.

HMIS Lead Organization Responsibilities:

The HMIS lead organization is formally recognized and identified by the Continuum of Care to carry out the functions necessary to have a complaint and fully functional local HMIS organization. The following roles and responsibilities represent the minimum expectations of a local HMIS implementation; however each local HMIS implementation and the HMIS lead organization will have unique local HMIS policies and procedures that the VA provider will follow.

The typical HMIS Lead Organization will be responsible for:

• Adherence to the HMIS policies and procedures, as specified in the HMIS Data Standards and determined by the local CoC;

• Supervision of the contractual relationship with software vendor;

• Oversight of all day-to-day operations, including but not limited to:

− Quality assurance of the software vendor application operation;

− Maintenance the technical infrastructure hosted within the local CoC;

− Management of the agency and user system access based on execution of applicable agreements, training, and adherence to approved policies;

− Administration of other system functions;

− Provision of technical support and application training to users;

− Development of a reasonable number of reports for HMIS users;

− Maintenance of overall HMIS quality assurance program; and

− Orientation and supervision of HMIS technical staff to ensure appropriate program operations, compliance with guiding principles and Standard Operating Procedures.

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7. HMIS Costs and Staffing

HMIS Costs

The cost to a VA provider to participate in a local HMIS implementation is going to vary greatly and depend upon the local HMIS and CoC leadership. In general, HMIS participation fees are eligible administrative expenses for GPD, HUD-VASH, and SSVF grantees. Because HMIS is a locally developed system, participation costs will vary from community to community, however HMIS costs will fall under five basic categories and their related subcategories as outlined by HUD:

• Equipment:

− Central Server: cost of servers to run applications, house the database, and for backups;

− Personal Computers: cost of computers, printers, scanners, surge protectors, etc. for HMIS staff, system administrators, and data analysis staff;

− Networking: cost of equipment for internet connectivity and networking for the HMIS staff (routers, modems, switches, cabling); and

− Security: costs for routers, switches and other hardware based access controls, access tokens or fobs, costs for locked and keyed entry to server location, physical location and alignment of personal computers, locked solutions for storing intake and other paper forms, video surveillance.

• Software:

− Software/User Licensing: costs for ongoing licensing fees for security software (firewalls, encryption, virus protection, Public Key Infrastructure) and HMIS software user licenses;

− Software initial purchase: cost of initial purchase of security and HMIS software;

− Software Installation: costs associated with installing and configuring software, including consultant costs;

− Support and Maintenance: costs associated with supporting and maintaining both the software and hardware, including consultant costs; and

− Supporting Software Tools: initial purchase and ongoing licensing costs associated with supporting software tools (MS Office, operating system, external data analysis and reporting tools).

• Services:

− Training by 3rd Parties: costs associated with providing trainings on HMIS related subjects that are conducted by third parties;

− Hosting and Technical Services: costs associated with the technical services of a 3rd party (other than the HMIS software solution provider). May include physical housing of the central server and hardware on which the HMIS application or its support and troubleshooting of central application(s) being hosted, monitoring system performance, maintaining security, performing backups and restores, etc.;

− Programming: Customization: costs associated with customizing the HMIS software and/or developing interfaces, either by the HMIS software solution provider or a third party vendor;

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− Programming: Data Conversion: costs associated with converting data formats (i.e., CSV format to XML format) for system migration or integration;

− Security Assessment and Set-up: costs associated with having a third party assess and refine the HMIS security, including hardware and software assessment and policy and procedure development;

− Online Connectivity (Internet Access): initial and ongoing costs associated with connecting to the internet, other than hardware and software noted in Equipment and Software;

− Facilitation: costs associated with need to bring in external facilitators to manage discussions between stakeholders; and

− Disaster and Recovery: costs associated with developing a disaster and recovery plan that is facilitated by a third party.

• Personnel

− Project Management and Coordination: FTEs associated with managing and operating the HMIS;

− Data Analysis: FTEs associated with data analysis and reporting;

− Programming: FTEs associated with internal programming;

− Technical Assistance and Training: FTEs associated with developing and conducting training as well as travel and registration expenses for attendance at HMIS related trainings; and

− Administrative Staff Support: FTEs associated with support staff for the HMIS.

• Space and Operations

− Space Costs: costs associated with the location of the central servers and the HMIS staff; and

− Operational Costs: costs associated with ongoing operations (the price of running of IT services on a day-to-day basis). Operational costs may include expenditures for staffing, hardware maintenance, electricity, software procurement, storage rental and security. Operational costs are usually calculated quarterly or annually.

VA providers will not need to allocate funds for all of the eligible categories and sub-categories listed above; however these are the allowable categories for HMIS specific that HUD may provide to local communities. VA providers should discuss participation costs with HMIS and CoC leadership to determine a fair and equitable participation distribution of costs among available funding sources and allocate any fees or charges among all participating users in a fair and equitable manner.

In the typical HMIS configuration the VA provider may be asked to pay for the following:

• HMIS License fees;

• Support and maintenance costs;

• Initial and on-going training;

• Programming costs for customization or data conversion;

• Security assessment and set-up; and

• Staffing costs.

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There is no industry standard for HMIS costs; the budget needs vary from community to community. Often a baseline cost for an HMIS software licenses is assessed per user and additional functions cost more. The CoC and/or HMIS leadership can explain how the local HMIS fees are determined and what amount, if any, the VA grantee or community-based provider will need to contribute.

HMIS Staffing

In general many local HMIS implementations have local staff that fulfill one or more of the roles outlined below. As HMIS implementations vary from community to community so do the staff dedicated to HMIS. Various staff roles can and do support successful HMIS implementation and among these, most critically, are:

• HMIS Technical Staff:

− HMIS Project Manager;

− HMIS System Administrator;

− Help Desk Support; and

− Trainer.

• Data Analysis and Reporting Staff:

− Data Analysis Staff ; and

− Report Generation Staff.

HMIS Technical Staff

HMIS Technical staff typically fulfill the following four roles:

• HMIS Project Manager who is responsible for day-to-day oversight of HMIS staff, conducts planning, budgeting, and invoice approval process, interacts with CoC Leadership, sits on CoC Executive Board;

• HMIS System Administrator who is responsible for the day-to-day oversight of Help Desk Support, assists with planning, develops and provides training, sits on CoC Data Committee;

• HMIS Help Desk Support who is responsible for day-to-day support of end users; and

• Trainers who are responsible for ensuring that end users are trained on the technical aspects of the HMIS software as well as the policies and procedures (specifically data collection, security and privacy).

The purpose of HMIS technical staff is to keep the HMIS running smoothly and ensure its availability to end users. There is no established standard for HMIS technical staffing levels, so staffing will vary from community to community.

Note, given resource considerations these roles may be held by individual persons in larger implementation or multiple roles may be covered by one person in smaller implementations.

Data Analysis and Reporting Staff

There is no standard for staffing levels for data analysis and reporting, but like HMIS technical staffing, the number of individuals needed to adequately support data analysis ultimately depends on what data analysis, research, and evaluation activities are defined in the community. The role of a data analyst is to understand the structure and format of data, prepare data for analysis, and conduct analysis and

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evaluation. Data analysis takes both time and specialized knowledge in the use of research software and the application of statistical techniques.

VA Data Entry Staff

As HMIS implementations have progressed, since first implemented as early as 2001, communities have realized that the effort of data entry staff is critical to a successful HMIS. If insufficient time is allotted for staff to complete data collection and entry, the quality of the data within HMIS will suffer.

It should also be noted that some VA programs may encounter more than one system (HMIS and HOMES). These two systems operate parallel and there should be little or no duplication of effort between HOMES and HMIS. Primarily HOMES is a VA- internal case management system while HMIS is intended to collect client-level VA data to inform community or system-wide planning.

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8. Data Quality

For communities to meet the requirements specified in the HMIS Data and Technical Standards, it is strongly recommended they implement a formal procedure to monitor the ongoing quality of the data entered into the HMIS. VA service providers participating in their local HMIS should adhere to local Data Quality Standards.

The following information outlines the concepts of data quality and the recommended process for monitoring. VA providers should understand data quality and how it impacts both community planning and VA needs and actively seek to achieve the highest levels of quality possible.

What is Data Quality? Data quality is a term that refers to the reliability and validity of client-level data collected in the HMIS. It is measured by the extent to which the client data in the system reflects actual information in the real world. With good data quality, the CoC can “tell the story” of the population experiencing homelessness.

The quality of data is determined by assessing certain characteristics such as timeliness, completeness, and accuracy. In order to assess data quality, a community must first think about what data quality means and document this understanding in a data quality plan.

What is a Data Quality Plan? A data quality plan is a community-level document that facilitates the ability of the CoC to achieve statistically valid and reliable data. A data quality plan is generally developed by the HMIS Lead Agency with input from community stakeholders and is formally adopted by the CoC. At a minimum, the plan should:

• Identify the responsibilities of all parties within the CoC that affect data quality.

• Establish specific data quality benchmarks for timeliness, completeness, and accuracy.

• Describe the procedures that the HMIS Lead Agency will take to implement the plan and monitor progress to meet data quality benchmarks.

• Establish a timeframe for implementing the plan to monitor the quality of data on a regular basis.

In short, a data quality plan sets expectations for both the community and the end users to capture reliable and valid data on persons accessing the homeless assistance system.

Collecting data in the human service field can be challenging; clients presenting for services are often distraught, scared, or confused. It may be difficult to obtain accurate information from them, but case managers and others working with these clients need to understand the importance of obtaining accurate information from all clients they serve. Without good information, it is difficult to assess a client’s needs and determine the appropriate level of services for each homeless individual or family.

“Garbage in, Garbage Out” Individuals working in most any field have heard the phrase “garbage in, garbage out,” when referring to data collection. It is well known that the reports generated from a system are only as good as the data that is entered into the system. That is why establishing benchmarks for data quality and implementing ongoing monitoring protocols is critical to ensuring communities have valid and reliable data to make sound informed decisions.

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A plan that sets data quality expectations will help case managers better understand the importance of working with their clients to gather timely, complete, and accurate data. For example, most homeless providers collect information on a client’s military service history, or veteran status. Knowing whether a client has served in the military is an important piece of information; it helps case managers make appropriate referrals and alerts them to specific benefits the client may be eligible to receive – benefits that could help the client become permanently housed. If the case manager does not know the veterans status of a client, a piece of their story is missing.

Each component of a data quality plan includes a benchmark – a quantitative measure used to assess reliability and validity of the data. A community may decide to set the benchmark for a missing (or null) value for a certain data element at 5%. This would mean that no more than 5% of all the client records in the system should be “missing” a response to a particular data element.

There are 5 components to a good Data Quality Standard: Timeliness, Completeness, Accuracy, Monitoring, and Incentives. Although these standards have already been determined by the local CoC, VA programs must comply with local standards. Therefore, VA programs should obtain and review the local Standards and Compliance Plan for the local CoC.

Below is a brief overview of each Data Quality Standard component. For more information, a toolkit on how to develop a Data Quality Standard and Compliance Plan is available on HUD’s Homeless Resource Exchange (http://www.hudhre.info/documents/HUDDataQualityToolkit.pdf).

Component 1: Timeliness

Entering data in a timely manner can reduce human error that occurs when too much time has elapsed between the data coll

ection (or service transaction) and the data entry. The individual doing the data entry may be relying on handwritten notes or their own recall of a case management session, a service transaction, or a program exit date; so the sooner the data is entered, the better chance the data will be correct. Timely data entry also ensures that the data is accessible when it is needed, either proactively (e.g. monitoring purposes, increasing awareness, meeting funded requirements), or reactively (e.g. responding to requests for information, responding to inaccurate information).

The Standard for entering HMIS data in a timely manner is set by specifying the number of hours or days by which data must be entered. By including timeliness benchmarks for all types of programs that enter or contribute data to the HMIS, such as Emergency Shelter, Transitional Housing, Permanent Housing, Safe Haven, Outreach, Prevention, Rapid Re-housing, and any other programs in the CoC, local communities can ensure that data is available when needed, such as for the SSVF monthly export to the VA Registry.

Timeliness is critical for SSVF Grantees since data must be exported to the VA’s SSVF Data Repository by the 5th business day following the end of each month. This requirement often exceeds the general timeliness standards for the HMIS.

Component 2: Completeness

Partially complete or missing data (e.g., missing digit(s) in a SSN, missing the year of birth, missing information on disability or veteran status) can negatively affect the ability to provide comprehensive care to clients. Missing data could mean the client does not receive needed services – services that could help

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them become permanently housed and end their episode of homelessness. Completeness expectations include All Clients Entered and analysis of each of the HUD data elements. All Clients Entered is usually a manual process where regularly non-electronic records are compared to records in the HMIS to assess if all clients have been entered along with their associated service provision. For individual data elements, allowable percentages of null/missing data or levels of Unknown, Don’t Know and Refused responses is expressed as a maximum percentage. For example, a community may have determined that an allowable rate for non-VA programs of null/missing values for Veteran status is 0%, meaning that no null or missing values are allowed.

The Continuum’s goal is to collect 100% of all data elements. However, the Continuum recognizes that this may not be possible in all cases. Therefore, the Continuum has very likely established an acceptable range of null/missing and unknown/don’t know/refused responses of between 2 and 5 percent, depending on the data element and the type of program entering data.

It is important to understand that standards for SSVF Grantees may exceed the community’s existing completeness standards. For example, while responses of ‘Don’t Know’ and ‘Refused’ are acceptable responses for some data elements under the HMIS Data Standards, the VA may require additional information to establish program eligibility.

Component 3: Accuracy

The purpose of accuracy is to ensure that the data in the CoC’s HMIS is the best possible representation of reality as it relates to persons experiencing homelessness and the programs that serve them. Accuracy of data in an HMIS can be difficult to assess as it depends on the client’s ability to provide the correct data and the intake worker’s ability to document and enter the data accurately. Accuracy is best determined by comparing records in the HMIS to paper records, or the records of another provider whose information may be considered more accurate. For instance, a Social Security Number that is in question may be compared to a paper case file or an SSI benefit application, where the data is perceived to be more accurate.

A primary way to ensure that data is understood, collected, and entered consistently across all programs in the HMIS is to provide regular training, refresher courses, and cheat sheets for collection and data entry. Additionally, consistency in intake forms, how well forms match data entry methods, wording of questions, etc. are all excellent best practices for achieving the best possible accuracy of data.

Component 4: Monitoring

SSVF programs will need to implement monitoring practices to ensure that subgrantees are complying with the CoC’s HMIS data quality plan. Documenting the expectations for monitoring activities of the HMIS data and the methods that data quality is monitored will help prevent invalid data. A statement on the expectation of the SSVF grantee in their grant agreements that the providers meet the benchmarks in the data quality plan will eliminate confusion.

Component 5: Incentives and Enforcement

Incentives and enforcement policies reinforce the importance of good data quality. The local community will likely have established incentives and enforcement measures for complying with the data quality plan. The VA expects its grantees to adhere to or exceed the local Data Quality Standard to ensure quality data for its own programs, provide quality data for community planning, and to ensure that VA participation does not negatively impact CoC funding processes.

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The purpose of monitoring is to ensure that the CoC’s data quality benchmarks are met to the greatest possible extent and that data quality issues are quickly identified and resolved. The local HMIS and CoC will have a monitoring process in place. The following is a sample of a monitoring process that VA providers may be required to follow:

• Access to the Data Quality Plan:

•

The data quality plan will be posted to the CoC’s public website.

Access to Data Quality Reports

•

: The HMIS Lead Agency will make available by the 15th of each month data quality reports for the purposes of facilitating compliance review by participating agencies and the CoC Data Committee.

Data Correction

•

: Participating agencies will have 10 days to correct data. The HMIS Lead Agency will make available by the 30th of each month revised data quality reports for posting to the CoC’s public website.

Monthly Review

•

: The CoC Data Committee will review participating agency data quality reports for compliance with the data quality benchmarks. The Committee will work with participating agencies to identify training needs to improve data quality.

Public Review

•

: On the last day of each month, the HMIS Lead Agency will post agency aggregate data quality reports to the CoC’s public website.

CoC Review

•

: The CoC Data Committee will provide a brief update on progress related to the data quality benchmarks at the monthly CoC meeting.

Review Results

What is a Data Quality Monitoring Plan?

: Agencies that meet the data quality benchmarks are periodically recognized by the CoC Data Committee. For agencies that fail to meet the data quality benchmarks, the CoC may ask the agency to submit a written plan that details how they will take corrective action. The plan is then submitted to and monitored by the CoC’s Data Quality Subcommittee. Should the problem persist, the Data Quality Subcommittee may make a recommendation to suspend the agency’s ability to enter data into the HMIS, and will contact any appropriate state and federal funders.

A data quality monitoring plan is a set of procedures that outlines a regular, on-going process for analyzing and reporting on the reliability and validity of the data entered into the HMIS at both the program and aggregate system levels. A data quality monitoring plan is the primary tool for tracking and generating information necessary to identify areas for data quality improvement. Most data quality monitoring plans outline the procedures and frequency by which data is reviewed. The plan highlights expected data quality goals, the steps necessary to measure progress toward the goals, and the roles and responsibilities for ensuring the data in the HMIS is reliable and valid.

The local CoC will have a procedure in place to assess and monitor data quality. The HMIS Lead Agency produces reports that the CoC, or a data committee working on their behalf, uses to review and monitor data quality. Good data quality is a vital component to the CoC’s application for funding through HUD.

VA GPD grantees are expected to comply with local HMIS Data Quality Standards. HUD-VASH programs contributing data to HMIS are expected to contribute data in accordance with local HMIS Data Quality Standards.

SSVF programs are expected to comply with HMIS Data Quality Standards. As part of that compliance, SSVF grantees are expected to monitor data quality and ensure that subgrantees are also in compliance.

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9. VA National Homeless Registry & Repository

The VA has consolidated most of the homeless intake, assessment, and exit data collection into the Homeless Operations Management and Evaluation System (HOMES). HOMES data collection is primarily based on establishing a single record for each Veteran that allows ongoing tracking and reporting of all homeless services and related healthcare services that are received by the individual. In addition, there are some program-specific elements collected that are directly related to specific program requirements. From HOMES, data related to homeless Veterans is transferred to the Registry, a VA data warehouse. In the long term, the Registry will integrate data from HOMES, VA Medical Centers, and other programs to provide comprehensive reporting and analysis for Congress and VISNs.

Because data about homeless Veterans and the programs that serve them is of vital interest to local communities, in addition to entering data into HOMES, VA homeless programs are encouraged to participate in their local HMIS implementations. GPD, Community Contract, and participating HUD-VASH programs are, at a minimum, expected to collect and enter the Universal data elements (as defined in HUD’s March 2010 HMIS Data Standards) into their local HMIS.

SSVF programs do not enter data into HOMES. Instead, they are required by VA to participate in their local HMIS by collecting and entering all Universal data elements, as well as several additional Program-Specific data elements defined in the HMIS Data Standards. Once per month, in order to facilitate reporting and analysis of SSVF program data at the national level, SSVF data are exported from local HMIS applications in a standardized HMIS data exchange format (either XML or CSV) and uploaded to a VA server using the VA Repository, a secure, web-based application built specifically to integrate SSVF data from around the country into a single data set.

Prior to accepting an uploaded data set, the Repository conducts validation checks to ensure that it is consistent with the pre-defined HMIS data exchange format and that data quality is within acceptable ranges established by VA. The Repository provides a validation report with the results of the upload; the report includes information about data quality and, if the data set is rejected by the Repository, details that identify the reason for the rejection. Technical assistance staff are available to help SSVF grantees to address data quality and export structural issues to facilitate a successful upload.

In the long term, after all uploads are completed, SSVF data will be transmitted from the Repository to the Registry for reporting and analysis. In the short term, reporting will be generated from the Repository on a monthly basis.

The diagram below illustrates the concept of data migration.

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This requires program staff to enter data about the same clients into multiple systems, which is not ideal in the long term. In the future, a bi-directional data flow is envisioned in which SSVF data will continue to move from HMIS applications around the country, through the Repository, and to the Registry; in turn, data related to services provided to homeless veterans by GPD, HUD-VASH, and other VA homeless programs would be transferred to the Repository and made available to HMIS administrators in one of the HMIS data exchange formats in the communities where the services occurred. This bi-directional data flow would facilitate local planning and gaps analysis without requiring the entry of data into two separate systems.

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Appendix A: Glossary of HMIS Definitions and Acronyms

Administration for Children and Families (ACF) – A division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). ACF has a budget for 65 programs that target children, youth and families, including for assistance with welfare, child support enforcement, adoption assistance, foster care, child care, and child abuse.

Alliance of Information & Referral Systems (AIRS) –The professional association for more than 1,000 community information and referral (I&R) providers serving primarily the United States and Canada. AIRS maintains a taxonomy of human services.

Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) – Annual report to Congress on the extent and nature of homelessness

Annual Progress Report (APR) – Report that tracks program progress and accomplishments in HUD`s competitive homeless assistance programs. The APR provides the grantee and HUD with information necessary to assess each grantee`s performance.

Audit Trail - A record showing who has accessed a computer system and what operations he or she has performed during a given period of time. Most database management systems include an audit trail component.

Bed Utilization - An indicator of whether shelter beds are occupied on a particular night or over a period of time.

Biometrics - Refers to the identification of a person by computerized images of a physical feature, usually a person’s fingerprint.

Chronic homelessness - HUD defines a chronically homeless person as an unaccompanied homeless individual with a disabling condition who has either been continuously homeless for a year or more, or has had at least four episodes of homelessness in the past three years. To be considered chronically homeless, persons must have been sleeping in a place not meant for human habitation (e.g., living on the streets) and/or in an emergency homeless shelter during that time.

Client Intake - The process of collecting client information upon entrance into a program.

Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) – A flexible program that provides communities with resources to address a wide range of unique community development needs. Beginning in 1974, the CDBG program is one of the longest continuously run programs at HUD. The CDBG program provides annual grants on a formula basis to 1,180 general units of local and State governments.

Consumer - An individual or family who has or is currently is experiencing homelessness.

Continuum of Care (CoC) – A community with a unified plan to organize and deliver housing and services to meet the specific needs of people who are homeless as they move to stable housing and maximize self-sufficiency. HUD funds many homeless programs and HMIS implementations through Continuums of Care grants.

Coverage - A term commonly used by CoCs or homeless providers to refer to the number of beds represented in an HMIS divided by the total number of beds available.

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Covered Homeless Organization (CHO) – Any organization (including its employees, volunteers, affiliates, contractors, and associates) that records, uses, or processes data on homeless clients for an HMIS. The requirements of the HMIS Final Notice apply to all Covered Homeless Organizations.

Data Quality - The accuracy and completeness of all information collected and reported to the HMIS.

Data Standards - See HMIS Data and Technical Standards Final Notice.

Date of Birth (DOB) – the date a person was born

De-identification - The process of removing or altering data in a client record that could be used to identify the person. This technique allows research, training, or other non-clinical applications to use real data without violating client privacy.

Digital Certificates - An attachment to an electronic message used for security purposes. The most common use of a digital certificate is to verify that the user sending a message is who he or she claims to be and to provide the receiver with the means to encode a reply.

Disabling Condition - A disabling condition in reference to chronic homelessness is defined by HUD as a diagnosable substance use disorder, serious mental illness, developmental disability, or chronic physical illness or disability, including the co-occurrence of two or more of these conditions. A disabling condition limits an individual`s ability to work or perform one or more activities of daily living.

Domestic Violence (DV) - Occurs when a family member, partner or ex-partner attempts to physically or psychologically dominate another. Includes physical violence, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, intimidation, economic deprivation, and threats of violence. Violence can be criminal and includes physical assault (hitting, pushing, shoving, etc.), sexual abuse (unwanted or forced sexual activity), and stalking. Although emotional, psychological and financial abuse are not criminal behaviors, they are forms of abuse and can lead to criminal violence. There are a number of dimensions of DV. Including: mode - physical, psychological, sexual and/or social; frequency - on/off, occasional, chronic; and severity – in terms of both psychological or physical harm and the need for treatment, including transitory or permanent injury, mild, moderate, and severe up to homicide.

Electronic Housing Inventory Chart (eHIC) -

Electronic Special Needs Assistance Program (e*SNAPs) – The electronic update from HUD's Office of Special Needs Assistance Programs (SNAPs) in the Office of Community Planning and Development, offers policy and program highlights, resource links, and community spotlights. The e*SNAPs update is issued bi-monthly to members of HUD's Homeless Assistance Program listserv.

Emergency Shelter (ES) – Any facility whose primary purpose is to provide temporary shelter for the homeless in general or for specific populations of the homeless. Emergency Shelter Grants (ESG) – A federal grant program designed to help improve the quality of existing emergency shelters for the homeless, to make available additional shelters, to meet the costs of operating shelters, to provide essential social services to homeless individuals, and to help prevent homelessness.

Encryption - Conversion of plain text into unreadable data by scrambling it using a code that masks the meaning of the data to any unauthorized viewer. Computers encrypt data by using algorithms or formulas. Encrypted data are not readable unless they are converted back into plain text via decryption.

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Ethnicity - Identity with or membership in a particular racial, national, or cultural group and observance of that group's customs, beliefs, and language.

Exhibit 1 – Part of the SuperNOFA, includes the Housing Inventory Chart (HIC)

Exhibit 2 – Part of the SuperNOFA, project application section

Expansion Grant – additional funds to an existing grant by proposing a new expansion project within the implementation.

Extensible Markup Language (XML) – General-purpose specification for creating custom markup languages. It is classified as an extensible language because it allows its users to define their own elements. Its primary purpose is to facilitate the sharing of structured data across different information systems, particularly via the Internet, and it is used both to encode documents and to serialize data.

Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB) – Provides national leadership on youth and family issues. Promotes positive outcomes for children, youth, and families by supporting a wide range of comprehensive services and collaborations at the local, Tribal, State, and national levels.

Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) – Publicly announced standards developed by the U.S. Federal government for use by all non-military government agencies and by government contractors. Many FIPS standards are modified versions of standards used in the wider community.

Final Notice - See HMIS Data and Technical Standards Final Notice

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) – An information system for capturing, storing, analyzing, managing, sharing, and displaying geographically referenced information.

Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) – One of a series of laws designed to improve government project management. The GPRA requires agencies to engage in project management tasks such as setting goals, measuring results, and reporting their progress. In order to comply with GPRA, agencies produce strategic plans, performance plans, and conduct gap analysis of projects.

Hashing – The process of producing hashed values for accessing data or for security. A hashed value is a number or series of numbers generated from input data. The hash is generated by a formula in such a way that it is extremely unlikely that some other text will produce the same hash value or that data can be converted back to the original text. Hashing is often used to check whether two texts are identical. For the purposes of Homeless Management Information Systems it can be used to compare whether client records contain the same information without identifying the clients.

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) – U.S. law designed to provide privacy standards to protect patients' medical records and other health information provided to health plans, doctors, hospitals, and other health care providers. Developed by the Department of Health and Human Services, these standards provide patients access to their medical records and give them more control over how their personal health information is used and disclosed.

HMIS Data and Technical Standards Final Notice - Regulations issued by HUD via the Federal Register describing the requirements for implementing HMIS. The HMIS Final Notice contains rules about who needs to participate in HMIS, what data to collect, and how to protect client information.

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HMIS Lead Organization – The central organizations that will house those individuals who will be directly involved in implementing and providing operational, training, technical assistance, and technical support to participating agencies.

Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) – Computerized data collection tool designed to capture client-level information over time on the characteristics and service needs of men, women, and children experiencing homelessness.

Homeless Operations Management Evaluation System (HOMES) -

Housing Inventory Chart (HIC) – Consists of three housing inventory charts for: emergency shelter, transitional housing, and permanent supportive housing.

Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) – Established by HUD to address the specific needs of persons living with HIV/AIDS and their families. HOPWA makes grants to local communities, States, and nonprofit organizations for projects that benefit low-income persons medically diagnosed with HIV/AIDS and their families. HUD – See U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Inferred Consent – A covered homeless organization (CHO) must post a sign at each intake desk (or comparable location) that explains generally the reasons for collecting personal information. Consent of the individual for data collection may be inferred from the circumstances of the collection. The client must be a person of age and in possession of all his/her faculties (for example, not mentally ill).

Information and Referral (I&R) – A process for obtaining information about programs and services available and linking individuals to these services. These services can include emergency food pantries, rental assistance, public health clinics, childcare resources, support groups, legal aid, and a variety of nonprofit and governmental agencies. An HMIS usually includes features to facilitate information and referral.

Informed Consent - A client is informed of options of participating in an HMIS system and then specifically asked to consent. The individual needs to be of age and in possession of all of his faculties (for example, not mentally ill), and his/her judgment not impaired at the time of consenting (by sleep, illness, intoxication, alcohol, drugs or other health problems, etc.).

McKinney-Vento Act - The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act was signed into law by President Ronald Reagan on July 22, 1987. The McKinney-Vento Act funds numerous programs providing a range of services to homeless people, including the Continuum of Care programs: the Supportive Housing Program, the Shelter Plus Care Program, and the Single Room Occupancy Program, as well as the Emergency Shelter Grant Program.

Mental Health – MH - state of emotional and psychological well-being in which an individual is able to use his or her cognitive and emotional capabilities, function in society, and meet the ordinary demands of everyday life.

Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) – An announcement of funding available for a particular program or activity. See also SuperNOFA.

Penetration Testing - The process of probing a computer system with the goal of identifying security vulnerabilities in a network and the extent to which outside parties might exploit them.

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Performance Assessment Rating Tool (PART) – Developed to assess and improve program performance so that the Federal government can achieve better results. A PART review helps identify a program’s strengths and weaknesses to inform funding and management decisions aimed at making the program more effective. The PART therefore looks at all factors that affect and reflect program performance including program purpose and design; performance measurement, evaluations, and strategic planning; program management; and program results. Because the PART includes a consistent series of analytical questions, it allows programs to show improvements over time, and allows comparisons between similar programs.

Performance Measures – A process that systematically evaluates whether your program’s efforts are making an impact on the clients you are serving.

Permanent Supportive Housing – Long-term, community-based housing that has supportive services for homeless persons with disabilities. This type of supportive housing enables the special needs populations to live independently as possible in a permanent setting. Permanent housing can be provided in one structure or in several structures at one site or in multiple structures at scattered sites.

Personal Protected Information (PPI) – Information that can be used to uniquely identify, contact or locate a single person, or may enable disclosure of personal information.

Point in Time Inventory - A calculation of the numbers of beds in a region on one particular night.

Point in Time (PIT) – A snapshot of the homeless population taken on a given day. Since 2005, HUD requires all CoC applicants to complete this count every other year in the last week of January. This count includes a street count in addition to a count of all clients in emergency and transitional beds.

Privacy Notice - A written, public statement of an agency’s privacy practices. A notice informs clients of how personal information is used and disclosed. According to the HMIS Data and Technical Standard, all covered homeless organizations must have a privacy notice.

Program Data Element (PDE) – Data elements required for programs that receive funding under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act and complete the Annual Progress Reports (APRs).

Public Keys - Public keys are included in digital certificates and contain information that a sender can use to encrypt information such that only a particular key can read. The recipient also can verify the identity of the sender through the sender`s public key.

Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) – An arrangement that binds public keys with respective user identities by means of a certificate authority (CA). The user identity must be unique for each CA. The binding is established through the registration and issuance process, which, depending on the level of assurance the binding has, may be carried out by software at a CA or under human supervision. The PKI role that assures this binding is called the Registration Authority (RA). For each user, the user identity, the public key, their binding, validity conditions, and other attributes are made unforgeable in public key certificates issued by the CA.

Race – Identification within five racial categories: American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Black or African American, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and White

RHYMIS – See Runaway and Homeless Youth Management Information System

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Runaway and Homeless Youth Management Information System (RHYMIS) – An automated information tool designed to capture data on the runaway and homeless youth being served by FYSB’s Basic Center Program and Transitional Living Program for Older Homeless Youth (TLP). RHYMIS also captures information on the contacts made by the Street Outreach Program grantees and the brief service contacts made with youth or families calling the FYSB programs.

Scan Cards – Some communities use ID cards with bar codes to reduce intake time by electronically scanning ID cards to register clients in a bed for a night. These ID cards are commonly referred to as scan cards.

Shared Grant - the cost of the HMIS Implementation is shared with another program. For example, if a transitional housing facility shares the cost of the HMIS implementation with other providers.

Shelter Plus Care (McKinney-Vento Program) (S+C) – A program that provides grants for rental assistance for homeless persons with disabilities through four component programs: Tenant, Sponsor, Project, and Single Room Occupancy (SRO) Rental Assistance.

Single Room Occupancy (SRO) – A residential property that includes multiple single room dwelling units. Each unit is for occupancy by a single eligible individual. The unit need not, but may, contain food preparation or sanitary facilities, or both. It provides rental assistance on behalf of homeless individuals in connection with moderate rehabilitation of SRO dwellings.

SNAP – See Special Needs Assistance Program

Social Security Number (SSN) – A 9-digit number issued by the Social Security Administration to individuals who are citizens, permanent residents, and temporary (working) residents.

Substance Abuse (SA) SuperNOFA– See Super Notice of Funding Availability

Super Notice of Funding Availability (SuperNOFA) – The consolidation of all of HUD`s homeless grants program into one notice of funding availability. The SuperNOFA funds the Continuum of Care Competition.

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) – A monthly stipend provided to aged (legally deemed to be 65 or older), blind, or disabled persons based on need, paid by the U.S. Government.

Supportive Housing Program (SHP) – A program that provides housing, including housing units and group quarters that has a supportive environment and includes a planned service component.

Supportive Services - Services that may assist homeless participants in the transition from the streets or shelters into permanent or permanent supportive housing, and that assist persons with living successfully in housing.

Supportive Services Only (SSO) – Projects that address the service needs of homeless persons. Projects are classified as this component only if the project sponsor is not also providing housing to the same persons receiving the services. SSO projects may be in a structure or operated independently of a structure, such as street outreach or mobile vans for health care.

Technical Assistance – TA

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Technical Submission – The form completed in the second phase of the SHP fund application process where an applicant that is successful in the competition (called a “conditionally selected grantee” or “selectee”) then provides more detailed technical information about the project that is not contained in the original application.

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) – Provides cash assistance to indigent American families with dependent children through the United States Department of Health and Human Services.

Transitional Housing (TH) – A project that has its purpose facilitating the movement of homeless individuals and families to permanent housing within a reasonable amount of time (usually 24 months).

Unaccompanied Youth – Minors not in the physical custody of a parent or guardian, including those living in inadequate housing such as shelters, cars, or on the streets. Also includes those who have been denied housing by their families and school-age unwed mothers who have no housing of their own.

Unduplicated Count – The number of people who are homeless within a specified location and time period. An unduplicated count ensures that individuals are counted only once regardless of the number of times they entered or exited the homeless system or the number of programs in which they participated. Congress directed HUD to develop a strategy for data collection on homelessness so that an unduplicated count of the homeless at the local level could be produced.

Universal Data Element (UDE) – Data required to be collected from all clients serviced by homeless assistance programs using an HMIS. These data elements include date of birth, gender, race, ethnicity, veteran`s status, and Social Security Number (SSN). These elements are needed for CoCs to understand the basic dynamics of homelessness in their community and for HUD to meet the Congressional directive to support AHAR.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) – A Cabinet department of the United States government with the goal of protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services.

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) – The Federal agency responsible for national policy and programs that address America's housing needs that improve and develop the Nation's communities, and enforce fair housing laws. HUD's business is helping create a decent home and suitable living environment for all Americans, and it has given America's cities a strong national voice at the Cabinet level.

VAWA – See Violence Against Women Act

Veterans Affairs (VA) – A government-run military veteran benefit system. It is responsible for administering programs of veterans’ benefits for veterans, their families, and survivors. The benefits provided include disability compensation, pension, education, home loans, life insurance, vocational rehabilitation, survivors’ benefits, medical benefits, and burial benefits.

Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) – Programs range from policies to encourage the prosecution of abusers to victim's services to prevention programs. VAWA helped forge new alliances between police officers, courts, and victim advocates.

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Written Consent - Written consent embodies the element of informed consent in a written form. A client completes and signs a document consenting to an understanding of the options and risks of participating or sharing data in an HMIS system. The signed document is then kept on file at the agency.

XML – See Extensible Markup Language

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Appendix B: VA Grantee Implementation Chart

Activity VA Grantee/Subgrantee Goals Policy Implications Questions to Ask Questions

You May Be Asked

Make Initial Contact • Attend a CoC meeting • Call the local HMIS staff • Understand what is needed for

using HMIS

• New participation agreements

• What is the process for coming onto an HMIS?

• What is the decision making structure for the HMIS? How can I be involved?

• What can I do to prepare my providers?

• What can I do to support (financially or in-kind) the HMIS?

• What is the cost for licensing?

• What kind of access can I have to my program’s data?

• How will reports get developed?

• What is my role during implementation and after implementation?

• What are my responsibilities during implementation and after implementation?

• Do you know what data needs to be collected?

• Are there any special privacy or security concerns we need to consider?

• What is your timeline for starting data entry?

• When are your first reports due?

• What do the reports need to look like?

• What have you told your providers about HMIS and participation?

• What are your plans for supporting HMIS, financially or in-kind?

• What is your anticipated structure for governing your provider’s HMIS participation (local administrators, data quality monitoring, reporting structure)

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You May Be Asked

Conduct stakeholder meetings to discuss needs and concerns; discuss solutions

• VA Grantee conducts a meeting with providers to inform of HMIS decision and engage providers

• VA Grantee local lead conducts meetings with providers with HMIS staff in attendance to discuss needs/concerns and develop solutions

• What does participation in HMIS mean? How is it defined?

• Governance documents - How does VA Grantee fit in the existing governance model?

• VA Grantee may have different goals for HMIS participation - Are these goals congruent with the existing HMIS project goals? How can the goals of VA Grantee be integrated into overarching project goals that work for everyone?

• Define VA Grantee Roles and Responsibilities

• State intent to join HMIS • What are concerns? • How do you see HMIS will

benefit the program? • What are potential

solutions to voiced concerns?

• How can we work with the HMIS staff to successfully join the HMIS?

• What are the HMIS Data Standards?

• Why are they important? • Do we need to adhere to

the HMIS Data and Technical Standards?

• What happens if we have a conflicting need?

• How flexible is the HMIS in meeting our program needs?

• How do you currently collect and report data?

• What are reporting timeline/deadlines?

• Will you be sharing data between your programs, or with other HMIS participating programs?

• Do you have standardized intake forms?

• What are your privacy and confidentiality concerns?

• How can we assist you in preparing to join the HMIS?

Assess work flow • VA Grantee lead conducts meetings with providers to chart and assess their current work flow

• Identify and discuss potential changes needed for workflow

• Involve HMIS staff: use as workflow resource and to insure mutual understanding of required processes

• Potential work flow changes

• Potential changes in policies on how data is obtained (iPad/mobile technology/ central intake, etc), handled, entered, stored (hard copy)

• Will HMIS participation require that we change how we collect and report data?

• What functionality does HMIS have that could make our workflow easier/ provide better data?

• Can the HMIS be customized for our data entry?

• How do you currently collect and report data?

• What new data elements does your program need?

• What new response categories does your program need?

• What does your reporting look like?

• How often does it need to be submitted?

• Who has to review the reports before submission?

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You May Be Asked

Identify and define functional needs of the VA Grantee program to utilize HMIS

• VA Grantee local lead conducts meetings with providers to discuss functions the providers would like the HMIS to have

• Rate functions by importance • Engage HMIS staff to assist with

technical questions and function feasibility

• Make decisions on critical functions

• Authentication, access to data: Who gets access to data and when?

• What are the requirements for Grantee vssubgrantee access to data

• Are VA Grantee access to data needs in compliance with current HMIS practices? Will HMIS practices need to be changed/ separate practices developed for VA Grantees?

• What is the data export process going to be and who will facilitate it?

• Where does HMIS Data and Technical Standard compliance come into play?

• What about HMIS software compliance with changing HMIS standards?

• What potential impacts do these different requirements have on data quality?

• How can the HMIS help us manage our program?

• How can we set up our program in HMIS to make our data entry and reporting easier?

• What are ways that HMIS can improve our workflow and access to client information?

• What are the functions you need HMIS to be able to do in order for you to manage your program? (bed management, record building for outreach, data sharing between programs, case management functions, etc.)

• What are the functions you would like HMIS to be able to do for your program?

• Do you plan on sharing data between program providers or with other HMIS participating programs?

• Do you need special access to program provider information (such as a VA Grantee needing access to all subgrantees)?

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You May Be Asked

Identify and define technical needs of the VA Grantee program to utilize HMIS

• Conduct a provider readiness assessment

• Identify hardware/software/connectivity needs

• Identify licensing needs • Rank technical needs by

importance • Engage HMIS staff to assist with

technical questions and identify potential solutions to technical needs

• Will policies need to be written for use of equipment, etc donated/ provided by HMIS or other funds?

• Will HMIS be used in addition to VA needs by Grantee/subgrantees?

• How will the use of new technology change policies and procedures?

• How do I assess the readiness of my providers to join HMIS?

• What does the Agency Readiness Worksheet tell me?

• What are solutions/ how can we work together to solve agency readiness issues?

• How many licenses are needed for each agency?

• Are special licenses needed for access to reporting?

• What is the cost of licensing?

• What is the cost of ongoing training and support?

• Have you completed an Agency Readiness Worksheet for all your providers?

• What is the status of their readiness to join HMIS?

• What are their hardware/software/connectivity needs?

• How many licenses are needed for each agency?

• Are special licenses needed for access to reporting?

• How are you going to support agency readiness and meet their technical needs?

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You May Be Asked

Assess staffing needs

• VA Grantee assists subgrantees with evaluating any additional staffing needs

• Data entry • Data analysis • Data quality • Reporting

• What are policy requirements for gaining access to the system?

• What training is required? How often?

• What client level information can be seen by the HMIS helpdesk during efforts to assign an end user enter/correct a client record?

• How long does it take to enter records into HMIS?

• How often should data entry staff attend trainings?

• What tools will be available for assisting new users to accurately enter data?

• What are good staffing models for providers to consider for data entry and reporting staffing needs?

• Are there any best practices on provider staffing levels?

• How many new users will be joining the HMIS?

• Who will be responsible for ongoing support?

• Who will be assisting in developing data entry training curricula and “cheat sheets”?

• Who will be responsible for conducting data quality and analysis on your program?

• Who will be generating/ assessing the required reporting for your program?

• Who will assist the HMIS is developing and testing your reports?

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You May Be Asked

Adjust privacy policies and procedures

• VA Grantee staff learn current HMIS privacy policies and procedures

• VA Grantee staff recommend changes, if necessary, to HMIS privacy policies based on National VA guidance

• Determine which policies are affected.

• Potential security, privacy, confidentiality policies

• Potential data security policies and procedures

• Potential authentication/access

• If consent will be required, how will refusals be handled in the system?

• Potential changes in how data is collected and new security issues – Ex: Use of mobile technology

• Who will be responsible for monitoring compliance with security policies at the agency level?

• What data will need to be shared between agencies? (Addition of or changes to Interagency Data-Sharing Agreements)

• Who gets to publish data? How authorized? By whom? When?

• Negotiate/ collectively re-write policies and procedures

• How do I get a copy of the current HMIS policies and procedures?

• How do I make recommendations on changes to HMIS policies and procedures based on my program’s needs?

• What happens if a policy or procedure requirement for my program conflicts with an established HMIS policy or procedure?

• How do I educate/train my providers on HMIS policies and procedures?

• What are the privacy, confidentiality, and data security requirements of your program?

• What are the process and procedure requirements for your program?

• Who will assist in developing mutually agreeable language for policies and procedures that need changing?

• What will be your process for educating/ training your providers on HMIS policies and procedures?

• Does your program fall under HIPAA? If so, how and what HMIS policies and procedures need to change?

• Do new funders/agencies have unique requirements around consent or notification?

• Will consent be required or is implied consent adequate?

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You May Be Asked

Assess and define HMIS system customization needs

• VA Grantee staff make changes to workflow, as needed

• VA Grantee provides HMIS staff with critical functionality needs and ideas for potential solutions (customization needs)

• How will system customization affect policies and procedures, particularly around privacy and data security?

• Data Sharing • Do you need to

customize participation requirements for different agencies?

• How much customization is allowable to accommodate new requirements?

• Can we develop a “cheat sheet” that shows the order in which data needs to be entered into the HMIS?

• Can we use colors or other visual cues to highlight data elements and response categories that end users need to complete/use?

• Can we have our own data entry screens for our program?

• Can we “hide” certain aspects/data elements of a client’s record?

• What are the additional data elements and response categories needed for your program?

• What order do you want end users to enter the data into HMIS?

• Does this order match the order that data is collected on the Standardized Intake Forms?

• Are there any data elements that are required for data entry (client record cannot be saved without input)?

• Do you want to use colors or other visual cues to assist end users in entering data accurately?

• What are data elements you want to close to other program providers/participating programs?

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You May Be Asked

Assess funding needs

• VA Grantee staff conducts a funding analysis based on:

• Functional needs • Cost of customization • Technical needs • Hardware • Software • Connectivity • Staffing needs • VA Grantee staff determine

funding resources • VA Grantee staff determine

implementation phases based on funding resources

• How will the VA Grantee support the HMIS?

• Will the fee structure stay the same? Who is responsible for payment?

• How would a funding structure change affect agreements and policies?

• Additional Resources - Will the addition of new agencies create a significant increase in administrative responsibilities? Will the addition of new agencies create a significant increase in training and technical support responsibilities?

• If customization is needed, what resources will be used? If new reports are needed, what resources will be used?

• What is the current cost structure for adding a new program and end users?

• What resources are already available to assist in financially supporting my program’s participation in HMIS?

• What ideas do the HMIS and CoC have for potential support sources?

• What information can HMIS and the CoC provide to assist my application for funding or support resources?Will the HMIS/CoC assist me in writing applications/ requests for additional supports for HMIS?

• How are you going to support the cost of your functional needs (i.e., customization costs)?

• How are you going to support the cost of your technical needs (hardware/software/ connectivity)?

• How are you going to support staffing needs (provider and HMIS)?

• What funding sources might be available to support these needs?

• What in-kind, donation, or other resources are available?

• When do you need to apply for these funding/ support resources?

• How can the HMIS/CoC staff assist you with applying for/ obtaining these funding/ support resources?

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You May Be Asked

Adjust contracts as necessary

• VA Grantee and subgrantees sign participation and user agreements

• VA Grantee and providers sign Business Associate agreements with solution provider (if HIPAA is privacy requirement)

• Program Participation Agreements

• Agency Participation Agreements

• End User Agreements • Business Associate

Agreements (program/software solution provider)

• Will the data ownership and use policies remain the same?

• What needs to be included in the Program Participation Agreement/ MOU?

• What is the manner in which support (financial and in-kind) will be provided to the HMIS and on what frequency? What is the invoicing process?

• What are the roles of the HMIS and what are the roles of the Program Lead?

• What are the governance requirements for your program? Who is responsible and for what?

• What are data quality expectations, who will monitor and enforce, what are roles and responsibilities of program lead, providers, and HMIS staff?

• What is the notification agreement for termination of HMIS services?

• What are the non-compliance sanctions? • What needs to be changed/ updated in the Agency

Participation Agreement? What is the relationship between the Program Participation Agreement and the Agency Participation Agreement?

• What needs to be changed/ updated in the End User Agreement?

• What needs to be changed/ updated in the Business Associate Agreement with the software solution provider?

Conduct Pre-Implementation Training

• VA Grantee staff (in conjunction with HMIS staff) on:

• Expectations • Privacy/Confidentiality • Data Quality • Reporting

• What are policies regarding training attendance prior to system access? Or ongoing system access?

• What is the information I need to provide my providers on privacy and confidentiality?

• What is the best method for tracking who participated in the trainings?

• How often should I retrain my providers/staff on these subjects?

• How do I follow up on additional clarifications (if needed)?

• How do I know that the training participants understand the content I provided?

• What support do you need from HMIS / CoC staff to provide training to your providers on privacy/confidentiality, data quality, and reporting?

• Who will assist in scheduling and facilitating trainings for HMIS 101, and Security?

• What documentation do you need to track who participated in the trainings?

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You May Be Asked

Develop a plan for ongoing training and help desk support

• VA Grantee staff develop ongoing training and help desk support for:

• Privacy/Confidentiality • Data Quality • Reporting • National Policy re: HMIS and

Reporting

• VA Grantee develops, in conjunction with HMIS staff, a plan for ongoing training needs and expectations

• How often should I require my program providers to go through these trainings (annually, bi-annually, etc.)?

• How do you want me to inform the HMIS/ CoC of changes in privacy, data quality, reporting, and national policy regarding my program?

• What is my anticipated cost for ongoing training and helpdesk support for my program providers?

• What happens if my program providers require more support than we anticipated?

• What happens if a national policy or regulation regarding my program requires major changes to the system, process, or policies?

• Who is responsible for informing providers and the HMIS of updates to privacy, data quality, reporting, and national policy for your program?

• What is the frequency you to anticipate changes that will require changes to the system or policies and procedures?

• Who will assist in updating training materials, policies and procedures, and with disseminating updates to your program providers?

• How often do you plan that HMIS staff will provide regular trainings to your program staff?

• How frequently will subgrantees need follow up assistance for data entry and data quality activities?

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You May Be Asked

Develop and implement a data quality monitoring plan

• VA Grantee staff learns about current HMIS Data Quality Standard and Monitoring processes

• VA Grantee staff makes recommendations for Data Quality Standards and monitoring process for VA Grantee providers

• VA Grantee staff (in conjunction with HMIS staff) develops the Data Quality Standard and Monitoring Plan for VA Grantee providers

• What are DQ policies and procedures for testing, monitoring, compliance, etc?

• Who is responsible for monitoring data quality for new entities

• What changes in requirements could have a potential impact on overall data quality

• What is the current HMIS Data Quality Standard and Compliance Plan?

• How do I make decisions on what my expectations will be for Data Quality Standards and a Compliance Plan?

• How do I make recommendations to changes in the current Data Quality Standard and Compliance Plan?

• How do I read data quality reports?

• How often should I review data quality reports and request providers correct the data?

• How do I educate/train my program providers on the Data Quality Standards and Compliance Plan?

• What do I do if a program provider does not adhere to my Data Quality Standard and Compliance Plan?

• What are best practices around incentives for complying with my Data Quality Standard and Compliance Plan?

• How often should I review my policies and expectations regarding Data Quality?

• What changes are needed to the current HMIS Data Quality Standard and Compliance Plan?

• What new data elements need to be added to data quality reports?

• What are your expectations for data quality from your program providers?

• What is the frequency you will be reviewing reports and requesting programs to fix data?

• What is the process you will put in place to monitor the data quality?

• What will be the timeline for your program providers to fix incorrect/ missing data?

• What are your incentives/ enforcement policies for achieving and maintaining data quality?

• How will you ensure that data quality problems do not affect other community funding reporting requirements and Standards?

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You May Be Asked

Implement solutions • VA Grantee staff ensures that all VA Grantee providers have completed trainings and submitted all necessary contracts/agreements

• VA Grantee/ HMIS staff implements helpdesk plan

• VA Grantee staff implements Data Quality Standard and Monitoring Plan

• Maintain compliance with HMIS Data and Technical Standards

• Maintain compliance with VA Grantee Data Quality Standards

• Have I developed all of my plans necessary to successfully implement this program in my HMIS?

• Are all agreements signed and on file? • Have all payments been received? • Have all pre-implementation training been conducted? Are

program staffs trained to the program lead/ HMIS satisfaction?

• Is my helpdesk staff trained and ready to support the new program’s lead and providers?

• Are the new program’s data quality reports ready and accessible?

• Have all of the new program’s providers completed the Agency Readiness Worksheet and successfully resolved any issues?

• Are the program’s report requirements under development? Is the timeline on par to meet the new program’s reporting deadlines?

• Do I have a testing process plan in place to test the reporting as it is being developed to insure it meets the new program’s specifications?

• Have all system customizations been completed and tested?

• Has all of the new program’s data entry staff been trained on how to collect and enter data into the system?

• Has the security for data sharing been tested and re-tested?

• Has the new program been set up properly in • Have the new users been set up and checked for their

security clearance?

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You May Be Asked

Develop the export function and any the reports (such as data quality reports) agreed to during the contract process

• VA Grantee staff provide guidance on export and report requirements, including counting logic and format

• VA Grantee staff ensure that VA Grantee providers understand the data entry requirements and reporting timelines for the VA Grantee reports

• What are policies around report development, testing, and publication?

• Who has access to reports and supporting data?

• What is the process for informing/relaying information necessary for the reporting to be developed?

• What is the best method for testing the reporting for accuracy?

• How to I approach the software vendor to resolve issues with vendor-generated canned reports?

• How do I “back-plan” to ensure that I am starting a review of my data and initiating corrective actions in a timely and managed manner so that I can generate and submit my reports in accordance with reporting requirements?

• What does the HMIS need from me to assist them in getting the reports developed and tested?

• How do I inform the HMIS if a reporting requirement changes?

• What are the specifications for the new program’s required reporting?

• Where do I get information that tells me how to create the reporting?

• Is there guidance on how to complete the counts and which data element to use?

• Is the software vendor going to be responsible for integrating this (these) reports into the HMIS as a canned report?

• Does the software vendor have plans to integrate this (these) reports into HMIS as a canned report?

• What is the timeline the report(s) need to be operational?

• How does the Program lead plan to test the reports for accuracy?

• What happens if national policy requires changes to the reporting?

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Appendix C: Agency Readiness Worksheet

VA Grantee/ Subgrantee Readiness Worksheet In order to understand if the Grantee or Subgrantee service providers are ready to begin utilizing HMIS, it is necessary to conduct a readiness assessment. If a Grantee or subgrantee does not meet the minimum requirements, then these items will need to be addressed before they can begin entering data into the HMIS. This worksheet will guide Grantees and Subgrantees through the readiness assessment process, including costs, funds available, number of computers, network, Internet access, and physical environment. This Worksheet supports planning by clarifying exactly what is needed to gain access to the HMIS based on regulations and software requirements. Some information must be obtained from the HMIS staff and are so noted.

REQUIREMENTS FOR RUNNING THE HMIS SOFTWARE: (Obtain this information from the HMIS System Administrator)

1. Internet access: Any computer that will be used for HMIS must have a high-speed connection to the Internet for the purpose of accessing the HMIS software.

2. Internet browser software: The browser must have a minimum of 128-bit encryption ability.

3. Internet connection speed: Dial up access is not sufficient to run HMIS software; the minimum transfer rate is <Enter Number> kbs.

4. Hardware processor: The PC speed should be at least <Enter Number> MHz.

5. Hardware RAM memory: The PC should have at least <Enter Number>MB RAM.

6. Screen Resolution: The lowest screen resolution should be <Enter Number> x <Enter Number>.

7. Firewall: If the computer is connected to the Internet or a network, and personally identifying information is accessed through that computer, a firewall must be present either on that PC or as a part of the network.

8. Virus protection: If the computer is connected to the Internet or a network, and personally identifying information is accessed through that computer, virus protection must be present and current on that computer.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR RUNNING THE HMIS SOFTWARE:

1. Operating System: Each computer should be on a currently supported version of an operating system (e.g. Windows, Mac O/S) with all critical patches available installed. The operating system(s) recommended for the HMIS is/are <Enter Name of OS here>.

2. Browser software version: Each computer should be on a current version of a browser. The recommended browsers for running the HMIS are <Enter Name/Versions of Browsers>.

WHAT IS THE CURRENT STATUS OF THE COMPUTERS THAT WILL BE ACCESSING THE HMIS?

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To assess Grantee/Subgrantee technical needs, make a list of the computers that the program will use to access the HMIS. List each of the criteria from above, as shown in the sample matrix attached. This process will determine where needs are, which the rest of this section describes.

1. Internet access: For each computer listed, put an x in the box if it does NOT

2. Internet browser: For each computer listed, find out the version of the browser software being used (Internet Explorer, FireFox, Mozilla, etc) to determine if 128-bit encryption is enabled. Even if the computer is not currently connected to the Internet, this software is probably already installed on the PC. Place an X in the matrix for the computer(s) that do

have the ability to connect to the Internet.

NOT

3. Internet speed: If the computer is on a network with access to the Internet, speed is not likely to be an issue. If the computer is not part of a network and the internet access speed is

meet the required versions.

LESS THAN

4. Hardware processor: If your computer has a processor speed

the requirement provided by the HMIS System Administrator, then place an X in the box for that computer in the Internet speed column.

LESS THAN

5. RAM memory: If the computer does

the speed requirements provided by the HMIS System Administrator, then place an X in the hardware processor column for that computer.

NOT

6. Screen resolution: If the computer

the minimum amount of RAM requirement provided by the HMIS System Administrator, place an X in the RAM column for that computer.

CANNOT

7. Firewall:

project at least the minimum resolution requirement provided by the HMIS System Administrator, then place an X in the screen resolution column for that computer.

- Is the computer on a network with Internet access?

i. If the answer is yes, there is a very good chance that a firewall is in place. Check with the system administrator to see if the firewall is active.

- If the answer is no, that the computer is not on a network, then is the Windows Firewall for the PC turned on? See if it is set to On; if not, turn it on to make it compliant.

- If the computer is not running Windows, is there a Firewall installed on the computer as a software program? If the computer is not on a network and a firewall software CANNOT

8. Virus Protection:

be found, mark an X for that computer in the Firewall column.

- Is the computer on a network?

i. If the answer is yes, then virus protection software is likely installed. Check with the system administrator to see if the firewall is active and up to date.

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- If the answer is no, that the computer is not on a network, then is there virus protection software installed and/or turned on? If NOT

9. Operating System: Each computer accessing the HMIS must have an operating system that meets the HMIS Software Solution Provider’s specifications. Check with the HMIS System Administrator to find out what operating systems are required to run the HMIS software.

, then mark an X for that computer in the virus protection column.

10. Browser software version: Each computer should be on a current version of a browser that meets the HMIS Software Solution Provider’s specifications. Check with the HMIS System Administrator to find out which browsers are recommended for best performance with running the HMIS.

FIGURING OUT WHAT IS NEEDED:

With the readiness matrix filled out, take a look at the 8 required columns. How many computers listed there have an X in at least 1 column? How many columns have an X for every computer? For a computer accessing HMIS to be compliant, there would be no X’s in the 8 required columns.

Now take a look at the 2 recommended columns. Again, how many computers listed there have an X in at least 1 column? How many columns have an X for every computer? This information tells you where you want to go. In some cases, it will be better to purchase a new computer than to upgrade an existing one. This information is critical for planning.

GETTING THOSE NEEDS MET:

VA Grantees and Subgrantees should work with HMIS System Administrators to identify best solutions for computers that are not in compliance. HMIS System Administrators will have information about how to correct compliance issues at the best possible cost. VA Grantees and Subgrantees should plan for computer equipment upgrades and purchases as part of their ongoing program design.

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Agreements, Contracts, Policies, and Training

The second part of the Agency Readiness Worksheet pertains to governance, agreements, and training. The following is a list of items that should be in place before a Grantee or subgrantee end user gains access to the HMIS.

Grantee:

1. Has the HMIS Partner Agreement been developed and signed? An agreement that outlines the grantee’s roles, responsibilities, and financial support of the HMIS. This written, formal agreement is signed by the Grantee and the HMIS Lead. The agreement should include directives on what the Grantee is responsible for as well as the HMIS staff, including data quality monitoring, program compliance, report generation, oversight of end users, adherence to privacy and security requirements, and financial support. It should include language regarding termination of services by either party, grounds for and notification practices for termination, and protections for non-compliance with the agreement. This agreement should outline the methods for identifying and managing all scenarios where there is potential for confusion at a later date.

2. Has the HMIS participation and data quality requirements been written into Grantee/Subgrantee contracts? Inclusion of these requirements, along with non-compliance ramifications, will protect both the Grantee and Subgrantee as well as insuring the HMIS is not adversely affected by poorly participating Grantee service providers.

3. Has the HMIS Agency Participation Agreement been signed? If the grantee is directly entering data into the HMIS and there are no subgrantees involved, then this agreement is necessary. This agreement outlines specifics regarding use of the system, adherence to the data quality requirements, oversight of end users, and adherence to privacy and security standards. Additionally, this agreement may outline the financial support for HMIS activities.

Subgrantee:

1. Has the HMIS Agency Participation Agreement been signed? This agreement is a written, formal agreement between the Subgrantee whose staff will be directly entering data into the HMIS system. It outlines specifics regarding use of the system, adherence to the data quality requirements, oversight of end users, and adherence to privacy and security standards. Additionally, this agreement may outline the financial support for HMIS activities.

2. Have privacy policies been updated and implemented?

3. Has staff completed training (software, privacy, security, program operation)?

4. Has the client consent form been updated and implemented (if necessary)?

5. Have intake forms been updated to ease collection and data entry?

6. Have procedures been put in place to collect and enter the data into the HMIS?

7. Has all staff signed end user agreements and have copies been provided to the HMIS staff?

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8. Have all computers accessing the HMIS been assessed and found to be compliant? Have non-compliant computers been upgraded or replaced?

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Appendix D: Agency and Service Profile Worksheet

Introduction:

This document is intended to begin the task of compiling the Program Descriptor Data Elements (PDDE) needed to create organization and program profiles within HMIS. These profiles are used in multiple ways throughout HMIS to assist with intake, discharge, case management, and reporting. The profiles are organized in a hierarchy with each agency will having 1 Agency Profile. Each agency will then have at least 1 Program Profile (and as many program profiles as programs operated by the agency).

These programs can be organized by program type for instance (Emergency Shelter, Transitional Housing, Permanent Housing, Outreach, etc…). Provided below is a worksheet for the Organization and Program Profiles. To help walk through the worksheet, we recommend the following steps:

1. Review all of your grants/funding streams;

2. Review reporting requirements;

3. Make a list of programs offered by your organization;

4. Draw the hierarchy of the Organization and Program(s);

5. Complete the Organization and Program(s) profile(s);

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10. Instructions:

The following Program Descriptor Data Elements are required for each Organization and Program within the CoC. Each element will provide you with the proper responise category and special considerations (if any):

Organization Identifier- Uniquely identifies an organization that operates a program within the CoC and it is automatically generated by the HMIS. Therefore VA Organizations need not produce this information.

Organization Name- Identifies the name of each organization that operates a program within the CoC. The organization name must be listed on a CoC’s Housing Inventory Count (if it is a housing service). The data is collected once for each organization but must be reviewed annually to ensure that it is up to date.

Program Identifier- Uniquely identifies a program within the CoC and it is automatically generated by the HMIS. Therefore VA Organizations need not produce this information.

Program Name- Identifies the name of each program operated by the organization within the CoC. The program name must be listed on a CoC’s Housing Inventory Count (if it is a housing service). The data is collected once for each program but must be reviewed annually to ensure that it is up to date.

Direct Service Code- Differentiates Programs in the HMIS that provide direct services from organizations that do not provide direct services (such as HMIS Lead Agencies, organizations that oversee or support CoC Programs, or software solution providers). The Direct Service Code has been added so that all client-level HMIS records are linked to a specific direct service program. Enter Yes or No for this element.

Site Information- Describes the overall program configuration and the facility where the Program provides most housing and/or services (i.e. the principal program service site) within the CoC. Site information is collected at the program- and site-level. For each Program, record the program site configuration type in accordance with theguidance below.

For the principal program service site within the CoC, or the site where the greatest level of housing or services are provided, record: 1) the site address, 2) geocode, 3) site type, and 4) housing type.

1. Program Site Configuration Type- For the overall program, record the site configuration type as follows: Single site, single building- Housing units (or service encounters) are at one site, in a single structure. Single site, multiple buildings- Housing units (or service encounters) are at one site, in multiple structures (e.g., single apartment complex with multiple buildings and program units in two or more buildings). Multiple sites- Housing units (or service encounters) are at multiple sites (e.g., scattered-site housing, outreach).

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2. Site Address

3.

- For the principal program service site, record the following (Programs without a principal program service site (e.g., mobile programs such as street outreach and scattered-site housing programs) should record the address of their administrative office): Street Address City State Zip Code

Geocode

4.

- For the principal program service site, record the geocode associated with the geographic location of the site. HUD provides a list of geocodes as part of the annual CoC application process. Geocodes must be updated annually. Mobile programs (e.g., street outreach) should record the Geocode based on the location of their administrative office. Scattered-site housing programs should record the Geocode where the majority of beds are located or where most beds are located as of the last inventory update.

Site Type

5. Housing Type- For the principal program service site, record the appropriate housing type. Non-residential programs should select “Not applicable: non-residential program. Mass shelter/barracks- Multiple individuals and/or family households sleep in a large room with multiple beds. Dormitory/hotel/motel- Most individuals and/or families share small to medium sized sleeping rooms or have private sleeping rooms. Persons may or may not share a common kitchen, common bathrooms, or both. Shared housing- Most individuals and/or families reside in one or more shared housing units that house up to 8 individuals or 4 families. Each unit includes a kitchen and bath. Each family generally has a private sleeping room, though more than one individual may share sleeping space. Single Room Occupancy (SRO) units- Most individuals reside in a private unit with a

-For the principal program service site, record the site type as follows: Non-residential: services only- The program only provides supportive services and does not provide overnight accommodations. Residential: special needs and non-special needs- Residential housing (i.e., site that provides overnight accommodation) is located within a 24 building or complex that houses both persons with special needs—e.g., homeless or formerly homeless persons, persons with substance abuse problems, persons with mental illness, or persons with HIV/AIDS—and persons without any special needs. Residential: special needs only- Residential housing is located within a building or complex that houses only persons with special needs—e.g., homeless or formerly homeless persons, persons with substance abuse problems, persons with mental illness, persons with HIV/AIDS, persons with a physical disability, and/or elderly persons.

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sleeping/living room intended for one occupant that contains no sanitary facilities or food preparation facilities, or contains either, but not both, types of facilities. Single apartment (non-SRO) units- Most individuals and/or families reside in a self-contained apartment intended for one individual or family household that includes a private kitchen and bath. Single homes/townhouses/duplexes- Most individuals and/or families reside in a self-contained home/townhouse/duplex intended for one individual or family household. Not applicable: non-residential program- The program does not offer residential services to clients.

6. Continuum of Care Number

7.

- associates each Program with a CoC for HUD reporting purposes. The CoC number is collected once for each CoC Program but must be reviewed annually and updated if there are changes to the CoC.

Program Type Code- associates each CoC Program with the specific type of service offered. Select the one response category that best describes the program. If multiple distinct services (e.g., emergency shelter and follow-up rental assistance) are offered, each component should be treated as a separate program in the HMIS. Emergency Shelter: This is a short-term shelter program designed to meet the most basic needs of the homeless. Maximum shelter stay for this type of program usually runs from between 30 days to 120 days. All VA Domiciliary Beds that are providing housing and services to homeless veterans will be captured in the Emergency Shelter category. Transitional Housing: These are designed to provide supported housing linked with intensive case management and services for individuals, families, and youth for up to a two-year period. Housing stays can run anywhere from 6 months up to 2 years. Average stay in most of these programs usually lasts 18 months to 2 years. Housing may be project based or scattered site. All VA GPD beds will be captured in the Transitional Housing category. Permanent Supportive Housing: These are designed to provide permanent housing, case management, and services for a significant length of time. All HUD VASH beds and units will be captured as Permanent Support Housing. Homeless Outreach: Contact homeless clients to offer food, blankets, or other necessities in such settings as on the streets, in subways, under bridges, and in parks to assess needs and attempt to engage them in services; to offer medical, mental health, and/or substance abuse services; and/or to offer other assistance on a regular basis for the purpose of improving their health, mental health, or social functioning, or increasing their use of human services and resources. Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-housing: This type of program involves providing services relating to preventing a homeless episode such as a security deposit or one month’s rent.

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Services Only Program: This relates to a program where services are not related to housing, outreach, or prevention and are focused on particular set of service needs. Examples could include soup kitchens, food pantry, referrals, education, and job training. Other: Most programs should fall into one of the above 6 choices. In cases, where a program does not fit into a program type, there is an opportunity to declare an alternate program type.

8. Bed and Unit Inventory Information- To record inventory information for each residential CoC Program in order to produce Housing Inventory data for the CoC application and the AHAR. One or more Bed and Unit Inventory Information records must be established for each program. Historical values are needed for the inventory in order to generate reports that relate to various reporting periods. These fields must be transactional, meaning they need to be able to record multiple values over time along with the date that the information changed. An HMIS may track the data in a variety of ways as long as historical data is maintained, the Housing Inventory for the CoC application can be produced, and inventory data can be mapped to the linked inventory data elements described in this section. Data can be collected annually, as long as the data reflects the changes in inventory over the course of the year, rather than at only a single point in time. The inventory history should reflect changes in standard program operations, but need not reflect day-to-day fluctuations. Examples of housing inventory changes that should be tracked historically include: the addition or removal of a group of new beds or units; the addition or removal of seasonal beds that are available for any period in the year; a program decision to target beds to a different household type; or changes in HMIS participation as a standard practice neglects to enter HMIS data on clients using the bed. The inventory data elements are: Household Type- This data element describes the household type served by beds and units counted in the Bed and Unit Inventory Information data elements. If some or all beds and units are not designated exclusively for a particular type of household, then record the household type most frequently served by the associated beds and units. For purposes of this data element, persons 18 and over are considered adults and persons under 18 are children. Record the household type for the associated beds and units as follows: Households without children- Beds and units are intended for households with adults only. This includes households composed of unaccompanied adults and multiple adults. Households with children- Beds and units are intended for households with (at least) one adult and one child, or households with an unaccompanied youth only, or households with multiple children only (e.g., juvenile parent and child). Bed Type- The Bed Type describes the type of program beds based on whether beds are: located in a residential homeless assistance program facility (including cots or mats); provided through a voucher with a hotel or motel; other types of beds. Record the bed type as follows: Facility-based- Beds (including cots or mats) are located in a residential homeless assistance

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facility dedicated for use by persons who are homeless. Voucher- Beds are located in a hotel or motel and made available by the homeless assistance program through vouchers or other forms of payment. Other- Beds are located in a campground, church, or other facility not dedicated for use by persons who are homeless. Availability- Describes the availability of beds based on whether beds are available on a planned basis year-round or seasonally (during a defined period of high demand), or on an ad hoc or temporary basis as demand indicates. Record the availability as follows: Year-round- Beds are available on a year-round basis. Seasonal (Emergency Shelters Only)- Beds/units are available on a planned basis, with set start and end dates, during an anticipated period of higher demand. Overflow (Emergency Shelters Only)- Beds/units are available on an ad hoc or temporary basis during the year in response to demand that exceeds planned (year round or seasonal) bed capacity Bed Inventory- The bed inventory data element is an integer that tracks the total number of beds available for occupancy as of the inventory start date (see 2.9G). Programs that serve a mixed population without a fixed number of beds per household type should divide the beds based on average utilization. For example, a program has 100 beds that could be used by either households without children or households with children. If one-half of the households are without children on an average night, then the program enters two separate Bed and Inventory Records for the 50 beds for households without children and for the 50 beds for households with children. Programs that only have units (no fixed number of beds) can use a multiplier factor to estimate the number of beds (e.g., a program with 30 family units and an average family size of 3 = 90 beds). Chronic Homeless Bed Inventory (Permanent Supportive Housing Programs Only)- The chronic homeless bed inventory data element is an integer that tracks the total number of beds available for occupancy for chronically homeless persons as of the inventory start date. A chronically homeless bed is a bed that is readily available and targeted to chronically homeless persons. The number of beds for chronically homeless persons is a subset of the total permanent supportive housing bed inventory for a given program and must be equal to or less than the total bed inventory. Unit Inventory- The unit inventory data element is an integer that tracks the total number of units available for occupancy as of the Inventory Start Date. Programs that do not have a fixed number of units (e.g., a congregate shelter program) may record the bed inventory, the number of residential facilities operated by the program, or the number of rooms used for overnight accommodation as the unit integer. Inventory Start Date- The inventory start date is the date when the bed and unit inventory information first applies. This may represent the date when a change in household type, bed type,

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availability, bed inventory or unit inventory occurs for a given program. Inventory End Date- The inventory end date is the date when the Bed and Unit inventory information as recorded is no longer applicable (i.e. the day after the last night when the record is applicable). This may be due to a change in household type, bed type, availability, bed inventory or unit inventory. For seasonal beds, this should reflect the projected end date for the seasonal bed inventory. HMIS Participating Beds- This data element is an integer that tracks the total number of beds participating in HMIS as of the HMIS participation start date. For programs that serve a mixed population without a fixed number of beds per household type. HMIS Participation Start Date. This is the date when the HMIS participating bed information first applies (i.e., the date when a change in the number of HMIS participating beds occurs for a program’s Bed and Unit inventory record). The HMIS Participation Start Date is the earliest program entry date that could be associated with a client using the bed or unit. HMIS Participation End Date- The HMIS participation end date is the date when the HMIS Participation information record is no longer applicable (i.e. the day after the last night when the number of HMIS participating beds is applicable for a program’s Bed and Unit Inventory record).

9. Target Population A

10.

- may be used to track bed utilization and service gaps. Record the appropriate Target Population served by the program. Select only one response. A population is considered a "target population" if the program is designed to serve that population and at least three-fourths of the clients served by the program fit the target group descriptor. SM- Single Males (18 and Older) SF- Single Females (18 and Older) SMF- Single Males and Females (18 and Older) CO- Couples Only (No Children) SM+HC- Single Males and Households with Children SF+HC- Single Females and Households with Children HC- Households with Children YM- Unaccompanied Young Males (Under 18) YF- Unaccompanied Young Females (Under 18) YMF- Unaccompanied Young Males and Females (Under 18) SMF+HC- Single Males and Females and Households with Children

Target Population B- allows HMIS to produce the Housing Inventory data for the for the annual CoC application to HUD. Record the appropriate Target Population B served by the program. Select only one response. If a residential homeless assistance program does not target one of these populations, select “NA: Not Applicable.” A population is considered a "target population" if the program is designed to serve that population and at least three fourths of the clients served by the program fit the target group descriptor. The responses are as follows:

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DV- Domestic Violence Victims VET- Veterans HIV- Persons with HIV/AIDS NA- Not Applicable

11. Method for Tracking Residential Program Occupancy

- This data element is needed to identify the method for accurately calculating program utilization and length of stay. Record the method used to track the actual nights that a client stays in a program. The standard method for residential homeless assistance programs that complete APRs must be based on a comparison of program entry and exit dates. A residential program that is not required to produce an APR may alternatively use a bed management tool or service transaction approach to report the number of persons receiving shelter/housing on a particular night. The responses are one of the following: Program Entry and Exit Date Comparison Bed Management Model Service Transaction Model

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Organization and Program Profile Information Template

Field Name Input Organization Identifier Created by HMIS Organization Name Enter the Organization Name Program Identifier Created by HMIS Program Name Enter the Program Name Direct Service Code Yes or No Site Address Street Address Enter the Street Address City Enter the City State Enter the State Zip Code Enter the Zip Code Geocode Enter the Geocode Site Type Non-residential: Service Only Residential: Special Needs and Non-special Needs Residential: Special Needs Only Housing Type Mass Shelter/Barracks Dormitory/Hotel/Motel Shared Housing Single Room Occupancy (SRO) Units Single Apartment (Non-SRO) Units Single Home/Townhouse/Duplexes NA- Non-residential program Continuum of Care Enter CoC Number Program Type Code Emergency Shelter Transitional Housing Permanent Supportive Housing Homeless Outreach Homeless Prevention Rapid Re-housing Services Only Program Other Safe Haven Permanent Housing Bed and Unit Inventory Information Enter Bed and Unit Numbers Household Type Households with Children Households without Children Bed Type Facility-based Voucher Other Availability Year-round Seasonal (Emergency Shelter Only) Overflow (Emergency Shelter Only) Bed Inventory Chronic Homeless Bed Inventory (PSH Programs Only) Enter the Number of CH Beds Unit Inventory Enter the Number of Units Inventory Start Date Enter the Date the Units Became Available

(MM/DD/YYYY) Inventory End Date Enter the Date the Units Became Unavailable

(MM/DD/YYYY)

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Field Name Input HMIS Participation Beds Enter the Number of Beds Participating In HMIS HMIS Participation End Date Enter the Date the Beds ceased HMIS Participation Target Population A SM SF SMF CO SM+HC SF+HC HC YM YF YMF SMF+HC Target Population B DV VET HIV NA Method for Tracking Residential Program Occupancy Program Entry and Exit Date Comparison Bed Management Model Service Transaction Model

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Organization and Program Profile Information Worksheet

Field Name Input Organization Identifier Organization Name Program Identifier Program Name Direct Service Code Yes No Site Address Street Address City State Zip Code Geocode Site Type Non-residential: Service Only Residential: Special Needs and Non-special Needs Residential: Special Needs Only Housing Type Mass Shelter/Barracks Dormitory/Hotel/Motel Shared Housing Single Room Occupancy (SRO) Units Single Apartment (Non-SRO) Units Single Home/Townhouse/Duplexes NA- Non-residential program Continuum of Care Program Type Code Emergency Shelter Transitional Housing Permanent Supportive Housing Homeless Outreach Homeless Prevention Rapid Re-housing Services Only Program Other Safe Haven Permanent Housing Bed and Unit Inventory Information Enter Bed and Unit Numbers Household Type Households with Children Households without Children Bed Type Facility-based Voucher Other Availability Year-round Seasonal (Emergency Shelter Only) Overflow (Emergency Shelter Only) Bed Inventory Chronic Homeless Bed Inventory (PSH Programs Only) Unit Inventory Inventory Start Date Inventory End Date HMIS Participation Beds

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Field Name Input HMIS Participation End Date Target Population A SM SF SMF CO SM+HC SF+HC HC YM YF YMF SMF+HC Target Population B DV VET HIV NA Method for Tracking Residential Program Occupancy Program Entry and Exit Date Comparison Bed Management Model Service Transaction Model

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Abt Associates Inc. Chapter Title ▌pg. 75

Appendix E – VA Required Data Elements

Program Descriptor Data Elements Provided to the HMIS System Administrator by all VA HMIS Participating Programs

Data Standards Program Applicability

When collected

Assigned once

Assigned once;

reviewed annually

At least annually or more frequently if

inventory or coverage changes

1 Organization Identifier GPD, SSVF, VASH X 2 Organization Name GPD, SSVF, VASH X 3 Program Identifier GPD, SSVF, VASH X 4 Program Name GPD, SSVF, VASH X 5 Direct Service Code GPD, SSVF, VASH X 6 Site Information GPD, SSVF, VASH X 7 Continuum of Care Number

GPD, SSVF, VASH X

8 Program Type Code GPD, SSVF, VASH X 9 Bed and Unit Inventory Information

Residential Homeless VA Programs Only

X

10 Target Population A (Optional for all programs)

GPD, SSVF, VASH X

11 Target Population B Residential Homeless VA Programs Only

X

12 Method for Tracking Residential Program Occupancy

Residential Homeless VA Programs Only

X

13 Grantee Identifier SSVF Programs Only X

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Universal Data Elements Collected by all VA HMIS Participating Programs

Data Standards Program

Applicability

Subjects When Collected

All

Clie

nts

All

Adu

lts All

Adults & Youth On

Their Own

Initial Program

Entry Only

Every Program

Entry 1 Name1 GPD, SSVF, VASH X X 2 Social Security Number1 GPD, SSVF, VASH X X 3 Date of Birth1 GPD, SSVF, VASH X X 4 Race1 GPD, SSVF, VASH X X 5 Ethnicity1 GPD, SSVF, VASH X X 6 Gender1 GPD, SSVF, VASH X X 7 Veteran Status GPD, SSVF, VASH X X 8 Disabling Condition GPD, SSVF, VASH X X 9 Residence Prior to Program

Entry GPD, SSVF, VASH X X

10 Zip Code of Last Permanent Address GPD, SSVF, VASH X X

11 Housing Status GPD, SSVF, VASH X X 12 Program Entry Date GPD, SSVF, VASH X X 14 Personal Identification Number GPD, SSVF, VASH X X 15 Household Identification

Number GPD, SSVF, VASH X X

¹ Note that one or more of these personal identifiers may need to be asked on subsequent visits to find and retrieve the client's record. However, this information only needs to be recorded in HMIS on an initial program entry.

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Program-Specific Data Elements Collected by all VA SSVF Programs

Data Standards

Program Applicabili

ty Subject

s

When Collected

During Client

Assessment Near Entry

At Least Once Every

Three Months During

Program Enrollment

2

At Least Once

Annually During

Program Enrollment

3 Every Exit

Every Conta

ct

Each Instance

of Financial Assistanc

e Income and Sources

All SSVF Programs

All Clients X X X

Non-Cash Benefits

All SSVF Programs

All Clients X X X

Destination All SSVF Programs

All Clients X

Financial Assistance Provided

All SSVF Programs

All Clients X X

Housing Relocation and Stabilization Services Provided

All SSVF Programs

All Clients X X

2 Only collected at least once every three months if the period between program entry and exit exceeds three months.

3 Only collected at least once annually if the period between program entry and exit exceeds one year.

.

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Homeless Management InformationSystem (HMIS)Data Standards

Revised Notice

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban DevelopmentOffice of Community Planning and Development

March 2010

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Table of Contents

1. Introduction to the 2009 Data Standards Notice ................................................................................ 11.2 Significant Differences between the 2004 and 2009 Notice................................................... 41.3 Statutory Authority .................................................................................................................... 51.4 Definitions.................................................................................................................................. 71.5 Victim Service Providers......................................................................................................... 101.6 Summary of Data Standard Applicability and Collection Requirements ............................ 11

2. Program Descriptor Data Elements.................................................................................................... 172.1 Organization Identifier ............................................................................................................ 182.2 Organization Name.................................................................................................................. 192.3 Program Identifier.................................................................................................................... 192.4 Program Name ......................................................................................................................... 202.5 Direct Service Code................................................................................................................. 212.6 Site Information ...................................................................................................................... 222.7 Continuum of Care Number.................................................................................................... 262.8 Program Type Code................................................................................................................. 262.9 Bed and Unit Inventory Information ...................................................................................... 272.10 Target Population A (Optional) .............................................................................................. 342.11 Target Population B................................................................................................................. 352.12 Method for Tracking Residential Program Occupancy ........................................................ 362.13 Grantee Identifier .................................................................................................................... 38

3. Universal Data Elements ...................................................................................................................... 403.1 Name......................................................................................................................................... 423.2 Social Security Number........................................................................................................... 423.3 Date of Birth............................................................................................................................. 443.4 Race .......................................................................................................................................... 453.5 Ethnicity ................................................................................................................................... 463.6 Gender ...................................................................................................................................... 473.7 Veteran Status .......................................................................................................................... 483.8 Disabling Condition................................................................................................................. 493.9 Residence Prior to Program Entry .......................................................................................... 513.10 Zip Code of Last Permanent Address..................................................................................... 533.11 Housing Status ......................................................................................................................... 543.12 Program Entry Date ................................................................................................................. 573.13 Program Exit Date ................................................................................................................... 593.14 Personal Identification Number .............................................................................................. 613.15 Household Identification Number .......................................................................................... 62

4. Program-Specific Data Elements........................................................................................................ 644.1 Income and Sources................................................................................................................. 664.2 Non-Cash Benefits................................................................................................................... 694.3 Physical Disability ................................................................................................................... 724.4 Developmental Disability........................................................................................................ 744.5 Chronic Health Condition ....................................................................................................... 764.6 HIV/AIDS ................................................................................................................................ 784.7 Mental Health........................................................................................................................... 79

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4.8 Substance Abuse...................................................................................................................... 814.9 Domestic Violence................................................................................................................... 824.10 Destination................................................................................................................................ 844.11 Date of Contact (required for street outreach programs only; optional for other programs)

................................................................................................................................................... 864.12 Date of Engagement (required for street outreach only; optional for other programs)....... 874.13 Financial Assistance Provided (required for HPRP-funded programs only; optional for all

other programs)........................................................................................................................ 884.14 Housing Relocation & Stabilization Services Provided (required for HPRP funded

programs only; optional for all other programs).................................................................... 914.15 Optional Data Elements........................................................................................................... 934.15A Employment ............................................................................................................................. 944.15B Education.................................................................................................................................. 954.15C General Health Status .............................................................................................................. 974.15D Pregnancy Status...................................................................................................................... 984.15E Veteran’s Information.............................................................................................................. 994.15F Children’s Education ............................................................................................................. 1014.15G Reason for Leaving................................................................................................................ 1034.15H Services Provided .................................................................................................................. 104

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1

1. Introduction to the 2009 Data Standards Notice

This Notice revises the Homeless Management Information Systems (HMIS)

Data and Technical Standards Final Notice (69 FR 146, July 30, 2004). The Notice adds a

new set of Program Description Data Elements (Section 2). In addition, the Notice

presents revisions to Data Standards for Universal Data Elements (Section 3) and

Program-Specific Data Elements (Section 4). These sections replace Section 2

(Universal Data Elements) and Section 3 (Program-Specific Data Elements) of the 2004

Notice. All other sections of the 2004 notice remain in effect.

Background on HMIS and the 2004 Data and Technical Standards

An HMIS is an electronic data collection system that stores longitudinal person-

level information about persons who access the homeless services system in a Continuum

of Care (CoC). HMIS is a valuable resource because of its capacity to integrate and

unduplicate data from all homeless assistance and homelessness prevention programs in a

CoC. Aggregate HMIS data can be used to understand the size, characteristics, and needs

of the homeless population at the local, state, and national levels. Today’s advanced

HMIS applications offer many other benefits as well. They enable organizations that

operate homeless assistance and homelessness prevention programs to improve case

management by collecting information about client needs, goals, and service outcomes.

They also help to improve access to timely resource and referral information and to better

manage operations.

Following Congressional directive, HUD has supported the development of local

Homeless Management Information Systems by: 1) providing technical support and

funding to CoCs to develop local HMIS; and 2) undertaking a research effort to collect

and analyze HMIS data from a representative sample of communities in order to understand

the nature and extent of homelessness nationally. As part of this effort, HUD published

HMIS Data and Technical Standards (HMIS Standards) in 2004 that allow for the

collection of standardized client and program-level data on homeless service usage

among programs within a community and across all communities. The 2004 HMIS

Standards ensure that every HMIS captures the information necessary to fulfill HUD

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2

reporting requirements while protecting the privacy and informational security of all

homeless individuals.

Process for Revising the 2004 Data Standards

Starting in late 2007, HUD began the process of identifying potential changes to

the 2004 HMIS Standards. Some changes were anticipated to occur in conjunction with

HUD’s effort to revise the Annual Progress Report (APR) for Homeless Assistance

Programs. (As of 2009, the Annual Progress Report will be re-named the Annual

Performance Report (APR). This new title is used in the remainder of this Notice.) In

addition, since the publication of the 2004 Notice, HUD has received feedback from

communities that suggested the need for clarification or modification to some standards.

Thus, HUD’s interest in addressing several community concerns and ensuring the

alignment of the standards and the APR – along with the ongoing need to keep pace with

current industry standards for technology and security – prompted a thorough re-

examination of the HMIS Standards.

In order to develop recommendations for changes to the standards, HUD

convened a number of work groups – comprised of HMIS administrators, homeless

assistance program representatives, homelessness researchers, and legal and technical

advisors. Each group focused on a specific topic, such as HMIS security, privacy, data

quality, changes to the Universal and Program-Specific data elements, and potential

methods for including domestic violence (DV) service provider data in homelessness

reporting.

Following the work group meetings, HUD sought feedback on proposed changes

from a broader audience. First, HMIS software solution providers were given the

opportunity to comment in writing on proposed changes to security, data quality and

software requirements. Second, as part of a HMIS Training held in Atlanta, Georgia in

September 2008, HMIS administrators, CoC representatives, and other interested parties

were presented with proposed changes to the HMIS Standards and given the opportunity

to provide verbal and written feedback. Their feedback was collated and discussed by

representatives from the work groups prior to preparation of this Notice. Input from all of

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3

these sources was carefully considered by the Department in drafting this Notice for

public comment.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 identified HMIS as the

primary tool for the collection of data on the use of funds awarded and persons served

through the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP). The

Data Standards have been further modified to provide the necessary data elements and

guidance to support uniform and consistent tracking of HPRP activities. These

modifications were informed through feedback obtained by HUD in February 2009,

from homeless assistance providers, Continuum of Care (CoC) representatives,

local and state government agency representatives and their associated

professional organizations, and homeless advocacy groups. Modifications were

also informed by a review of available literature and current practices related to

homelessness prevention and rapid re-housing.

1.1 Contents of the Notice

This Notice presents revised Data Standards for HMIS. Proposed revisions for

HMIS Technical Standards related to privacy, security and other topics will be issued in a

subsequent Notice. The remainder of this section reviews major differences between the

data standards presented in 2004 Final Notice and this 2009 Notice, describes the

statutory authority that allows HUD to prescribe the HMIS Standards, and presents key

terms referenced throughout the Notice.

Section 2 of the Notice presents the Program Descriptor Data Standards. These

are new standards that have been added to collect information in HMIS about homeless

assistance and HPRP homelessness prevention programs. Section 3 presents the

Universal Data Elements that HUD has determined must be collected from all clients

receiving homeless assistance and HPRP homelessness prevention services. Section 4

presents the Program-Specific Data Elements, the information that is collected from

clients served by programs that report this information to HUD. Section 4 also contains

additional HUD-recommended but optional data elements. Some of these standards are

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4

based on best practices currently being implemented at the local level. Others have been

included in an effort to begin to standardize reporting on homeless clients across federal

agencies.

1.2 Significant Differences between the 2004 and 2009 Notice

The key differences between the 2004 Notice and the 2009 Notice with regard to

HMIS Data Standards are described below.

Program Descriptor Data Elements

The 2009 Notice adds a set of program descriptor data standards – that is, data to

be collected about all homeless assistance and HPRP homelessness prevention programs

in the CoC. The purpose of these new data standards is to ensure that the HMIS is the

central repository for all information about homelessness in the CoC, including both

programs and clients. These data elements are needed for the following HUD reports: the

Annual Performance Report (APR), the Quarterly Performance Report (QPR) for HPRP

funded programs, the Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) and the Housing

Inventory that is submitted as part of the annual CoC application for funding.

Universal Data Elements

A new data element, Housing Status has been added in order to distinguish persons

who are literally homeless from those who are at imminent risk of losing housing, or in a

stable housing situation. The Universal Data elements from the 2004 notice are largely

unchanged. Minor changes include: 1) response categories have been added to a number of

data elements to provide more detailed information and to be consistent with other federal

reporting on homeless programs; and 2) “Don’t Know” and “Refused” response categories

are added for those data elements that previously did not include those responses.

Program-Specific Data Elements

In order to align the HMIS Data Standards with the proposed revisions to the

APR, this Notice modifies a number of program-specific data elements. For example,

certain data elements, such as Income and Sources and Non-Cash Benefits, must now be

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collected at least once annually in addition to being collected at program entry and at exit.

A follow-up question has been added to data elements that relate to disabilities (Physical

Disability, Developmental Disability, HIV/AIDS, Mental Health and Substance Abuse), to

determine whether a client is currently receiving services for a condition or received

services prior to exiting the program. In addition, response categories for “Don’t Know”

and “Refused” have been added to all relevant data elements to ensure consistency in

APR reporting.

The Reasons for Leaving and Services Received (renamed Services Provided in

this Notice) data elements are no longer required for programs completing APRs.

Additionally, a Chronic Health Condition data element has been added and there are two

new data elements required for street outreach programs that complete APRs. These are:

1) a Date of Contact data element that is used to count the number of persons contacted

during a program’s operating year; and 2) a Date of Engagement data element that is

required to count the number of homeless persons engaged by an outreach program

during the operating year.

Homelessness Prevention and Re-Housing Program Data Elements

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 includes provisions for

homelessness prevention and rapid re-housing activities. Appropriate tracking,

coordination, and reporting of these activities requires the addition of several new data

elements and special guidance to HPRP grantees in the use of existing data elements.

New data elements include: 1) a program descriptor data element, Grantee Identifier, that

is used to uniquely identify HPRP grantees and subgrantees; and 2) two specific service

data elements, Financial Assistance Provided and Housing Relocation & Stabilization

Services Provided, that are used to track assistance provided to HPRP clients and

complete the QPR and APR.

1.3 Statutory Authority

The HMIS Standards were developed in response to a series of Congressional

directives beginning with the FY 1999 HUD Appropriations Act. In that year, Congress

directed the Department to collect HMIS data from a representative sample of

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communities in order to develop an unduplicated count of homeless people nationwide

and analyze the use and effectiveness of homeless assistance services. In subsequent

years, Senate and House Appropriations Committee reports have reiterated Congress’

directive to HUD to: 1) assist communities in implementing local Homeless Management

Information Systems (HMIS), and 2) develop an Annual Homeless Assessment Report

(AHAR) that is based on HMIS data from a representative sample of communities. Most

recently, Congress renewed its support for the HMIS initiative and the AHAR in

conjunction with the passage of the Transportation, Treasury, Housing and Urban

Development, the Judiciary, the District of Columbia, and Independent Agencies

Appropriations Act of 2006 (PL 109-115).

In addition to Congressional direction on HMIS, HUD, other federal agencies and the

U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness are required under various statutory authorities

and Congressional direction to collect information about the nature and extent of

homelessness. Individual programs authorized under the McKinney-Vento Act require the

assessment of homeless needs, the provision of services to address those needs, and reporting

on the outcomes of federal assistance in helping homeless people to become more

independent. The major congressional imperatives in HUD’s McKinney-Vento Act

programs are:

Assessing the service needs of homeless persons;

Ensuring that services are directed to meeting those needs;

Assessing the outcomes of these services in enabling homeless persons to become

more self-sufficient; and

Reporting to Congress on the characteristics of homeless persons and

effectiveness of federal efforts to address homelessness.

For the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program, the American

Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 requires that “grantees receiving such assistance

shall collect data on the use of the funds awarded and persons served with this assistance

in the HUD Homeless Management Information System ("HMIS") or other comparable

database.”

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Both individually and as a whole, these provisions provide statutory requirements

for collecting comprehensive data on homeless individuals and persons at-risk of

homelessness and their needs.

1.4 Definitions

This section defines terms commonly used throughout the Notice.

Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR): HUD’s annual report to Congress on

the nature and extent of homelessness nationwide.

Annual Performance Report (APR): A reporting tool that HUD uses to track program

progress and accomplishments of HUD homeless assistance and HPRP Programs on an

annual basis. Formerly known as the Annual Progress Report.

Client: A living individual about whom a Contributory HMIS Organization (CHO) collects

or maintains protected personal information: (1) because the individual is receiving, has

received, may receive, or has inquired about assistance from a CHO; or (2) in order to

identify needs, or to plan or develop appropriate assistance within the CoC.

Continuum of Care (CoC): The primary decision making entity defined in the funding

application to HUD as the official body representing a community plan to organize and

deliver housing and services to meet the specific needs of people who are homeless as

they move to stable housing and maximum self-sufficiency.

CoC Program: A program identified by the CoC as part of its service system, whose

primary purpose is to meet the specific needs of people who are experiencing a housing

crisis. Continuum of Care Programs may include:

Homeless Assistance Program: A program whose primary purpose is to meet

the specific needs of people who are literally homeless (as defined in data element

3.11, Housing Status). Homeless assistance programs include outreach,

emergency shelter, transitional housing, rapid re-housing, permanent housing and

permanent supportive housing.

Homelessness Prevention Program: A program whose primary purpose is to

meet the specific needs of people who are imminently losing their housing or at

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risk of losing their housing (as defined in data element 3.11, Housing Status.).)

Homelessness prevention programs include those funded by HPRP and other

homelessness prevention programs identified by the CoC as part of its service

system.

Contributory CoC Program: A homeless assistance program or homelessness

prevention program that contributes Protected Personal Information (PPI) or other client-

level data to an HMIS.

Contributory Non-CoC Program: A program that is neither a homeless assistance

program nor a homelessness prevention program that contributes PPI or other client-level

data to an HMIS.

Contributory HMIS Organization (CHO): An organization that operates a contributory

homeless assistance program or homelessness prevention program or contributory non-

homeless assistance program.

Data Recipient: A person who obtains PPI from an HMIS Lead Agency or from a CHO

for research or other purposes not directly related to the operation of the HMIS, CoC,

HMIS Lead Agency, or CHO.

End User (or User) : An employee, volunteer, affiliate, associate, and any other individual

acting on behalf of a CHO or HMIS Lead Agency who uses or enters data in the HMIS or

another administrative database from which data are periodically uploaded to the HMIS.

Homeless Management Information System (HMIS): The information system

designated by a CoC to process Protected Personal Information (PPI) and other data in

order to create an unduplicated accounting of homelessness within the CoC. An HMIS

may provide other functions beyond unduplicated accounting.

HMIS Lead Agency: An organization designated by a CoC to operate the CoC’s HMIS

on its behalf.

HMIS Participating Bed: For any residential homeless program, a bed is considered a

“participating HMIS bed” if the program makes a reasonable effort to record all universal

data elements on all clients served in that bed and discloses that information through

agreed upon means to the HMIS Lead Agency at least once annually.

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HMIS Software Solution Provider: An organization that sells, licenses, donates, builds

or otherwise supplies the HMIS user interface, application functionality and database.

HMIS Vendor: A contractor who is paid to provide services for the operation of a

CoC’s HMIS. An HMIS vendor includes an HMIS software solution provider, web server

host, and data warehouse provider, as well as a provider of other contracted information

technology or support.

Non-Contributory CoC Program: A CoC Program that does not contribute PPI or

other client-level data to an HMIS.

Participating CoC Program: A Contributory CoC Program that makes reasonable

efforts to record all the universal data elements and all other required data elements as

determined by HUD funding requirements on all clients served and discloses these data

elements through agreed upon means to the HMIS Lead Agency at least once annually.

Protected Personal Information (PPI): Information about a client: (1) whose identity is

apparent from the information or can reasonably be ascertained from the information; or

(2) whose identity can, taking into account any methods reasonably likely to be used, be

learned by linking the information with other available information or by otherwise

manipulating the information.

Processing: An operation or set of operations performed on PPI, whether or not by

automated means, including but not limited to collection, maintenance, use, disclosure,

transmission and destruction of the PPI.

Quarterly Performance Report (QPR): A reporting tool that HUD uses to track

progress and accomplishments of HPRP funded programs on a quarterly basis.

Research: A systematic investigation, including research development, testing, and

evaluation, designed to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge.

Unduplicated Accounting of Homelessness: An unduplicated accounting of

homelessness includes measuring the extent and nature of homelessness (including an

unduplicated count of homeless persons), utilization of homelessness programs over time,

and the effectiveness of homelessness programs.

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Unduplicated Count of Homeless Persons: An enumeration of homeless persons where

each person is counted only once during a defined period of time.

Victim Service Provider: A nonprofit or nongovernmental organization including rape

crisis centers, battered women’s shelters, domestic violence transitional housing

programs, and other programs whose primary mission is to provide services to victims of

domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking.

1.5 Victim Service Providers

Victim service providers that are funded under HUD’s Supportive Housing

Program are instructed not to disclose personally identifying data about any client for

purposes of HMIS, per the requirements of the Violence Against Women and Department

of Justice Reauthorization Act of 2005 (Pub. L. 109-162) (VAWA).

HPRP subgrantees that are victim service providers must collect and record all of

the data elements that are required for HPRP subgrantees on all clients served with HPRP

funds in a comparable database, and should not directly or indirectly enter personally

identifiable information about HPRP beneficiaries in an HMIS.

HUD does not expect victim service providers funded through other sources to

disclose personally identifying information for the purposes of HMIS, therefore HMIS

coverage will be calculated excluding victim service providers from the universe of

homeless assistance programs.

Regardless of funding sources, Program Descriptor data for each homeless

assistance program within the CoC operated by a victim service provider must be

recorded in the HMIS (either by provider staff member or by the HMIS system

administrator), with the exception of a street address for a facility that provides victim

services to clients.

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1.6 Summary of Data Standard Applicability and Collection Requirements

As discussed in Sections 2, 3 and 4, the data standards establish uniform definitions for

the types of information to be collected and protocols for when data are collected and

from whom. Contributory HMIS Organizations may have additional data collection

requirements based on other funding sources, the client population served, and the types

of data necessary to effectively monitor programs. The following exhibits group the

HMIS data elements by type (Program Descriptor, Universal, and Program-Specific) and

summarize the requirements regarding: 1) applicability of each data element by program

type: 2) from whom the data are collected (for client-specific data elements); and 3) when

the data are collected.

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Exhibit 1-1: Summary of Program Descriptor Data ElementsWhen collected

Data Standards Program ApplicabilityAssigned once Assigned once;

reviewed annually

At least annuallyor more frequently

if inventory orcoverage changes

1 Organization Identifier All CoC Programs X2 Organization Name All CoC Programs X3 Program Identifier All CoC Programs X4 Program Name All CoC Programs X5 Direct Service Code All CoC Programs X6 Site Information All CoC Programs X7 Continuum of Care Number All CoC Programs X8 Program Type Code All CoC Programs X9 Bed and Unit Inventory Information Residential CoC Programs Only X10 Target Population A (Optional for all programs) All CoC Programs X11 Target Population B Residential CoC Programs Only X12 Method for Tracking Residential Program Occupancy Residential CoC Programs Only X13 Grantee Identifier HPRP Programs Only X

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13

Exhibit 1-2: Summary of Universal Data ElementsSubjects When Collected

Data StandardsProgram

Applicability All Clients All AdultsAll Adults &

UnaccompaniedYouth

InitialProgram

Entry Only

EveryProgram

Entry

EveryProgram Exit

1 Name1 All CoC Programs X X2 Social Security Number1 All CoC Programs X X3 Date of Birth1 All CoC Programs X X4 Race1 All CoC Programs X X5 Ethnicity1 All CoC Programs X X6 Gender1 All CoC Programs X X7 Veteran Status All CoC Programs X X8 Disabling Condition All CoC Programs X X9 Residence Prior to Program Entry All CoC Programs X X10 Zip Code of Last Permanent Address All CoC Programs X X

11 Housing Status

All CoC Programs

X X

X (optional forEmergencyShelters)

12 Program Entry Date All CoC Programs X X13 Program Exit Date All CoC Programs X X14 Personal Identification Number All CoC Programs X X15 Household Identification Number All CoC Programs X X¹ Note that one or more of these personal identifiers may need to be asked on subsequent visits to find and retrieve the client's record. However, this information only needs to berecorded in HMIS on an initial program entry.

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Exhibit 1-3: Summary of Program-Specific Data ElementsWhen Collected

Data Standards Program Applicability

Subjects

DuringClient

AssessmentNear Entry

At Least OnceEvery Three

MonthsDuring

ProgramEnrollment2

At Least OnceAnnuallyDuring

ProgramEnrollment3

EveryExit

EveryContact

EachInstance ofFinancial

Assistance

1 Income and Sources

CoC/HUD Competitive Programs1

HPRP ProgramsHOPWA Homeless Programs All Clients X X X

2 Non-Cash Benefits

CoC/HUD Competitive ProgramsHPRP Programs

HOPWA Homeless Programs All Clients X X X

3 Physical DisabilityCoC/HUD Competitive Programs


4 Developmental DisabilityCoC/HUD Competitive Programs


5 Chronic Health ConditionCoC/HUD Competitive Programs


6 HIV/AIDSCoC/HUD Competitive Programs


7 Mental HealthCoC/HUD Competitive Programs


8 Substance AbuseCoC/HUD Competitive Programs


9 Domestic Violence

CoC/HUD Competitive ProgramsHOPWA Homeless Programs

Adultsand

UnaccompaniedYouth X

10 Destination CoC/HUD Competitive Programs1 All Clients X

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HPRP ProgramsHOPWA Homeless Programs

11 Date of ContactCOC/HUD Street Outreach

Programs All Clients X

12 Date of EngagementCOC/HUD Street Outreach

Programs All Clients X13 Financial AssistanceProvided HPRP Programs All Clients X X14 Housing Relocation andStabilization ServicesProvided HPRP Programs All Clients X X1 CoC/HUD Competitive Programs include the Supportive Housing Program (SHP), Shelter Plus Care, and the Section 8 Moderate Rehabilitation for Single Room OccupancyDwellings (SRO) Program.2 Only collected at least once every three months if the period between program entry and exit exceeds three months.3 Only collected at least once annually if the period between program entry and exit exceeds one year.

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Exhibit 1-4: Additional Program-Specific Data Elements: Optional Data Elements

Data StandardsProgramApplicability Subjects When Collected

Optional forAll CoCPrograms

AllClients

All Clientsor All Adults

andUnaccompaniedYouth

AllFemalesof Child-bearingAge

AllVeterans

AllChildren

EveryEntry

At LeastOnceAnnuallyduringProgramEnrollment1

WhenServicesProvided

Every Exit

15A Employment X X X X X15B Education X X X X X15C General Health Status X X X X X15D Pregnancy Status X X X15E Veteran’s Information X X X15F Children’s Education X X X X X15G Reasons for Leaving X X X15H Services Provided X X1 Only collected at least once annually if the period between program entry and exit exceeds one year.

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2. Program Descriptor Data Elements

This section describes the data to be recorded about each Continuum of Care

(CoC) Program (homeless assistance or HPRP homelessness prevention program) in the

CoC jurisdiction and updated in the HMIS at least annually. With few exceptions

(specified in this section), the CoC must collect program information in the HMIS on all

CoC Programs within its jurisdiction, regardless of whether the program participates in

the HMIS. Homeless assistance and HPRP homelessness prevention programs that

operate in multiple CoCs must be established as distinct programs within each CoC’s

HMIS.

The general purpose of these requirements is to ensure that the HMIS is the

central repository of information about homelessness in the CoC, including information

about programs and clients. In prior Notices of Funding Availability (NOFAs), CoCs

have been asked to report these data without necessarily having an information system

designed to track and process the information.

Including Program Descriptor data in the HMIS ensures that uniform information

about each CoC Program is available to: 1) complete required reports including the

Annual Performance Report (APR), Quarterly Performance Reports (QPR) for HPRP

funded programs, the Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR), and the Housing

Inventory that is part of a CoC’s annual funding application; 2) track bed utilization; 3)

calculate rates of HMIS participation; and 4) monitor data quality. Complete program

descriptor information also enhances the HMIS as a tool for supporting information and

referral services.

The Program Descriptor Data elements are:

2.1. Organization Identifier

2.2. Organization Name

2.3. Program Identifier

2.4. Program Name

2.5. Direct Service Code

2.6. Site Information

2.7. Continuum of Care Number

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2.8. Program Type Code

2.9. Bed and Unit Inventory Information

2.10. Target Population A

2.11. Target Population B

2.12. Method for Tracking Residential Program Occupancy


2.1 Organization Identifier

Rationale: To uniquely identify an organization that operates a CoC Program within the

CoC.

Data Source: Automatically generated by the HMIS software.

When Data are Collected: The Organization Identifier is assigned once for each

organization. An Organization Identifier must be associated with each CoC Program

operated by the organization.

Subjects: All organizations operating a CoC Program within the CoC.

Definitions and Instructions: A unique Organization Identifier needs to be assigned to

each distinct organization that operates a CoC Program. There is no specified format for

this data element. The Organization Identifier can be a randomly generated number or

some other code as long as each organization receives a distinct identifier that is

consistently associated with that organization.

Required Response Categories:

Program Descriptor Data Element2.1 Organization Identifier Response Categories

A unique Organization Identifier needs to be assigned to each distinctorganization that operates a CoC Program. There is no specified format for thisdata element.

Special Issues: None.

Changes from Previous Notice: This is a new data element.

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2.2 Organization Name

Rationale: To identify the name of each organization that operates a CoC Program within

the CoC. The organization name must be listed on a CoC’s Housing Inventory (if

applicable) and on the HUD APR (and, if applicable, QPR) for programs receiving HUD

homeless assistance or HPRP homelessness prevention funding.

Data Source: HMIS Lead Agency.

When Data are Collected: Data is collected once for each organization but must be

reviewed annually to ensure that it is up to date.

Subjects: All organizations operating a CoC Program within the CoC.

Definitions and Instructions: Record the organization name.


Program Descriptor Data Element

2.2 Organization Name Response Categories

An Organization Name needs to be identified for each distinct organization thatoperates a CoC Program.

Special Issues: It is recommended that Organization Name and Program Name (Program

Descriptor Data Element 2.4) for each CoC agency and program be standardized across

all HUD-related information gathering and reporting activities (APR and e-snaps

Housing Inventory). Generally, use of an organization’s legal name will achieve this

consistency. CoCs may institute naming conventions to ensure that the HMIS captures

consistent and standardized names for organizations and programs referenced in the e-

snaps system and in individual project APRs and QPRs. It is recommended that HMIS

software also track aliases for Organization Name, in order to ensure that the organization

can be located in the system based on names that users will recognize.

Changes from Previous Notice: This is a new data element; however, most communities

already store this information in HMIS.

2.3 Program Identifier

Rationale: To uniquely identify each CoC Program within the CoC.

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Data Source: Automatically generated by the software at the time the program is created

in the HMIS.

When Data are Collected: The Program Identifier is assigned once for each CoC

Program. The Program Identifier must be associated automatically with each client for

each service record.

Subjects: All programs.

Definitions and Instructions: A unique Program Identifier needs to be assigned to each

distinct CoC Program. There is no specified format for this data element. The Program

Identifier can be a randomly generated number or some other code as long as each

program receives a distinct identifier that is consistently associated with that program.

All other program descriptor data elements must be associated with the Program

Identifier.



2.3 Program Identifier Response Categories

A unique Program Identifier needs to be assigned to each distinct CoCProgram. There is no specified format for this data element.


Changes from Previous Notice: This is a new data element. The Program Identification

Information data element in the 2004 Notice will no longer be used for HUD reporting

purposes.

2.4 Program Name

Rationale: To identify the name of each CoC Program within the CoC. This can be used

within the software to associate a client with a program. This name must be listed on a

CoC’s Housing Inventory (if applicable), on the HUD APR for programs receiving HUD

homeless assistance funding and on the HUD QPR for programs receiving HPRP

funding.

Data Source: HMIS Lead Agency or program staff.

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When Data are Collected: Data is collected once for each CoC Program but must be



Definitions and Instructions: Record the program name.



2.4 Program Name Response Categories

A unique Program Name must be recorded to each distinct CoC Program.

Special Issues: It is recommended that Program Name and Organization Name for each

CoC agency and program be standardized across all HUD-related information gathering

and reporting activities (APR and e-snaps Housing Inventory). CoCs may institute

naming conventions to ensure that the HMIS captures consistent and standardized names

for organizations and programs referenced in the e-snaps system and in individual project

APRs and QPRs. It is recommended that HMIS software also track aliases for Program

Name, in order to ensure that the organization can be located in the system based on

names that users will recognize.

Changes from Previous Notice: This is a new data element; however, most communities

already store this information in HMIS.

2.5 Direct Service Code

Rationale: To differentiate CoC Programs in the HMIS that provide direct services from

organizations that do not provide direct services (such as HMIS Lead Agencies,

organizations that oversee or support CoC Programs, or software solution providers). The

Direct Service Code has been added so that all client-level HMIS records are linked to a

specific direct service program.


When Data are Collected: The Direct Service code is assigned retroactively for all CoC

Programs currently participating in HMIS and needs to be assigned for new CoC

Programs before data are associated with them.

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Definitions and Instructions: If clients can directly enroll in the program then the Direct

Service code is ‘Yes.’ If the program does not enroll clients directly, then the Direct

Service code is ‘No.’ CoC Programs that provide direct services to clients but do not have

a formal enrollment process or period (e.g. 2-1-1 Information & Referral programs, street

outreach, drop-in or day resource centers, food pantries, or other supportive services)

should code ‘Yes.”



2.5. Direct Service Code Response Categories

0 = No1 = Yes

Special Issues: Software must be programmed so that only programs with ‘Yes’ in the Direct

Service field can enter information about client stays or service encounters into HMIS.


2.6 Site Information

Rationale: To describe the overall program configuration and the facility where the CoC

Program provides most housing and/or services (i.e. the principal program service site)

within the CoC.


When Data are Collected: Data is collected once for each CoC Program but must be



Definition and Instructions: Site information is collected at the program- and site-level.

For each CoC Program, record the program site configuration type in accordance with the

guidance below. For the principal program service site within the CoC, or the site where

the greatest level of housing or services are provided, record: 1) the site address, 2)

geocode, 3) site type, and 4) housing type.

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2.6A Program Site Configuration Type. For the overall program, record the site

configuration type as follows:

1. Single site, single building. Housing units (or service encounters) are at one

site, in a single structure.

2. Single site, multiple buildings. Housing units (or service encounters) are at

one site, in multiple structures (e.g., single apartment complex with multiple

buildings and program units in two or more buildings).

3. Multiple sites. Housing units (or service encounters) are at multiple sites

(e.g., scattered-site housing, outreach).

2.6B Site Address. For the principal program service site, record the street

address, city, state and zip code. Victim service providers are exempt from recording

address information. Programs without a principal program service site (e.g., mobile

programs such as street outreach and scattered-site housing programs) should record the

address of their administrative office.

2.6C Geocode. For the principal program service site, record the geocode

associated with the geographic location of the site. HUD provides a list of geocodes as

part of the annual CoC application process. Geocodes must be updated annually. Mobile

programs (e.g., street outreach) should record the Geocode based on the location of their

administrative office. Scattered-site housing programs should record the Geocode where

the majority of beds are located or where most beds are located as of the last inventory

update.

2.6D Site Type. For the principal program service site, record the site type as

follows:

1. Non-residential: services only. The program only provides supportive

services and does not provide overnight accommodations.

2. Residential: special needs and non-special needs. Residential housing

(i.e., site that provides overnight accommodation) is located within a

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building or complex that houses both persons with special needs—e.g.,

homeless or formerly homeless persons, persons with substance abuse

problems, persons with mental illness, or persons with HIV/AIDS—and

persons without any special needs.

3. Residential: special needs only. Residential housing is located within a

building or complex that houses only persons with special needs—e.g.,

homeless or formerly homeless persons, persons with substance abuse

problems, persons with mental illness, persons with HIV/AIDS, persons

with a physical disability, and/or elderly persons.

2.6E Housing Type. For the principal program service site, record the appropriate

housing type. Non-residential programs should select “Not applicable: non-residential

program.”

1. Mass shelter/barracks. Multiple individuals and/or family households

sleep in a large room with multiple beds.

2. Dormitory/hotel/motel. Most individuals and/or families share small to

medium sized sleeping rooms or have private sleeping rooms. Persons

may or may not share a common kitchen, common bathrooms, or both.

3. Shared housing. Most individuals and/or families reside in one or more

shared housing units that house up to 8 individuals or 4 families. Each

unit includes a kitchen and bath. Each family generally has a private

sleeping room, though more than one individual may share sleeping space.

4. Single Room Occupancy (SRO) units. Most individuals reside in a private

unit with a sleeping/living room intended for one occupant that contains

no sanitary facilities or food preparation facilities, or contains either, but

not both, types of facilities.

5. Single apartment (non-SRO) units. Most individuals and/or families

reside in a self-contained apartment intended for one individual or family

household that includes a private kitchen and bath.

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6. Single homes/townhouses/duplexes. Most individuals and/or families

reside in a self-contained home/townhouse/duplex intended for one

individual or family household.

7. Not applicable: non-residential program. The program does not offer

residential services to clients.



2.6 Site Information Response Categories

1 = Single site, single building2 = Single site, multiple buildings

Program SiteConfiguration Type

3 = Multiple sitesAddressCityState (two-letter state abbreviation)

Site Address

Zip code (5-digit numeric code)Geocode Numeric geocode format

1 = Non-residential: services only2 = Residential: special needs and non-special needs

Site Type

3 = Residential: special needs only1 = Mass shelter/barracks2 = Dormitory/hotel/motel3 = Shared housing4 = Single Room Occupancy (SRO) units5 = Single apartment (non-SRO) units6 = Single homes/townhouses/duplexes

Housing Type

7 = Not applicable: non-residential program

Special Issues: Programs may choose to record the Site Information data element for

each site or facility operated by the program. For example, if a single emergency shelter

program operates two mass shelter facilities, the program may choose to record site

information for two sites. The HMIS must have the capability of allowing programs to

enter site information for multiple sites.

Programs that are physically located in multiple CoCs must be recorded as

distinct programs within each CoC’s HMIS.

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Changes from Previous Notice: These data elements have been added to allow CoCs to

use the HMIS to produce a Housing Inventory, Annual Performance Reports and local

submissions for the Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR). The site address and

geocode replaces the FIPS code requirement that was part of the Program Identifier code

in the 2004 Notice.

2.7 Continuum of Care Number

Rationale: To associate each CoC Program with a CoC for HUD reporting purposes.


When Data are Collected: The CoC number is collected once for each CoC Program but

must be reviewed annually and updated if there are changes to the CoC.

Subjects: All programs that directly serve clients.

Definitions and Instructions: Each CoC Program is assigned a designated HUD CoC

number.



2.7 Continuum of Care Code Response Categories

HUD-assigned CoC Number

Special Issues: Programs that are located in more than one CoC must either establish

separate programs in the HMIS for each CoC (if one HMIS covers multiple CoCs) such

that each HMIS program is only associated with a single CoC or establishes separate

programs in each CoC’s HMIS,.

Changes from Previous Notice: The CoC number was previously included as part of the

Program Identification Number and is now treated as a separate data element.

2.8 Program Type Code

Rationale: To associate each CoC Program with the specific type of service offered.


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When Data are Collected: This data element is collected once for each CoC Program but

it must be reviewed annually and updated when program types change.


Definitions and Instructions: Select the one response category that best describes the

program. If multiple distinct services (e.g., emergency shelter and follow-up rental

assistance) are offered, each component should be treated as a separate program in the

HMIS.



2.8 Program Type Code Response Categories

1 = Emergency Shelter2 = Transitional Housing3 = Permanent Supportive Housing4 = Homeless Outreach5 = Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing6 = Services Only program7 = Other8 = Safe Haven9 = Permanent Housing (e.g., Mod Rehab SRO, subsidized housing without services)

Special Issues: Programs funded in 2009 by HUD’s Rapid Re-housing Demonstration

program must select 2: Transitional Housing. HPRP funded programs must select 5:

Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing.

Changes from Previous Notice: Program Type was previously included as part of the

Program Identification Information data element. It is now treated as a separate data element.

Two response categories (Safe Haven and Permanent Housing) have been added. The

“Outreach” response category has been changed to “Homeless Outreach,” and the “Homeless

Prevention” response category has been changed to “Homelessness Prevention and Rapid

Re-Housing.”

2.9 Bed and Unit Inventory Information

Rationale: To record inventory information for each residential CoC Program in order to

produce Housing Inventory data for the CoC application and the AHAR.

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Data Source: HMIS Lead Agency or program staff.

When Data are Collected: At least annually, or whenever inventory information changes.

Subjects: All residential homeless assistance programs.

Definitions and Instructions: One or more Bed and Unit Inventory Information records

must be established for each program. Historical values are needed for the inventory in

order to generate reports that relate to various reporting periods. These fields must be

transactional, meaning they need to be able to record multiple values over time along

with the date that the information changed.

An HMIS may track the data in a variety of ways as long as historical data is

maintained, the Housing Inventory for the CoC application can be produced, and

inventory data can be mapped to the linked inventory data elements described in this

section. Data can be collected annually, as long as the data reflects the changes in

inventory over the course of the year, rather than at only a single point in time. The

inventory history should reflect changes in standard program operations, but need not

reflect day-to-day fluctuations. Examples of housing inventory changes that should be

tracked historically include: the addition or removal of a group of new beds or units; the

addition or removal of seasonal beds that are available for any period in the year; a

program decision to target beds to a different household type; or changes in HMIS

participation as a standard practice. neglects to enter HMIS data on clients using the bed.

The inventory data elements are: Household Type, Bed Type, Availability, Bed

Inventory, Unit Inventory, Inventory Start Date, Inventory End Date, HMIS Participating

Beds, HMIS Participation Start Date, and HMIS Participation End Date. Permanent

supportive housing programs must also record the Chronic Homeless Bed inventory.

Records must be established for each program depending on the combination of

Household Types served, Bed Types, and Availability as described in 2.9A, 2.9B, and

2.9C. A program that serves both households without children and households with

children will have at least two Bed and Unit Inventory information records in order to

track inventory information by household type. If a program provides different types of

beds (e.g., year-round and seasonal) then a separate record is established for each bed

type. For example, a program that serves single adults and has 100 beds, of which 20 are

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seasonal, would have two bed and unit inventory records. One record is for the 80

facility-based year-round beds for households without children and a second record is for

the 20 facility-based seasonal beds for households without children.

The bed inventory includes the total number of beds for each household type, bed

type, and the availability of those beds throughout the year. For example, if a program

has 50 year-round facility-based beds as of October 1, 2008, the inventory record should

reflect 50 year-round beds. If 50 new year-round facility-based beds are added on

January 1, 2009, an end date of December 31, 2008 should be recorded and a new record

should be created with a total inventory of 100 year-round facility-based beds and a start

date of January 1, 2009. If a year-round program closes, the Bed and Unit Inventory

information record must be updated to show an end date equal to the last date of program

operation.

If a seasonal program has a change in bed/unit inventory capacity, a new record

must be established with the bed/unit inventory revised to reflect the new capacity. The

start date must be the date when the new beds are available. For example, a program has

100 seasonal facility-based beds that are available January 1 through March 31, with an

additional 50 seasonal facility-based beds available starting February 1 and ending March

31. The program must enter a Bed and Unit Inventory Information record showing 100

seasonal facility-based beds with the start date of January 1 and an end date of January 31.

A new Bed and Unit Inventory information record would then be entered for the program

with an inventory of 150 seasonal facility-based beds, a start date of February 1, and an end

date of March 31.

For HMIS participation, programs must report the total number of beds

participating (or covered) in HMIS. For any residential homeless program, a bed is

considered a “participating HMIS bed” if the program makes a reasonable effort to record

all universal data elements on all clients served in that bed and discloses that information

through agreed upon means to the HMIS Lead Agency at least once annually. If a

program is only reporting data for clients staying in a portion of its beds, then only that

portion of the beds must be counted as participating in HMIS. Non-contributory homeless

assistance programs (see Section 1.4 for definitions) must enter “0” in the HMIS

participating beds field.

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2.9A Household Type. This data element describes the household type served by beds

and units counted in the Bed and Unit Inventory Information data elements. If some or all

beds and units are not designated exclusively for a particular type of household, then record

the household type most frequently served by the associated beds and units. For purposes of

this data element, persons 18 and over are considered adults and persons under 18 are

children. Record the household type for the associated beds and units as follows:

1. Households without children. Beds and units are intended for households

with adults only. This includes households composed of unaccompanied

adults and multiple adults.

2. Households with children. Beds and units are intended for households with (at

least) one adult and one child, or households with an unaccompanied youth only,

or households with multiple children only (e.g., juvenile parent and child).

2.9B Bed Type. The Bed Type describes the type of program beds based on whether

beds are: located in a residential homeless assistance program facility (including cots or

mats); provided through a voucher with a hotel or motel; other types of beds. Record the bed

type as follows:

1. Facility-based. Beds (including cots or mats) are located in a residential

homeless assistance facility dedicated for use by persons who are homeless.

2. Voucher. Beds are located in a hotel or motel and made available by the

homeless assistance program through vouchers or other forms of payment.

3. Other. Beds are located in a campground, church, or other facility not

dedicated for use by persons who are homeless

2.9C Availability. Describes the availability of beds based on whether beds are

available on a planned basis year-round or seasonally (during a defined period of high

demand), or on an ad hoc or temporary basis as demand indicates. Record the availability as

follows:

1. Year-round. Beds are available on a year-round basis.

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2. Seasonal (Emergency Shelters Only). Beds/units are available on a planned basis,

with set start and end dates, during an anticipated period of higher demand.

3. Overflow (Emergency Shelters Only). Beds/units are available on an ad hoc or

temporary basis during the year in response to demand that exceeds planned

(year round or seasonal) bed capacity

2.9D Bed Inventory. The bed inventory data element is an integer that tracks the total

number of beds available for occupancy as of the inventory start date (see 2.9G). Programs

that serve a mixed population without a fixed number of beds per household type should

divide the beds based on average utilization. For example, a program has 100 beds that could

be used by either households without children or households with children. If one-half of the

households are without children on an average night, then the program enters two separate

Bed and Inventory Records for the 50 beds for households without children and for the 50

beds for households with children. Programs that only have units (no fixed number of beds)

can use a multiplier factor to estimate the number of beds (e.g., a program with 30 family

units and an average family size of 3 = 90 beds).

2.9E Chronic Homeless Bed Inventory (Permanent Supportive Housing Programs

Only). The chronic homeless bed inventory data element is an integer that tracks the total

number of beds available for occupancy for chronically homeless persons as of the

inventory start date recorded in 2.1.9G. A chronically homeless bed is a bed that is

readily available and targeted to chronically homeless persons. The number of beds for

chronically homeless persons is a subset of the total permanent supportive housing bed

inventory for a given program and must be equal to or less than the total bed inventory.

2.9F Unit Inventory. The unit inventory data element is an integer that tracks the total

number of units available for occupancy as of the inventory start date recorded in 2.1.9G.

Programs that do not have a fixed number of units (e.g., a congregate shelter program) may

record the bed inventory, the number of residential facilities operated by the program, or the

number of rooms used for overnight accommodation as the unit integer.

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2.9G Inventory Start Date. The inventory start date is the date when the bed and

unit inventory information first applies. This may represent the date when a change in

household type, bed type, availability, bed inventory or unit inventory occurs for a given

program.

2.9H Inventory End Date. The inventory end date is the date when the Bed and Unit

inventory information as recorded is no longer applicable (i.e. the day after the last night

when the record is applicable). This may be due to a change in household type, bed type,

availability, bed inventory or unit inventory. For seasonal beds, this should reflect the

projected end date for the seasonal bed inventory.

2.9I HMIS Participating Beds. This data element is an integer that tracks the total

number of beds participating in HMIS as of the HMIS participation start date recorded in

2.9J. For programs that serve a mixed population without a fixed number of beds per

household type, record participating beds according to instructions provided in 2.9D.

2.9J HMIS Participation Start Date. This is the date when the HMIS participating

bed information first applies (i.e., the date when a change in the number of HMIS

participating beds occurs for a program’s Bed and Unit inventory record). The HMIS

Participation Start Date is the earliest program entry date that could be associated with a

client using the bed or unit.

2.9K HMIS Participation End Date. The HMIS participation end date is the date

when the HMIS Participation information record is no longer applicable (i.e. the day after

the last night when the number of HMIS participating beds is applicable for a program’s Bed

and Unit Inventory record),

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2.9 Bed and Unit Inventory Information Response Categories

1 = Households without childrenHousehold Type2 = Households with children

Bed Type 1 = Facility-based2 = Voucher3 = Other

Availability 1 = Year-round2 = Seasonal3 = Overflow

Bed Inventory IntegerCH Bed Inventory (PSH Only) IntegerUnit Inventory IntegerInventory Start Date __ __ / __ __ / __ __ __ __

(Month) (Day) (Year)Inventory End Date __ __ / __ __ / __ __ __ __

(Month) (Day) (Year)HMIS Participating Beds IntegerHMIS Participation Start Date __ __ / __ __ / __ __ __ __

(Month) (Day) (Year)HMIS Participation End Date __ __ / __ __ / __ __ __ __

(Month) (Day) (Year)

Special Issues: These data may also be collected separately for distinct sites

within a program, as long as they can be aggregated to the program level.

Programs may choose to create a separate Bed and Unit Inventory Information

record to track inventory under development. In such instances, a projected start date for

a new or expanded program may be tracked by recording the total beds and units

expected along with a future start date.

The number of beds participating in HMIS must not exceed the total number of

corresponding beds recorded in the Bed and Unit Inventory Information record at any

point in time. Beds must only be recorded as participating if they meet the definition of

HMIS participation as described in Section 1.4.

Programs that target certain populations are advised that nothing in these

standards allow for circumventing fair housing laws.

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Changes from Previous Notice: Although this information has been collected in the past

in order to develop the Housing Inventory for the CoC application, it was not required in

the 2004 Notice.

2.10 Target Population A (Optional)

Rationale: This information may be used to track bed utilization and service gaps.




Definitions and Instructions: Record the appropriate Target Population served by the

program. Select only one response. A population is considered a "target population" if

the program is designed to serve that population and at least three-fourths of the clients

served by the program fit the target group descriptor.

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Response Categories:


2.10 Target Population A Response Categories Definition

Target Population Type 1 = SM Single Males (18 years and older)2 = SF Single Females (18 years and older)3 = SMF Single Males and Females (18 years and older)4 = CO Couples Only, No Children5 = SM+HC Single Males and Households with Children6 = SF+HC Single Females and Households with Children7 = HC Households with Children8 = YM Unaccompanied Young Males (under 18)9 = YF Unaccompanied Young Females (under 18)10 = YMF Unaccompanied Young Males and Females (under 18)11 = SMF+HC Single Male and Female and Households with Children

Special Issues: None


in order to develop the Housing Inventory for the CoC application, it was not included as

a required HMIS data element in the 2004 Notice.

2.11 Target Population B

Rationale: To allow HMIS to produce the Housing Inventory data for the for the annual

CoC application to HUD.




Definitions and Instructions: Record the appropriate Target Population B served by the

program. Select only one response. If a residential homeless assistance program does not

target one of these populations, select “NA: Not Applicable.” A population is considered

a "target population" if the program is designed to serve that population and at least three-

fourths of the clients served by the program fit the target group descriptor.

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1. DV: Domestic Violence victims. The program targets persons who have

experienced domestic violence.

2. VET: Veterans. The program targets veterans.

3. HIV: Persons with HIV/AIDS. The program targets persons with HIV/AIDS.

4. NA: Not Applicable. The program does not target domestic violence victims,

veterans, or persons with HIV/AIDS.



2.11 Target Population B Response Categories

1 = DV: Domestic Violence victims2 = VET: Veterans3 = HIV: Persons with HIV/AIDS

Target Population Type

4 = NA: Not Applicable



in order to develop the Housing Inventory for the CoC application, it was not required in

the 2004 notice.

2.12 Method for Tracking Residential Program Occupancy

Rationale: This data element is needed to identify the method for accurately calculating

program utilization and length of stay.


When Data are Collected: Annually.


Definitions and Instructions: Record the method used to track the actual nights that a

client stays in a program. The standard method for residential homeless assistance

programs that complete APRs must be based on a comparison of program entry and exit

dates. A residential program that is not required to produce an APR may alternatively

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use a bed management tool or service transaction approach to report the number of

persons receiving shelter/housing on a particular night.



2.12 Method for Tracking Residential Program HMISUtilization

Response Categories

0 = Program Entry and Exit Date Comparison1 = Bed Management Model2 = Service Transaction Model

Special Issues: Taken together, the Program Entry Date and Program Exit Date may be

used for tracking length of stay in homeless assistance programs. However, tracking

length of stay using these two data elements can be problematic for some programs,

especially large shelter programs that experience a high degree of client turnover on a

nightly basis. Two alternative methods for tracking length of stay are described below.

Note that the Program Entry and Program Exit Date Comparison method must be used by

residential programs receiving HUD homeless assistance funding to determine length of

stay for APR reporting.

Bed Management Model. If the software bed management functionality can store

historical information on the actual night(s) of occupancy separately for each client, bed

management modules can be used as an alternative to program entry and exit dates for

programs that are not required to produce an APR to track the actual nights a client stays

in a residential program. For instance, a seasonal emergency shelter might enroll a client

in a program using the Program Entry Date the first time the person stays in the shelter.

The program might then prefer to track the actual nights the person stayed throughout the

season using a bed management module, rather than entering and exiting the individual

every time the person left the program. At the end of the season, or after a specified

period of non-attendance, the person would be exited from the program designating a

Program Exit Date.

Bed management systems used to track actual lengths of stay for residential

programs must: 1) assign a bed to a specific person; 2) restrict each bed to one person,

such that a bed cannot be assigned to more than one person at any given time; 3) maintain

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historical bed utilization data for reporting purposes; and 4) provide a mechanism to

aggregate distinct nights stayed to calculate each client’s total length of stay in the

program. If using a bed management system to track shelter stays, the program must

record every night of shelter stayed for every client served, mirroring the requirements

for program entry and exit date.

Service Transaction Model. Programs may use a similar approach to tracking

nights of shelter provided using a service transaction approach, where each night of

shelter is listed as a shelter service provided to the client wherever “services received” are

recorded. The service transaction model is acceptable if: 1) the program records every

discrete night (or series of nights) that residential services are recorded; 2) the system

maintains historical data on the residential service provided; and 3) the duration of each

residential stay can be accurately determined and aggregated to calculate each client’s

total length of stay in the program. If using a service transaction approach to track shelter

stays, the program must record residential services mirroring the requirements for

program entry and exit date.



Rationale: To uniquely identify HPRP grantees and subgrantees that receive funding

under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. HPRP state and local

government grantees may select one or more organizations (called “subgrantees”) to

administer HPRP-funded programs. All subgrantees of a federal HPRP grantee must

identify their projects with the original state or local grantee identifier as assigned by

HUD.

Data Source: HPRP grantee or subgrantee.

When Data Are Collected: Data is collected once for each HPRP program but must be


Subjects: All HPRP programs

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Definition and Instructions: A unique Grantee Identifier must be assigned to each

distinct organization that receives a HPRP subgrant awarded for HPRP homelessness

prevention or homeless assistance. All subgrantees of the source grantee will receive the

same Grantee Identifier as the federal grantee. The Grantee Identifier is the federal grant

or other identifying number assigned by HUD.



2.13 Grantee Identifier Response Categories

Integer

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3. Universal Data Elements

The Universal Data elements establish the baseline data collection requirements for

all Contributory CoC Programs. HUD carefully weighed the reporting burden of the

universal data elements against the importance of the information for producing meaningful

local and federal reports. Of special concern to HUD was the reporting burden for

programs that register large numbers of applicants on a daily basis, with little time to

collect information from each applicant. As a result, the number of Universal Data

elements was kept to a minimum.

The Universal Data standards are the basis for producing unduplicated estimates

of the number of homeless people accessing services from homeless assistance providers,

basic demographic characteristics of people who are homeless, and patterns of service

use, including information on shelter stays and homelessness episodes over time. The

universal data elements are:

3.1 Name

3.2 Social Security Number

3.3 Date of Birth

3.4 Race

3.5 Ethnicity

3.6 Gender

3.7 Veteran Status

3.8 Disabling Condition

3.9 Residence Prior to Program Entry

3.10 Zip Code of Last Permanent Address

3.11 Housing Status

3.12 Program Entry Date

3.13 Program Exit Date

3.14 Unique Person Identification Number

3.15 Household Identification Number

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Data elements 3.1 through 3.11 require that staff from a CoC Program enter

information provided by a client into the HMIS database. Data elements 3.1 to 3.6 only

need to be collected the first time an individual uses a particular CoC Program or, where

HMIS data are shared among providers in a CoC, the first time an individual uses a

program offered by any provider in that community. If some of this information is not

collected the first time a client accesses services or is later found to be inaccurate, it may

be added or corrected subsequently. Data elements 3.7 to 3.11 may need to be updated in

the course of subsequent client contacts as this information can change over time. The

new information should be captured without overwriting the information collected

previously.

Data elements 3.12 (Program Entry Date) and 3.13 (Program Exit Date), are

entered by staff (or computer-generated) every time a client enters or leaves a program.

Elements 3.14 (Unique Person Identification Number) and 3.15 (Household

Identification Number) are automatically generated by the data collection software,

although staff inquiries are essential for the proper generation of these elements.

For each Universal Data element, response categories are provided. For any data

element, programs may choose to capture more detailed information as long as this

information can be exactly mapped to the required response categories described in this

section. Most data elements include a “Don’t Know” or “Refused” response category.

These are considered valid responses if the client does not know or the client refuses to

respond to the question. It is not HUD’s intention that clients be denied service if they refuse

or are unable to supply the information; however, some information may be required by

programs or private funders to determine eligibility for housing or services, to assess needed

services, or to fulfill reporting requirements. The “Don’t Know” or “Refused” responses

should not be used to indicate that the case manager or data entry person does not know the

client’s response.

All Universal Data elements must be obtained from each adult and unaccompanied

youth who applies for a homeless assistance service, with the exception of 3.7 Veteran

Status. Most universal data elements are also required for children under 18 years of age.

Where a group of persons apply for services together (as a household or family), information

about any children under the age of 18 can be provided by the household head who is

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applying for services. The children do not need to be present at the time the household head

applies for services. However, information should not be recorded for children under age 18

if it is indicated that these children will not be entering the program on the same day as the

household head. Information for these children should be recorded when the children join

the program. Information on any other adults (18 years of age or older) who are applying for

services as part of the household will be obtained directly from that adult. Generally, one

adult should not provide information for another adult.

3.1 Name

Rationale: The first, middle, last names, and suffix should be collected to support the

unique identification of each person served.

Data Source: Client interview or self-administered form.

When Data are Collected: Upon initial program entry or as soon as possible thereafter.

Subjects: All clients.

Definitions and Instructions: Four fields should be created in the HMIS database to

capture the client’s full first, middle, and last names and any suffixes (e.g., John David

Doe, Jr.). Programs should seek to obtain legal names only and avoid aliases or

nicknames.


Universal Data Element

3.1 Name Response Categories Examples

Name First, Middle, Last, Suffix John David Doe, Jr.


Changes from Previous Notice: None.

3.2 Social Security Number

Rationale: The collection of a client’s Social Security Number (SSN) and other personal

identifying information is required for two important reasons. First, unique identifiers are

key to producing an accurate, unduplicated local count of homeless persons accessing

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services covered by HMIS. This is particularly critical in jurisdictions where CoC

providers do not share data at the local level and are, therefore, unable to use a Unique

Person Identification Number to de-duplicate (at intake) across all the programs

participating in the CoC’s HMIS. Where data are not shared, CoCs must rely on a set of

unique identifiers to produce an unduplicated count in the central server once the data are

sent to the HMIS Lead Agency. Name and date of birth are useful unique identifiers, but

these identifiers alone do not facilitate as accurate an unduplicated count of homeless

persons as the SSN since names change and people share the same date of birth. Where

data are shared across programs, the SSN greatly improves the process of identifying

clients who have been served and allows programs to de-duplicate upon program entry.

Second, an important Congressional goal is to increase the use of mainstream programs

by homeless persons. To achieve this goal, homeless service providers need the SSN

along with the other personal identifiers in order to access mainstream services for their

clients.

Data Source: Interview or self-administered form.



Definitions and Instructions: In one field, record the nine-digit Social Security Number.

In another field, record the appropriate SSN type (data quality code).



3.2 Social Security Number Response Categories Examples

Social Security Number __ __ __ - __ __ - __ __ __ (123-45-6789)1 = Full SSN Reported 123-45-67892 = Partial SSN Reported 123-4_-____8 = Don’t Know or Don’t have SSN

Social Security Number Type

9 = Refused

Special Issues: Although the HMIS application’s data entry form may include hyphens or

back slashes within the SSN to improve readability, one alphanumeric field without

hyphens should be created within the HMIS database. Ideally, if only a partial SSN is

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recorded, the database should fill in the missing numbers with blanks so that the numbers

provided are stored in the correct place of the Social Security Number. (For example, if

only the last four digits of the SSN, “123456789” are given, it should be stored as “_ _ _

_ _6789” and if only the first three digits are provided, it should be stored as “123_ _ _ _

_ _”.) This will allow maximum matching ability for partial SSNs.

Under federal law (5 U.S.C. Section 552a), a government agency cannot deny

shelter or services to clients who refuse to provide their SSN, unless the requirement was

in effect before 1975 or SSN is a statutory requirement for receiving services from the

program. No HUD-administered McKinney-Vento Act program qualifies under this

exception.


3.3 Date of Birth

Rationale: The date of birth can be used to calculate the age of persons served at time of

program entry or at any point in receiving services. It will also support the unique

identification of each person served.




Definitions and Instructions: Collect the month, day, and year of birth for every person

served. If a client cannot remember the year of birth, ask the person’s age and calculate

the approximate year of birth. If a client cannot remember the month or day of birth,

record an approximate date of “01” for month and “01” for day. CoCs that already have

a policy of entering another approximate date may continue this policy. Approximate

dates for month and day will allow calculation of a person’s age within one year of their

actual age. In another field, record the appropriate date of birth type (data quality code).



3.3 Date of Birth Response Categories Examples

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Date of Birth __ __/__ __/__ __ __ __(Month) (Day) (Year)

(08/31/1965)

Date of Birth Type 1 = Full DOB Reported2 = Approximate or Partial DOBReported8 = Don’t Know9 = Refused

Special Issues: One date-format field for birth dates should be created in the HMIS

database.

Changes from Previous Notice: The responses “Don’t Know” and “Refused” have been

added as response categories for the Date of Birth data element. A Date of Birth Type

data element is also added to assess data quality.

3.4 Race

Rationale: Race is used to count the number of homeless persons who identify

themselves within five different racial categories. In the October 30, 1997 issue of the

Federal Register (62 FR 58782), the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) published

“Standards for Maintaining, Collecting, and Presenting Federal Data on Race and

Ethnicity.” All existing federal recordkeeping and report requirements must be in

compliance with these Standards as of January 1, 2003. The data standards in this Notice

follow the OMB guidelines and can be used to complete HUD form 27061.




Definitions and Instructions: In separate data fields, collect the self-identified race of

each client served. Allow clients to identify multiple racial categories. Staff

observations should not be used to collect information on race. Definitions of each of the

race categories are as follows:

1 = American Indian or Alaska Native is a person having origins in any of the original

peoples of North and South America, including Central America, and who maintains

tribal affiliation or community attachment.

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2 = Asian is a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East,

Southeast Asia or the Indian subcontinent including, for example, Cambodia, China,

India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand and

Vietnam.

3 = Black or African American is a person having origins in any of the black racial

groups of Africa. Terms such as “Haitian” can be used in addition to “Black or

African American.”

4 = Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander is a person having origins in any of the

original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa or other Pacific Islands.

5 = White is a person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle

East or North Africa.



3.4 Race Response Categories

Race 1 = American Indian or Alaska Native2 = Asian3 = Black or African American4 = Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander5 = White8 = Don’t Know9 = Refused


Changes from Previous Notice: Race and Ethnicity were previously combined as a

single data element with a two-part question. They are now two distinct data elements.

The responses “Don’t Know” and “Refused” have been added as response categories for

the Race data element.

3.5 Ethnicity

Rationale: Ethnicity is used to count the number of homeless persons who identify

themselves as Hispanic or Latino.


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Definitions and Instructions: Collect the self-identified Hispanic or Latino ethnicity of

each client served. Staff observations should not be used to determine ethnicity. The

definition of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity is a person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican,

South or Central American or other Spanish culture of origin, regardless of race.



3.5 Ethnicity Response Categories

Ethnicity 0 = Non-Hispanic/Non-Latino1 = Hispanic/Latino8 = Don’t Know9 = Refused


Changes from Previous Notice: Race and Ethnicity were previously combined as a

single data element with a two-part question. They are now two distinct data elements.

The responses “Don’t Know” and “Refused” have been added as response categories to

the Ethnicity data element.

3.6 Gender

Rationale: To create separate counts of homeless men, women and transgendered clients

served.




Definitions and Instructions: Record the reported gender of each client served. Gender

should be assigned based on the client’s self-perceived gender identity. Transgender is

defined as identification with, or presentation as, a gender that is different from the

gender at birth.

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3.6 Gender Response Categories

Gender 0 = Female1 = Male2 = Transgendered Male to Female3 = Transgendered Female to Male4 = Other8 = Don’t Know9 = Refused


Changes from Previous Notice: Transgendered has been added as an official response

category for the gender data element. Staff observations should not be used as the sole

source of information on gender. Staff should ask for the client’s self-perceived gender

identity. The responses “Other,” “Don’t Know” and “Refused” have been added as

response categories for the Gender data element.

3.7 Veteran Status

Rationale: To determine the number of homeless veterans.



Subjects: All adults served.

Definitions and Instructions: A veteran is someone who has served on active duty in the

Armed Forces of the United States. This does not include inactive military reserves or the

National Guard unless the person was called up to active duty.

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3.7 Veteran Status Response Categories

Veteran Status 0 = No1 = Yes8 = Don’t Know9 = Refused



3.8 Disabling Condition

Rationale: Disability condition is needed to help identify clients that meet HUD’s

definition of chronically homeless and, depending on the source of program funds, may

be required to establish client eligibility to be served by the program.

Data Source: Client interview, self-administered form, or assessment. Where disability

is required to determine program eligibility, the data source is the evidence required by

the funding source.

When Data are Collected: At any time after the client has been admitted into the

program (unless a disabling condition is required for determining the client’s eligibility

for the program).

Subjects: All clients served.

Definitions and Instructions: For this data element, a disabling condition means: (1) a

disability as defined in Section 223 of the Social Security Act; (2) a physical, mental, or

emotional impairment which is (a) expected to be of long-continued and indefinite

duration, (b) substantially impedes an individual’s ability to live independently, and (c) of

such a nature that such ability could be improved by more suitable housing conditions; (3)

a developmental disability as defined in Section 102 of the Developmental Disabilities

Assistance and Bill of Rights Act; (4) the disease of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome

or any conditions arising from the etiological agency for acquired immunodeficiency

syndrome; or (5) a diagnosable substance abuse disorder.

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3.8 Disabling Condition Response Categories

Disabling Condition 0 = No1 = Yes8 = Don’t Know9 = Refused

Special Issues: For residential homeless assistance programs, client intake as part of the

program admission process must be separated from the collection of disability information

in order to comply with Fair Housing laws and practices, unless this information is

required to determine program eligibility or is needed to determine whether applicants

need units with special features or if they have special needs related to communication.

It is possible to derive client responses to the Disabling Condition question from

certain program-specific data elements if the HMIS software can automatically map those

responses to the Disabling Condition data element. For example, if a client responds

affirmatively to having a physical disability (Data Element 4.3), a developmental disability

(Data Element 4.4), HIV/AIDS (Data Element 4.6), or a substance abuse problem (Data

Element 4.8), then the response to Disabling Condition is “Yes.” If a client affirms that

they have a mental health problem (Data Element 4.7) and they also affirm that the

problem is expected to be of long duration and substantially impairs their ability to live

independently, then the response to Disabling Condition is “Yes.” An affirmative response

to Chronic Health Condition (Data Element 4.5) does not provide enough information to

assess whether the response to disabling condition is “Yes.” Additional assessment is needed

to determine whether the condition substantially impedes a client’s ability to live

independently and could be improved by more suitable housing conditions. It is important to

note that a “no” to any of the questions in 4.3, 4.4, 4.6, 4.7, or 4.8 does not automatically

preclude a client from being disabled under the SSA definition. However, a “no” response

may require additional assessment to determine whether a physical, emotional or mental

impairment is present, whether the condition is expected to last for a long duration, and

whether it significantly impedes the client’s ability to live independently.

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Operators of CoC Programs should be especially sensitive to collecting information on

disabling condition from clients under the age of 18. In households composed of adults and

children, the disabling status of children should be reported by an adult in the household.

Changes from Previous Notice: Under the previous notice, collection of this information

was limited to all adults served.

3.9 Residence Prior to Program Entry

Rationale: To identify the type of residence and length of stay at that residence just prior

to (i.e., the night before) program admission.


When Data are Collected: At any time after the client has been admitted into the

program (unless a residence just prior to program admission is required for determining

the client’s eligibility for the program).

Subjects: All adults served and unaccompanied youth served.

Definitions and Instructions: Record the type of living arrangement of the client the night

before their entry into the program. For rental by client and owned by client, select the

response that includes the type of housing subsidy, if any, the client received. A housing

subsidy may be tenant-, project- or sponsor-based and provides ongoing assistance to

reduce rent burden. This includes either a housing subsidy provided through the Veterans

Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) program or other housing subsidy. Other housing

subsidies may include a HUD-funded subsidy (e.g., public housing, Housing Choice

Voucher or “Section 8”) or other housing subsidy (e.g., state rental assistance voucher).

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3.9 Residence Priorto Program Entry

Response Categories

Type of Residence 1 = Emergency shelter, including hotel or motel paid for with emergency shelter voucher2 = Transitional housing for homeless persons (including homeless youth)3 = Permanent housing for formerly homeless persons (such as SHP, S+C, or SRO Mod Rehab)4 = Psychiatric hospital or other psychiatric facility5 = Substance abuse treatment facility or detox center6 = Hospital (non-psychiatric)7 = Jail, prison or juvenile detention facility12 = Staying or living in a family member’s room, apartment or house13 = Staying or living in a friend’s room, apartment or house14 = Hotel or motel paid for without emergency shelter voucher15 = Foster care home or foster care group home16 = Place not meant for habitation (e.g., a vehicle, an abandoned building, bus/train/subway

station/airport or anywhere outside); inclusive of “non-housing service site (outreachprograms only)”

17 = Other18 = Safe Haven19 = Rental by client, with VASH housing subsidy20 = Rental by client, with other (non-VASH) ongoing housing subsidy21 = Owned by client, with ongoing housing subsidy:22 = Rental by client, no ongoing housing subsidy23 = Owned by client, no ongoing housing subsidy8 = Don’t Know9 = Refused

Length of Stay inPrevious Place

1 = One week or less2 = More than one week, but less than one month3 = One to three months4 = More than three months, but less than one year5 = One year or longer8 = Don’t Know9 = Refused

Special Issues: This standard does not preclude the collection of residential history

information beyond the residence experienced the night prior to program admission. This

data element must be recorded in a transactional field each time a client enters a program.

Communities may decide whether to include additional response values as long as they can

be mapped to the categories included here, including the “other” category.

Changes from Previous Notice: Response value 18, Safe Haven, has been added. A safe

haven is a form of transitional supportive housing or a drop-in supportive service center

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that serves hard-to-reach homeless persons with severe mental illness who are on the

street and have been unable or unwilling to participate in housing or supportive services.

Several response values have been eliminated and added to specifically distinguish rental

and ownership situations where no housing subsidy exists from those that were supported

by an ongoing subsidy. Response values 10 and 11 have been eliminated. These values

had referred to rental and ownership situations, but did not specify a subsidy. Response

values 19-23 have been added: Response values 19 through 21 capture information on

clients who were receiving a housing subsidy prior to program entry; Response values 22

and 23 refer to housing situations without an ongoing subsidy.

3.10 Zip Code of Last Permanent Address

Rationale: To identify the former geographic location of persons experiencing

homelessness or current geographic location of persons who are at risk of homelessness.


When Data are Collected: Upon any program entry or as soon as possible thereafter.

Subjects: All adults and unaccompanied youth served.

Definitions and Instructions: In one field, record the five-digit zip code of the apartment,

room, or house where the client last lived for 90 days or more. In another field, record the

appropriate zip code type (data quality code).



3.10 Zip Code of Last Permanent Address Response Category Examples

Zip Code __ __ __ __ __ 123451 = Full or Partial Zip Code

Reported12345

8 = Don’t Know

Zip Code Type

9 = Refused

Special Issues: HPRP and other homelessness prevention programs serving persons who

are currently living in housing that they have resided in for 90 days or longer (as of the

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Program Entry Date) should record the zip code of the apartment, room, or house, where

the client is currently living.

Changes from Previous Notice: Zip Code Type response value 1 was changed to “Full or

Partial Zip Reported”.

3.11 Housing Status

Rationale: To identify persons who, at program entry and program exit, are literally

homeless; housed, but at imminent risk of losing their housing; housed, but at-risk of

losing their housing; or in a stable housing situation. This data element allows programs

that serve homeless and non-homeless persons to separate these two populations for

reporting purposes. This data element is not intended to be used for program eligibility

determination purposes, as program eligibility criteria may vary by program and/or

funding source. This information can help homelessness prevention programs target their

resources appropriately.


When Data are Collected: Upon initial program entry or as soon as possible thereafter

and at program exit for all programs except emergency shelters. This information may be

needed prior to admission to determine program eligibility.


Definitions and Instructions: For each client, determine whether the client is: literally

homeless; imminently losing their housing; unstably housed and at-risk of losing their

housing; or stably housed at program entry and exit. A client must be coded to a single

response category. For clients exiting a program, the Housing Status should reflect their

housing status immediately after exiting the program as determined by the client’s housing

destination and anticipated housing stability.

Persons who are literally homeless include people who at program entry or

program exit are in one of the following:

Places not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping

accommodation for human beings, including a car, park, abandoned

building, bus or train station, airport, or camping ground;

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A supervised publicly or privately operated shelter designated to provide

temporary living arrangements (including hotels and motels paid for by

Federal, State, or local government programs for low-income individuals

or by charitable organizations, congregate shelters, and transitional

housing for homeless persons);

A hospital or other institution, if the person was sleeping in an emergency

shelter or other place not meant for human habitation (cars, parks, streets,

etc.) immediately prior to entry into the hospital or institution;

Fleeing a domestic violence situation.

Persons who are imminently losing their housing include people who at program

entry or program exit:

Are currently housed and not literally homeless, per above definition;

Are imminently losing their housing, whether permanent or temporary;

Have no subsequent housing options identified; and

Lack the resources or support networks needed to retain current housing or

obtain temporary or permanent housing.

Examples of imminent housing loss include:

Being evicted from a private dwelling unit (including housing they

own, rent, or live in without paying rent, are sharing with others, and

rooms in hotels or motels not paid for by Federal, State, or local

government programs for low-income individuals or by charitable

organizations);

Being discharged from a hospital or other institution;

Living in housing that has been condemned by housing officials and is

no longer considered meant for human habitation;

Persons who are unstably housed and at-risk of losing their housing include

people who at program entry or program exit:

Are currently housed and not literally homeless or imminently losing their

housing, per above definitions;

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Are experiencing housing instability, but may have one or more other

temporary housing options; and

Lack the resources or support networks to retain or obtain permanent

housing.

Housing instability may be evidenced by:

Frequent moves because of economic reasons;

Living in the home of another because of economic hardship;

Being evicted from a private dwelling unit (including housing they own,

rent, or live in without paying rent, are sharing with others, and rooms in

hotels or motels not paid for by Federal, State, or local government

programs for low-income individuals or by charitable organizations);

Living in a hotel or motel not paid for by Federal, State, or local

government programs for low-income individuals or by charitable

organizations;

Living in severely overcrowded housing;

Being discharged from a hospital or other institution; or

Otherwise living in housing that has characteristics associated with

instability and an increased risk of homelessness.

Persons who are stably housed are in a stable housing situation and not at risk of

losing this housing (i.e., do not meet the criteria for any of the other housing response

categories, per above definitions).



3.11 Housing Status Response Categories

1 = Literally homeless2 = Imminently losing their housing3 = Unstably housed and at-risk of losing their housing4 = Stably housed8 = Don’t Know9 = Refused

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Special Issues: For programs that serve only persons who are literally homeless, the

HMIS software application may default the value of this data element to “1 = literally

homeless.”


3.12 Program Entry Date

Rationale: To determine the start of a client’s period of program involvement with any

CoC Program. This data element is needed for reporting purposes for all programs and to

measure lengths of stay for residential programs.

Data Source: Program staff.

When Data are Collected: Upon any program entry (whether or not it is an initial

program entry).


Definitions and Instructions: Record the month, day, and year of first day of service or

program entry. For residential programs, this date would represent the first day of

residence in the program following residence at any other place. There should be a new

program entry date (and corresponding exit date) for each continuous period of residence.

If there is a gap in residence (except for gaps allowed in Permanent Supportive Housing

programs), a return to the residential program should be recorded as a new program entry

date. Residential programs not required to collect program-specific data that are using

alternative models to track length of stay, as described in Section 2.12, may determine a

specified period of non-attendance after which a program exit date is generated and a

subsequent return to the residential program requires a new program entry date along

with the collection of other data required upon each new program admission.

For services, this date may represent the day of program enrollment, the day a

service was provided, or the first date of a period of continuous participation in a service

(e.g., daily, weekly or monthly). There should be a new program entry date (and

corresponding program exit date) for each period of service. Therefore, any return to a

program after a break in treatment, completion of the program, or termination of the

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program by the user or provider must be recorded as a new program entry date. A

definition of what constitutes a break in the treatment depends on the program and needs

to be defined by program staff. For example, programs that expect to see the same client

on a daily (or almost daily) basis may define a break in treatment as one missed day that

was not arranged in advance or three consecutive missed days for any reason. Treatment

programs that are scheduled less frequently than a daily basis may define a break in

treatment as one or more missed weekly sessions.


Universal Data Element3.12 Program Entry Date Response Categories Examples

Program entry date __ __/__ __/__ __ __ __(Month) (Day) (Year)

(08/01/2007)

Special Issues: Two methods are suggested below for noting and tracking supportive

services provided/received by a client prior to Program Entry. It may be useful to record

these service events for case management purposes although they would not be included

in the APR (for a HUD funded homeless assistance program) or other reports that define

clients served based on program entry and exit dates associated with the program.

Service Transaction Model. To track services provided before official program

entry and/or after program exit, program staff can use the optional “Services Provided”

data element described under the Program-Specific Data Element section of this Notice,

if the software supports this approach. CoC Programs may select a service type from the

response categories in the “Services Provided” data element to track client contacts,

engagements, enrollment processes and/or screenings that occur prior to program entry

and/or aftercare services provided after program exit.

Separate Program Model. Alternatively, CoC Programs may establish a separate

program profile within the locally-defined profile of program types in HMIS as another

option for tracking provision of services prior to program entry date. Services received

by clients in a pre-program entry setting may include enrollment screening, eligibility

determination, housing search assistance prior to move to residential-based programs,

and/or services that are not eligible activities under the primary program’s funding

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criteria. A separate, pre-entry program will need its own unique Program Identification

Number in HMIS. Programs may choose to use this option for tracking provision of

services prior to program entry or after program exit. Again, these services are not

included in a program’s APR.

Changes from Previous Notice: Program Entry continues to be the primary tool for

tracking length of stay in residential homeless assistance programs. The standards

outline additional methods for noting and tracking periods of service provision that occur

outside the traditional residential stay period or outside the official APR reporting period.

For a more detailed description of the suggested methods for noting and tracking length

of stay see the Program Descriptor Data Standards in Section 2.

3.13 Program Exit Date

Rationale: To determine the end of a period of program involvement for all clients of

CoC Programs. This data element is required for reporting purposes for all programs and

to calculate the lengths of stay in residential programs or the amount of time spent

participating in services-only CoC Programs.

Data Source: Program staff.

When Data are Collected: Upon any program exit.


Definitions and Instructions: Record the month, day and year of last day of service. For a

program providing housing or shelter to a client, this date would represent the last day of

continuous residence in the program’s housing before the client transfers to another

residential program or otherwise stops residing in the shelter or housing program. For

example, if a person checked into an overnight shelter on January 30, 2008, stayed over night

and left in the morning, the last date of service for that shelter stay would be January 31,

2008. If the client returned on February 2, 2008, a new program entry date is recorded. To

minimize staff and client burden at shelters that require most (or all) clients to reapply for

service on a nightly basis, the provider can enter the entry and exit date at the same time or

can specify software that automatically enters the exit date as the day after the entry date for

clients of the overnight program.

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For programs that are not required to collect program-specific data, alternate methods

can be used for recording actual dates stayed in the program. HUD-funded Transitional

Housing programs should use Program Exit Date to record the day that the client leaves the

residential portion of the program; follow-up services can be recorded using the methods

discussed under Special Issues below, but should not be reported as part of the APR.

For non-residential service programs, the exit date may represent the day a service

was provided or the last date of a period of ongoing service. The exit date should

coincide with the date the client is no longer considered a program participant. Programs

should have a clear and consistently applied procedure for determining when a client who

is receiving supportive services is no longer considered a client. For example, if a person

has been receiving weekly counseling as part of an ongoing treatment program and either

formally terminates his or her involvement or fails to return for counseling, the last date

of service is the date of the last counseling session. If a client uses a service for just one

day (i.e., starts and stops before midnight of same day, such as an outreach encounter),

the entry and exit date would be the same date.

For HPRP programs the Program Exit Date may be the same as the Program

Entry Date if the participation in the service begins and ends on the same day. For a

client receiving short-term or medium-term rental assistance for two or more consecutive

months, the Program Exit Date should be equivalent to the last day of the last month for

which the rental assistance payment applies.



3.13 Program Exit Date Response Categories Examples

Program exit date __ __/__ __/__ __ __ __(Month) (Day) (Year)

(08/31/2007)

Special Issues: Programs may choose to track client contacts or provision of service after a

program exit. For example some transitional housing programs offer a period of

“aftercare” or “follow up” that corresponds to a period of client contact after the client has

exited the residential program component. Depending on the software, service transactions

that occur after exit may be able to be tracked using the optional Services Provided data

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element. Note that for HUD funded homeless assistance programs, services provided after

the exit date are not included in the APR. HUD-funded service only programs should use

the Program Exit Date to indicate the date of service exit for APR reporting purposes.

Service only/non-residential programs may identify a period of no client contact

that can be used as a flag for program exit determination by the HMIS software. For

example, a period of 30 consecutive days with no client contact could trigger a program

exit. The actual exit date should be based on the last date of service provision. The

length of time without client contact or activity that triggers a program exit should be

locally determined based on program design and client profile. Ideally, software that

supports this function should provide a data field in each program’s set-up/profile to

record the period of no client contact after which a client would be flagged for a default

exit.


3.14 Personal Identification Number

Rationale: Every client receiving services from a contributory CoC program within a

CoC is assigned a Personal Identification Number (PIN), which is a permanent and

unique number generated by the HMIS application. The PIN is used to obtain an

unduplicated count of persons served within a CoC.

Data Source: The PIN is generated automatically by the HMIS application. Where data

are shared across programs in a CoC, staff will determine at intake whether a client has

been assigned a PIN previously by any of the participating programs. To make this

determination, the staff enters personal identifying information (Name, SSN, Date of

Birth, and Gender) into the HMIS application. The application then searches the HMIS

for matching records. If a match is found and a PIN is retrieved, the same PIN will be

assigned to the client. If no matches are found, a new randomly generated PIN is

assigned to the client.

Where data are not shared across programs, staff will similarly determine at

intake whether a client has been assigned a PIN previously by their agency or program.

If the client is found within their program records, the same PIN will be assigned to the

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client. If the client has not been served by their program previously, a PIN is randomly

generated and assigned to the client.

When Data Are Collected: Upon program entry.


Definition and Instructions: Assign a unique ID number to each client served. The PIN is

a number automatically generated by the HMIS application. The PIN will not be based

on any client-specific information, but instead should be a randomly assigned, computer-

generated number.

The HMIS must have functionality to allow the HMIS Lead Agency to de-

duplicate clients with distinct PINs using identifying information.


Universal Data Element3.14 Personal Identification Number Response Categories

A PIN must be created, but there is no required format as long as there is asingle unique PIN for every client served in the CoC using a consistentformat and it contains no personally identifying information.



3.15 Household Identification Number

Rationale: To count the number of households served in a program.

Data Source: Interview or staff observation that a client is participating in a program as a

single person household or as a household with two or more members. May be generated

automatically by the HMIS application.

When Data Are Collected: Upon any program entry.


Definition and Instructions: A household is a single individual or a group of persons who

together apply to a CoC program for services. Assign a unique ID number to each household

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served. There is no specified format for this data element. The Household Identification

Number can be a randomly generated number or some other code as long as each household

receives a distinct identifier that is associated with each member of that household.


Universal Data Element3.15 Household Identification Number Response Categories

A Household ID number must be created, but there is no requiredformat as long as the number allows identification of clients thatreceive services as a member of a specific household.

Special Issues: If it is not evident to program staff whether or not others are applying for

assistance with the person who is being interviewed, then program staff should ask if

anyone else is applying for assistance with that person.

Persons can join a household with members who have already begun a program

stay or leave a program although other members of the household remain in the program.

A common household identification number should be assigned to each member of the

same household. Persons in a household (either adults or children) who are not present

when the household initially applies for assistance and later join the household should be

assigned the same household identification number that links them to the rest of the

persons in the household.


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4. Program-Specific Data Elements

Program-Specific Data elements provide information about the characteristics of

clients, the services that are provided, and client outcomes. These data elements must be

collected from all clients served by programs that are required to report this information to

HUD. Specifically, programs that receive funding through HUD’s Supportive Housing

Program, Shelter Plus Care, Section 8 Moderate Rehabilitation for Single Room Occupancy

Dwellings (SRO) Program, and the homeless programs funded through the Housing

Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) Program are required to collect most of this

information in order to complete Annual Performance Reports (APRs). Likewise, programs

that are funded through the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program are

required to collect some of these data elements in order to submit Quarterly and Annual

Performance Reports.

For programs with no such reporting requirements, these data standards are optional

but recommended since they allow local Continuums of Care (CoCs) to obtain consistent

information across a range of providers that can be used to plan service delivery, monitor the

provision of services, and identify client outcomes. However, these data elements do not

constitute a client assessment tool, and providers will need to develop their own data

collection protocols in order to properly assess a client’s need for services.

The Program-Specific Data elements that are needed for HUD reporting include:

4.1 Income and Sources

4.2 Non-Cash Benefits

4.3 Physical Disability

4.4 Developmental Disability

4.5 Chronic Health Condition

4.6 HIV/AIDS

4.7 Mental Health

4.8 Substance Abuse

4.9 Domestic Violence

4.10 Destination

4.11 Date of Contact

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4.12 Date of Engagement

4.13 Financial Services Provided

4.14 Housing Relocation & Stabilization Services Provided

Of this group, the following data elements are required for HPRP grantees: 4.1

Income and Sources, 4.2 Non-Cash Benefits, 4.10 Destination, 4.13 Financial Services

Provided, and 4.14 Housing Relocation & Stabilization Services Provided.

Additional optional Program-Specific Data elements are presented in this section,

including: Employment, Education, General Health Status, Pregnancy Status, Veteran’s

Information, Children’s Education, Reason for Leaving, and Services Provided.

The Program-Specific data elements require that staff from a CoC agency collect

information from clients and enter it into a HMIS database. In most cases, this

information may be:

Provided by the client; and/or

Taken from case manager interviews or records, assuming that this

information has been collected consistent with the baseline privacy standards

of the 2004 Data and Technical Standards.

In the 2004 Notice, HUD established requirements for maintaining client privacy

and data confidentiality to ensure that clients are notified of possible uses and disclosures

of their information and that all information collected remains secure. These

requirements remain in effect.

For each Program-Specific Data element, multiple response categories are

provided. Programs may choose to capture more detailed information (or finer response

categories) as long as this information can be exactly mapped to the required response

categories described in this section. The HMIS software must be able to produce the

QPR (for HPRP programs only) and the APR using the response categories exactly as

they are presented in this section.

Most data elements include a “Don’t Know” or “Refused” response category. These

are considered valid responses if the client does not know or the client refuses to respond to

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the question. It is not HUD’s intention that clients be denied service if they refuse or are

unable to supply the information; however, some information may be required by programs

or public or private funders to determine eligibility for housing or services, to assess needed

services, or to fulfill reporting requirements. The “Don’t Know” or “Refused” responses

should not be used to indicate that the case manager or data entry person does not know the

client’s response.

Finally, many of these data elements represent transactions or information that

may change over time. Most Program-Specific Data elements should be captured at

program entry and exit, and a few must be captured at program entry, exit, and on an

annual basis. Programs may decide when to collect the information on an annual basis,

but HUD encourages programs that are required to complete an APR to update these data

elements near the end of their APR operating year.

4.1 Income and Sources

Rationale: Income and sources of income are important for determining service needs of

people at the time of program entry, determining whether they are accessing all income

sources for which they are eligible, and describing the characteristics of the homeless

population. Capturing the receipt of cash income from various sources will help to:

ensure all income sources are counted in the calculation of total income; enable program

staff to take into account the composition of income in determining needs; determine if

people are receiving the mainstream program benefits to which they may be entitled; help

clients apply for benefits assistance; and allow analysis of changes in the composition of

income between entry and exit from the program and annual changes prior to program

exit. Income data are also needed to complete APRs for all HUD funded CoC Programs,

including HPRP programs.

Data Source: Client interview, self-administered form, and/or case manager records.

When Data Are Collected: In the course of client assessment nearest to program entry, at

program exit and at least once annually during program enrollment, if the period between

program entry and exit exceeds one year. Programs may decide when to collect the

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information on an annual basis, but HUD encourages programs that are required to

complete an APR to update these data elements near the end of their APR operating year.


Definition and Instructions: In separate fields, determine (a) whether the client receives any

income from any source listed below in the past 30 days, (b) if the client received any earned

income, the amount of income received in the past 30 days (recording the amount of income

received is optional for all other income sources, although recording client’s total income is

still required) and (c) the client’s total monthly income (rounded to the nearest U.S. dollar).

Allow clients to identify multiple sources of income.

As a general rule, income is assigned to a household member if the income

source/amount leaves the household upon the departure of that member. The same

income source and income amount should not be assigned to more than one person in the

same household. For example, for a household with one adult and three children, if only

the adult member of the household reports earned income then that adult’s record should

have a “Yes” for earned income, and the amount of earned income received over the past

30 days. The children in the household should have a “No” value for earned income. For

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Child Support, Alimony or other spousal

support income, the “Receiving Income from Source” and “Amount from Source”

responses should be assigned to the adult member of the household who is issued the

income payment. For Supplemental Security Income (SSI) received on behalf of a minor

child, income source/amount should be assigned to the minor child. However, if it is not

possible to discern which minor child the SSI benefit is intended for, the program may

assign the SSI benefit to the child’s parent or legal guardian.


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Program-Specific Data Element

4.1 Income and Source Response Categories

Financial Resources Income received from any source in past 30 days? 0 = No1 = Yes8 = Don’t Know9 = Refused

Source and Amount ofIncome

Source of Income Receivingincomesource?

Amount from Source

1 = Earned Income (i.e., employment income) 0 = No1 = Yes

$_ _ _ _.00

2 = Unemployment Insurance 0 = No1 = Yes

$_ _ _ _.00

3 = Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 0 = No1 = Yes

$_ _ _ _.00

4 = Social Security Disability Income (SSDI) 0 = No1 = Yes

$_ _ _ _.00

5 = Veteran’s disability payment 0 = No1 = Yes

$_ _ _ _.00

6 = Private disability insurance 0 = No1 = Yes

$_ _ _ _.00

7 = Worker’s compensation 0 = No1 = Yes

$_ _ _ _.00

10 = Temporary Assistance for Needy Families(TANF) (or use local program name)

0 = No1 = Yes

$_ _ _ _.00

11 = General Assistance (GA) (or use localprogram name)

0 = No1 = Yes

$_ _ _ _.00

12 = Retirement income from Social Security 0 = No1 = Yes

$_ _ _ _.00

13 = Veteran’s pension 0 = No1 = Yes

$_ _ _ _.00

14 = Pension from a former job 0 = No1 = Yes

$_ _ _ _.00

15 = Child support 0 = No1 = Yes

$_ _ _ _.00

16 = Alimony or other spousal support 0 = No1 = Yes

$_ _ _ _.00

17 = Other source 0 = No1 = Yes

$_ _ _ _.00

Total Monthly Income Monthly income from all sources $_ _ _ _.00

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Special Issues: Income should be reported at the client-level. Programs may choose to

disaggregate the sources of income into more detailed categories as long as these

categories can be aggregated into the above stated sources of income. Programs

collecting data through client interviews should ask clients whether they receive income

from each of the sources listed under “Required Response Categories” rather than asking

them to state the sources of income they receive. The “Don’t Know” and “Refused”

responses should only be used when clients do not know or refuse to answer whether they

have any income. When a client has income, but does not know the amount, a “Yes”

response should be recorded for both the overall income question and the specific source,

and the income amount should be left blank.

To reduce data collection and reporting burden, if a client reports receiving no

income from any source in the past 30 days, no additional data collection is required. If a

client reports receiving income, an HMIS may be designed such that programs only need

to directly enter “Yes” for the benefits the clients received. The HMIS software may

automatically generate a “No” response for the other income sources. The HMIS may

also be designed to automatically generate a “Yes” response where income amounts are

recorded. However, since clients often know the source of income, but not the precise

amount, users should have the ability to enter “Yes” without recording an exact amount.


was required only at program entry and exit. Income information also is required to be

collected at least once annually during program enrollment, if the period between

program entry and exit exceeds one year. A general question on whether any income has

been received has been added. .In the 2004 notice, programs were required to collect the

amount of income received in the past 30 days. Now they are required to record whether

or not the client received that income source; however, aside from earned income,

capturing the dollar amount is optional.

4.2 Non-Cash Benefits

Rationale: Non-cash benefits are important to determine whether clients are accessing all

mainstream program benefits for which they may be eligible and to ascertain a more

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complete picture of their economic circumstances. This information is needed to

complete APRs and QPRs for HUD funded CoC Programs, including HPRP programs.

Data Source: Client interview, self-administered form, and/or case manager records.



program entry and exit exceeds one year. Programs may decide when to collect the

information on an annual basis, but HUD encourages programs that are required to

complete an APR to update these data elements near the end of their APR operating year.


Definition and Instructions: For each source listed below, determine if the client received

any non-cash benefits in the past 30 days. Clients may identify multiple sources of non-

cash benefits. For households with more than one member, non-cash benefits should be

assigned in HMIS to all members of the household for whom the benefit is intended. For

example, if an entire family is enrolled in Medicaid, the “Non-cash benefits received

from any source in the past 30 days” question would be assigned as “Yes” for all

household members and the “Source of non-cash benefit: Medicaid health insurance

program” would be assigned as “Yes” for all household members.



4.2 Non-Cash Benefits Response Categories

Non-Cash Benefit Non-cash benefit received from any source in past 30 days? 0 = No1 = Yes8 = Don’t Know9 = Refused

Source of Non-cash Benefit Receive Benefit

1 = Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)(Previously known as Food Stamps)

0 = No1 = Yes

2 = MEDICAID health insurance program (or use localname)

0 = No1 = Yes

3 = MEDICARE health insurance program (or use localname)

0 = No1 = Yes

4 = State Children’s Health Insurance Program (or uselocal name)

0 = No1 = Yes

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4.2 Non-Cash Benefits Response Categories

5 = Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women,Infants, and Children (WIC)

0 = No1 = Yes

6 = Veteran’s Administration (VA) Medical Services 0 = No1 = Yes

7 = TANF Child Care services (or use local name) 0 = No1 = Yes

10 = TANF transportation services (or use local name) 0 = No1 = Yes

11 = Other TANF-funded services (or use local name) 0 = No1 = Yes

12 = Section 8, public housing, or other ongoing rentalassistance

0 = No1 = Yes

13 = Other source 0 = No1 = Yes

14 = Temporary rental assistance 0 = No1 = Yes

Special Issues: Programs may choose to disaggregate the non-cash sources of income

into more detailed categories as long as these categories can be aggregated into the

above-stated non-cash sources of income. Programs may also choose to record additional

information about non-cash sources of income, including: information related to benefit

eligibility (e.g., if a person is not receiving a service, is it because they are not eligible or

eligibility has not yet been determined); date of application; amount of benefits; and start

and stop dates for receipt of benefits.

In order to determine whether the client received any non-cash benefits,

program’s collecting data through client interviews are advised to ask clients whether

they receive non-cash benefits from each of the sources listed under “Required Response

Categories” rather than asking whether they received any benefit and to state the sources

of income they receive. To reduce data collection and reporting burden, if a client reports

receiving no non-cash benefit from any source in the past 30 days, no additional data

collection is required. If a client reports receiving non-cash benefits, an HMIS may be

designed such that programs only need to directly enter “Yes” for the benefits the clients

received. The HMIS software may automatically generate a “No” response for the other

non-cash benefit sources.

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Changes from Previous Notice: Under the previous notice, collection of this

information was required only at program entry and program exit. Non-cash benefits

information also is now required to be collected at least once annually during program

enrollment, if the period between program entry and exit exceeds one year. Data

collection in the 2004 Notice was limited to adults and unaccompanied youth. Also, a

general question on whether any non-cash benefit has been received has been added, as

well as response categories to determine if a client is receiving a non-cash benefit from

each source. Response category 12 has been changed to clarify that it refers specifically

to ongoing rental assistance. A new response category 14 has been added to track

temporary rental assistance.

4.3 Physical Disability

Rationale: To count the number of physically disabled persons served, determine

eligibility for disability benefits, and assess the need for services. Needed to complete

APRs for HUD-funded homeless assistance programs (excluding HPRP).

Data Source: Client interview, self-administered form, or case manager records.

When Data Are Collected: In the course of client assessment once the individual is

admitted—unless this information is needed prior to admission to determine program

eligibility—at program exit, and at least once annually during program enrollment if the

period between program entry and exit exceeds one year. Programs may decide when to

collect the information on an annual basis, but HUD encourages programs that are

required to complete an APR to update these data elements near the end of their APR

operating year.


Definition and Instructions: In separate fields, determine (a) if the client has a physical

disability, and (b) if the client is currently receiving services or treatment for this

disability or received services or treatment prior to exiting the program. For the purposes

of this Notice, a physical disability means a physical impairment which is (a) expected to

be of long, continued and indefinite duration, (b) substantially impedes an individual’s

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ability to live independently, and (c) of such a nature that such ability could be improved

by more suitable housing conditions.

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4.3 Physical Disability Response Categories

Physical disability 0 = No1 = Yes8 = Don’t Know9 = Refused

(If yes)[At entry]Currently receiving services or treatment for this condition?[At annual assessment and at exit]:Received services/treatment while in the program?

0 = No1 = Yes8 = Don’t Know9 = Refused

Special Issues: Programs should be especially sensitive to the collection of disability

information from clients under the age of 18. In households with children accompanied

by an adult, children’s disability should be determined based on an interview with the

adult in the household.

If the response to physical disability is yes, the case manager records must document the

physical disability. Documentation includes written verification from a state-licensed

professional, such as a medical service provider or a health-care provider, the Social

Security Administration, or the receipt of a disability check (i.e., SSDI check or VA

disability benefit check).


was required only at program entry, and data collection was limited to adults and

unaccompanied youth. The second part of the question related to services or treatment

has been added. Response categories for “Don’t Know” and “Refused” were also added

to capture information when the client does not know or the client refuses to respond and

to ensure consistency in data quality reporting.

4.4 Developmental Disability

Rationale: To count the number of developmentally disabled persons served, determine

eligibility for disability benefits, and assess their need for services. Needed to complete


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Data Source: Client interview, self-administered form and/or case manager records.







operating year.


Definition and Instructions: In separate fields, determine (a) if the client has a

developmental disability, and (b) if the client is currently receiving services or treatment

for this disability or received services or treatment prior to exiting the program. For the

purposes of this Notice, a developmental disability means a severe, chronic disability that

is attributed to a mental or physical impairment (or combination of physical and mental

impairments) that occurs before 22 years of age and limits the capacity for independent

living and economic self-sufficiency.



4.4 Developmental Disability Response Categories

Developmental disability 0 = No1 = Yes8 = Don’t Know9 = Refused





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If the response to developmental disability is yes, the case manager records must

document the developmental disability. Documentation includes written verification

from a state-licensed professional, such as a medical service provider or a health-care

provider, the Social Security Administration, or the receipt of a disability check (i.e.,

SSDI check or VA disability benefit check).



unaccompanied youth. The second part of the question related to treatment has been

added. Response categories for “Don’t Know” and “Refused” were also added to capture

information when the client does not know or the client refuses to respond and to ensure

consistency in data quality reporting.

4.5 Chronic Health Condition

Rationale: To count the number of persons served with severe health conditions and

assess their need for healthcare and other medical services. Needed to complete APRs

for HUD-funded homeless assistance programs (excluding HPRP).

Data Source: Client interview, self-administered form or case manager records.







operating year.


Definition and Instructions: In separate fields, determine (a) if the client has a chronic

health condition, and (b) if the client is currently receiving services or treatment for this

condition or received services or treatment prior to exiting the program. For the purposes

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of this Notice, a chronic health condition means a diagnosed condition that is more than

three months in duration and is either not curable or has residual effects that limit daily

living and require adaptation in function or special assistance. Examples of chronic

health conditions include, but are not limited to, heart disease (including coronary heart

disease, angina, heart attack and any other kind of heart condition or disease); severe

asthma; diabetes; arthritis-related conditions (including arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis,

gout, lupus, or fibromyalgia); adult onset cognitive impairments (including traumatic

brain injury, post-traumatic distress syndrome, dementia, and other cognitive related

conditions); severe headache/migraine; cancer; chronic bronchitis; liver condition; stroke;

or emphysema.



4.5 Chronic Health Condition Response Categories

Chronic Health Condition 0 = No1 = Yes8 = Don’t Know9 = Refused







If the response to chronic health condition is yes, the case manager records must

document the chronic health condition. Documentation includes written verification

from a state-licensed professional, such as a medical service provider or a health-care

provider, the Social Security Administration, or the receipt of a disability check (i.e.,



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4.6 HIV/AIDS

Rationale: To count the number persons served who have been diagnosed with AIDS or

have tested positive for HIV and assess their need for services. Needed to complete



When Data are Collected: In the course of client assessment once the individual is






operating year.


Definition and Instructions: In separate fields, determine if the client (a) has been

diagnosed with AIDS or has tested positive for HIV, and (b) if the client is currently

receiving services or treatment for this diagnosis or received services or treatment prior to

exiting the program.



4.6 HIV/AIDS Response Categories

HIV / AIDS 0 = No1 = Yes8 = Don’t Know9 = Refused



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Special Issues: This information is required for determining eligibility for the HOPWA

program. Such information is covered by confidentiality requirements. As in other areas

involving sensitive or protected client information, information should be recorded only

when a program or project has adequate data confidentiality protections. These

protections include agency policies and procedures and staff training to ensure that HIV-

related information cannot be learned by anyone without the proper authorization.

Programs should be especially sensitive to the collection of disability information

from clients under the age of 18. In households with children accompanied by an adult,

children’s disability should be determined based on an interview with the adult in the

household.

Changes from Previous Notice: Under the previous Notice, collection of this information


unaccompanied youth. The second part of the question related to treatment has been

added. Response categories for “Don’t Know” and “Refused” were also added to capture



4.7 Mental Health

Rationale: To count the number of persons with mental health problems served and to

assess the need for treatment. Needed to complete APRs for HUD-funded homeless

assistance programs (excluding HPRP).








operating year.


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Definition and Instructions: In separate data fields, determine: (a) if the client has a

mental health problem, (b) if the problem is expected to be of long-continued and

indefinite duration and substantially impedes a client’s ability to live independently, and

(c) if the client is currently receiving services or treatment for the condition or received

services or treatment prior to exiting the program. A mental health problem may include

serious depression, serious anxiety, hallucinations, violent behavior or thoughts of

suicide.



4.7 Mental Health Response Categories

Mental health problem 0 = No1 = Yes8 = Don’t Know9 = Refused

(If client has a mental health problem) Expected tobe of long-continued and indefinite duration andsubstantially impairs ability to live independently


(If client has a mental health problem){At entry]Currently receiving services or treatment for thiscondition?[At annual assessment and at exit]:Received services/treatment while in the program?






If the response to mental health condition is yes, the case manager records must

document the mental health condition. Documentation includes written verification

should from a state-licensed professional, such as a medical service provider or a health-

care provider, the Social Security Administration, or the receipt of a disability check (i.e.,


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unaccompanied youth. The third part of the question related to treatment has been added.

Response categories for “Don’t Know” and “Refused” were also added to capture



4.8 Substance Abuse

Rationale: To count the number of persons served with substance abuse problems and to

assess the need for treatment. Needed to complete APRs for HUD-funded homeless

assistance programs (excluding HPRP).








operating year.


Definition and Instructions: In separate data fields, determine (a) if the client has an

alcohol or drug abuse problem or both, (b) if the problem is expected to be of long-

continued and indefinite duration and substantially impedes a client’s ability to live

independently, and (c) if the client is currently receiving services or treatment for the

condition or received services or treatment prior to exiting the program.



4.8 Substance Abuse Response Categories

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Substance abuse problem 0 = No1 = Alcohol abuse2 = Drug abuse3 = Both alcohol and drug abuse8 = Don’t Know9 = Refused

(If client has a substance abuse problem) Expectedto be of long-continued and indefinite duration andsubstantially impairs ability to live independently


(If client has a substance abuse problem)[At entry]Currently receiving services or treatment for thiscondition?[At annual assessment and at exit]:Received services/treatment while in the program?






Changes from Previous Notice: For the substance abuse data element, the “dually

diagnosed” response category has been changed to “Both alcohol and drug abuse.”

Under the previous Notice, collection of this information was required only at program

entry, and data collection was limited to adults and unaccompanied youth. A response

option of “No” was added to the “Substance abuse problem” question to ensure

consistency in data quality reporting. The third part of the question related to treatment

has been added. Response categories for “Don’t Know” and “Refused” were also added

to capture information when the client does not know or the client refuses to respond and

to ensure consistency in data quality reporting.

4.9 Domestic Violence

Rationale: Ascertaining whether a person is a victim of domestic violence is necessary to

provide the person with the appropriate services to prevent further abuse and to treat the

physical and psychological injuries from prior abuse. Also, ascertaining that a person

may be experiencing domestic violence may be important for the safety of program staff

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and other clients. At the aggregate level, knowing the size of the homeless population

that has experienced domestic violence is critical for determining the resources needed to

address the problem in this population. Needed to complete APRs for HUD-funded

homeless assistance programs (excluding HPRP).


When Data are Collected: In the course of client assessment.

Subjects: All adults and unaccompanied youth served.

Definition and Instructions: In separate fields, determine (a) if the person has ever been a

victim of domestic violence, and (b), if so, how long ago did the person have the most

recent experience.



4.9 Domestic Violence Response Categories

Domestic violencevictim/survivor


(If yes) When experienceoccurred

1 = Within the past three months2 = Three to six months ago3 = From six to twelve months ago4 = More than a year ago8 = Don’t Know9 = Refused

Special Issues: Programs should be especially sensitive to the collection of domestic

violence information from clients and should implement appropriate interview protocols

to protect client privacy and safety such as: asking this question in a private location and

not in the presence of a romantic partner; delaying all entry of data about clients

identified with a recent history of domestic violence; or choosing not to disclose data

about clients with a history of domestic violence to other homeless programs.

Changes from Previous Notice: Response categories for “Don’t Know” and “Refused”

were also added to capture information when the client does not know or the client

refuses to respond and to ensure consistency in data quality reporting.

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4.10 Destination

Rationale: Destination is an important outcome measure needed to complete APRs and

QPRs for all HUD funded CoC Programs, including HPRP programs.


When Data Are Collected: At program exit.


Definition and Instructions: Determine the response value that best describes where the

client will be staying after they leave the program. For clients who will be staying with

family or friends, select the response that includes the expected tenure of the destination

(permanent or temporary). For rental by client and owned by client, select the response

that includes the type of housing subsidy, if any, the client will be receiving. A housing

subsidy may be tenant-, project- or sponsor-based and provides ongoing assistance to

reduce rent burden. This includes either a housing subsidy provided through the Veterans

Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) program or other housing subsidy. Other housing

subsidies may include a HUD-funded subsidy (e.g., public housing, Housing Choice

Voucher or “Section 8”) or other housing subsidy (e.g., state rental assistance voucher).

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4.10 Destination Response Categories

Destination Type 1 = Emergency shelter, including hotel or motel paid for with emergency shelter voucher*2 = Transitional housing for homeless persons (including homeless youth)*3 = Permanent supportive housing for formerly homeless persons (such as SHP, S+C, or SRO

Mod Rehab)4 = Psychiatric hospital or other psychiatric facility5 = Substance abuse treatment facility or detox center6 = Hospital (non-psychiatric)7 = Jail, prison or juvenile detention facility10 = Rental by client, no ongoing housing subsidy11 = Owned by client, no ongoing housing subsidy12 = Staying or living with family, temporary tenure (e.g., room, apartment or house)13 = Staying or living with friends, temporary tenure (.e.g., room apartment or house;)14 = Hotel or motel paid for without emergency shelter voucher15 = Foster care home or foster care group home16 = Place not meant for habitation (e.g., a vehicle, an abandoned building, bus/train/subway

station/airport or anywhere outside)17 = Other18 = Safe Haven19 = Rental by client, VASH Subsidy20 = Rental by client, other (non-VASH) ongoing housing subsidy21 = Owned by client, with ongoing housing subsidy:22 = Staying or living with family, permanent tenure23 = Staying or living with friends, permanent tenure24 = Deceased8 = Don’t Know9 = Refused

Special Issues: For response categories marked with an asterisk (*), these destinations

are currently not permissible destinations for HOPWA-funded programs that provide

short-term payments to prevent homelessness.

Changes from Previous Notice: There are a number of changes to the response

categories. At the request of the Department of Veterans Affairs, programs are now asked

to track subsidies provided through the Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH)

program as a separate destination type. Tenure and housing subsidy type information

have been incorporated into the destination field, and non-VASH housing subsidy types

have been combined. The term “Transitional” has been changed to “Temporary.”

Accordingly, response categories 10 and 11 have been revised to refer specifically to

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destinations where no housing subsidy exists. Response categories 12 and 13 have been

revised to refer specifically to destinations with temporary tenure. New response

categories 19 through 21 refer to destinations that include ongoing subsidies. New

response values 22 and 23 refer to destinations with permanent tenure. Finally, two other

new response categories were added: “Safe Haven” and “Deceased.”

4.11 Date of Contact (required for street outreach programs only; optional forother programs)

Rationale: To record and count the number of contacts with homeless persons by street

outreach programs. Needed to complete APRs for HUD-funded homeless assistance

programs that conduct street outreach.

Data Source: Program staff

When Data Are Collected: Each time a client is contacted.


Definition and Instructions: The definition of a client contact may vary among programs

and communities. As a matter of general principle, a contact is defined as an interaction

between the street outreach worker and the client. A contact may include the distribution

of brochures or other materials, a verbal conversation between the street outreach worker

and the client about the client’s well being or service needs, or a referral to service. For

the purpose of the APR, street outreach programs must report the total number of

contacts during the operating year by location of contact.



4.11 Date of Contact Response Categories

Date of contact __ __/__ __/__ __ __ __ __ __:__ __(Month) (Day) (Year) (Hour) (Minute) (Use 24-hour “military” time)

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Location of Contact 1 = Place not meant for habitation (e.g. vehicle, abandoned building,bus/train/subway station/airport or anywhere outside that is not a HomelessConnect-type event)2 = Service setting, non-residential (e.g. Homeless Connect-type event, drop incenter, day services center, soup kitchen, etc.)3 = Service setting, residential (e.g. emergency, transitional or permanent housing;treatment facility, including health, mental health, or substance abuse clinic orhospital; jail, prison, or juvenile detention facility; family or friend’s room,apartment, condo, or house; foster care or group home)

Special Issues: Because a client may be contacted multiple times on the same day, the

response category must include a time stamp (i.e., hour and minute) indicating when the

contact occurred in order to uniquely identify each contact. Note that to record a contact

in HMIS requires that a client record be established with at least minimal client

descriptors included in the Universal Data elements (e.g., name, gender, race).

Changes from Previous Notice: This is a new data element and is required for street

outreach programs only.

4.12 Date of Engagement (required for street outreach only; optional for otherprograms)

Rationale: To count the number of homeless persons engaged by street outreach

programs during the operating year. Needed to complete APRs for HUD funded

homeless assistance programs that provide street outreach.

Data Source: Program staff

When Data Are Collected: In the course of client assessment.


Definition and Instructions: The definition of a client engagement may vary among

programs and communities. As a matter of general principle, an engagement is defined

as an interactive client relationship that results in a deliberate client assessment. Program

staff may decide whether this is equivalent to the program entry date or a distinct date

that may occur before, concurrent with, or after the program entry date. For the purpose

of the APR, street outreach programs must report the number of clients that were

engaged. Record this date as the two-digit month, two-digit day and four-digit year.

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4.12 Date of Engagement Response Category

Date of engagement __ __/__ __/__ __ __ __(Month) (Day) (Year)


Changes from Previous Notice: This is a new data element and is required for street

outreach programs only.

4.13 Financial Assistance Provided (required for HPRP-funded programs only;optional for all other programs)

Rationale: To determine the type of financial assistance (including rental assistance,

security deposits, utility deposits, utility payments, moving cost assistance, and motel and

hotel vouchers) and amount provided during program participation. This data element is

required for HPRP-funded programs only in order to complete the QPR and APR.

Data Source: Case manager records.

When Data are Collected: When HPRP financial assistance is provided as a one-time

transaction and at least once every three months for participants receiving medium-term

rental assistance.


Definition and Instructions: Record HPRP financial assistance that is provided to a third

party for the benefit of program clients. In separate fields record the following financial

assistance information: start date for financial assistance, end date of financial assistance,

type of financial assistance, and amount of HPRP financial assistance. Response

categories for the types of financial assistance are consistent with the requirements of the

HPRP Notice (FR-5307-N-01). Financial Assistance Provided data should be collected for

each member of the household benefiting from HPRP financial assistance.

Programs that provide on-going rental assistance for consecutive months (i.e., short-

term rental assistance for two to three months or medium-term rental assistance) must

minimally enter one Financial Assistance Provided record for each three-month period of

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consecutive rental assistance. Programs may choose to record rental assistance on a monthly

basis. HPRP-funded programs are required to re-evaluate the eligibility of program

participants who receive medium-term rental assistance. Recording rental assistance at least

every three months may help programs monitor compliance with this requirement.

For one-time payments of rental assistance for a current month or first month and for

one-time or multiple payments of rental assistance for consecutive months, the start date in

the Financial Assistance Provided record must correspond to the first day of the month for

which rental assistance applies and the end date must correspond to the last day of the last

month for which rental assistance applies.

A new Financial Assistance Provided record must be entered if there is a break in

rental assistance for one or more months during a period of program participation (as

determined by program entry and exit date).

For one-time payment of rental arrears, last month rent, utility payments (including

payment for arrears), security deposit, utility deposit, and moving cost assistance the start

date in the Financial Assistance Provided record must correspond to the day the Financial

Assistance was approved. The end date should be identical to the start date.

Programs that provide hotel/motel voucher assistance should enter one Financial

Assistance Provided record with a start date that corresponds to the first day for which the

voucher assistance applies and an end date that corresponds to the last day voucher assistance

applies. A separate record should be entered if there is a break in hotel/motel voucher

assistance for one or more days during a period of program participation (as determined by

program entry and exit date).

With the exception of on-going rental assistance for consecutive months and

hotel/motel voucher assistance for consecutive days, as described above, clients who receive

multiple instances of financial assistance for a single type of financial assistance (e.g., utility

payment assistance for two consecutive months) or who are assisted with two or more

distinct types of financial assistance (utility deposit, security deposit, etc.) should have a

separate Financial Assistance Provided transaction recorded for each instance of assistance.

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Programs must record the amount of HPRP financial assistance provided for each

instance of one-time or ongoing financial assistance, as described above. Programs may also

choose to record information on financial assistance provided through other sources.

However, this should be recorded as a separate transaction in order to distinctly record and

track HPRP financial assistance payments.


Program-Specific Data ElementRequired for HPRP-Funded Programs; Optional for All Other Programs

4.13 FinancialAssistance

Response Categories Examples

Start Date ofFinancialAssistance

__ __/__ __/__ __ __ __(Month) (Day) (Year)

(09/01/2009)

End Date ofFinancialAssistance

__ __/__ __/__ __ __ __(Month) (Day) (Year)

(11/30/2009)

1 = Rental assistance

2 = Security deposits3 = Utility deposits4 = Utility payments5 = Moving cost assistance

FinancialAssistance Type

6 = Motel & hotel vouchersFinancialAssistance Amount

$_ _ _ _.00

Special Issues: For HPRP reporting, categorization as short- or medium-term rental

assistance is determined based on the number of months for which rental assistance is

provided during a period of continuous program participation (as determined by the program

entry and exit dates or end of reporting period). Programs also may choose to record the

number of specific months for which assistance with rental or utility arrearage payments

apply in order to assist with recordkeeping and compliance monitoring related to adherence

to the financial assistance eligibility requirements of the HPRP Notice (FR-5307-N-01).

However, this is not a requirement of this Notice. :

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To minimize staff burden at programs that provide only one-time financial assistance

to clients, the program may enter the start and end dates at the same time or may specify

software that automatically enters the end date as the day after the start date for clients

receiving one-time financial assistance.

HMIS software must allow HPRP programs to record transactional data for each

instance of one-time financial assistance or each three-month period of ongoing financial

assistance in order to meet HPRP reporting requirements.

While Financial Assistance Provided data must be collected for each client

receiving HPRP financial assistance (i.e. all members of the assisted household), data

collection can either occur by entering a Financial Assistance Provided record for each

member of the household enrolled in the program or HMIS software can automate the

process of adding records to all household members whenever one member receives the

service. If automated, HMIS software may only add records for other household

members if the other household members have the same Household Identification

Number and Housing Status at program entry as the client for whom Financial Assistance

Provided is recorded, and if other household members are enrolled in the program on the

date in which the service was delivered, as indicated by Program Entry Date and Program

Exit Date. Financial assistance amounts should not be divided or pro-rated among

household members. Rather, each household member should be associated with the full

amount.

Changes from Previous Notice: This is a new data standard and is required for HPRP-

funded programs only.

4.14 Housing Relocation & Stabilization Services Provided (required for HPRPfunded programs only; optional for all other programs)

Rationale: To determine the housing relocation and stabilization services provided

during program participation. This data element is required for HPRP-funded programs

in order to complete the QPR and APR.


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When Data are Collected: At least once every three months during program enrollment,

if the period between program entry and exit exceeds three months, and at program exit.


Definition and Instructions: Services provided are those that the program provides

directly for the benefit of program clients. In separate fields record the following

information: start date of services, end date of services, and type of service(s) provided.

Response categories for the types of housing relocation and stabilization services are

consistent with the requirements of the HPRP Notice (FR-5307-N-01).

To minimize staff burden at programs that provide one-time services to clients, the

program can enter the start and end dates at the same time or can specify software that

automatically enters the end date as the day of or the day after the start date for clients

receiving one-time services.

For data collection purposes, a period of service (determined by start and end

dates) must not exceed three months and should not overlap with other recorded periods.

A new service record with start and end dates must be recorded at least every three

months during a period of program participation (as established by a program entry date

and program exit date). Programs may decide to record services provided information for

intervals less than three months (e.g. every month).

HMIS software must allow HPRP programs to record transactional data for

services provided in intervals not greater than three months in order to meet HPRP

reporting requirements. Each record must allow one or more types of HPRP services

that were provided during the service period to be selected.

While Housing Relocation & Stabilization Services Provided data must be

collected for each client receiving HPRP assistance (i.e. all members of the assisted

household), data collection can either occur by entering a record for each member of the

household enrolled in the program or HMIS software can automate the process of adding

records to all household members whenever one member receives the service. If

automated, HMIS software can only add records for other household members if the

other household members have the same Household Identification Number and Housing

Status at program entry as the client for whom the Housing Relocation & Stabilization

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93

Services Provided is recorded, and if other household members are enrolled in the

program on the date in which the service was delivered, as indicated by Program Entry

Date and Program Exit Date.


Program-Specific Data ElementRequired for HPRP Funded Programs; Optional for All Other Programs

4.14 HousingRelocation &StabilizationServicesProvided


Start Date ofService

__ __/__ __/__ __ __ __(Month) (Day) (Year)

(08/31/2009)

End Date of Service __ __/__ __/__ __ __ __(Month) (Day) (Year)

(09/25/2009)

1 = Case management2 = Outreach and engagement3 = Housing search and placement4 = Legal services

Type(s) of Service

5 = Credit repair


Changes from Previous Notice: This is a new data element and is required for HPRP

funded programs only.

4.15 Optional Data Elements

In addition to the data elements that are required for APR reporting, additional

program-specific data elements have been recommended by a team of HMIS practitioners,

federal agency representatives, and researchers. These data elements are based on best

practices that are currently being implemented at the local level. They optional data

elements include:

4.15A Employment

4.15B Adult Education

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4.15C General Health Status

4.15D Pregnancy Status

4.15E Veteran’s Information

4.15F Children’s Education

4.15G Reason for Leaving

4.15H Services Provided

4.15A Employment

Rationale: To assess client’s employment status and need for employment services.




program entry and exit exceeds one year.

Subjects: All clients served or all adults and unaccompanied youth.

Definition and Instructions: In separate fields, determine: (1) if the client is currently

employed; (2) if currently employed, how many hours did the client work in the last week;

(3) if currently employed, is the work permanent, temporary, or seasonal; and (4) if the client

is not currently working, if they are currently looking for work and/or increased work hours.

Seasonal employment is work that can, by the nature of it, ordinarily only be performed

during a certain season in the year. Temporary employment is work for a limited time only

or for a specific piece of work and that work will last a short duration. Permanent

employment is work that is contemplated to continue indefinitely.


Optional Program-Specific Data Element

4.15A Employment Response Categories

Employed 0 = No1 = Yes8 = Don’t Know9 = Refused

If currently working, number of hours worked in the past week ______ hours

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95

Employment tenure 1 = Permanent2 = Temporary3 = Seasonal8 = Don’t Know9 = Refused

[If unemployed] Is the client looking for work? [If employed] Is theclient looking for additional employment or increased hours at theircurrent job?


Special Issues: Programs may choose to ask additional information about a person’s

employment status, for example any benefits (health insurance) received through

employment or more detailed information on the type of employment.

Changes from Previous Notice: Under the previous notice, it was recommended that

information on employment be collected from all adults and unaccompanied youth.

Under the revised notice, this information may be collected from all persons served or

just all adults and unaccompanied youth. Response categories for “Don’t Know” and

“Refused” were added to capture information when the client does not know or the client

refuses to respond and to ensure consistency in data quality reporting. In addition, the

revised data element includes the recommendation that this information be collected at

program entry, program exit and on an annual basis.

4.15B Education

Rationale: To assess client’s readiness for employment and need for education services.


When Data are Collected: In the course of client assessment nearest to program entry, at




Definition and Instructions: In four separate fields, determine: (1) if the client is

currently in school or working on any degree or certificate; (2) whether the client has

received any vocational training or apprenticeship certificates; (3) what is the highest

level of school that the client has completed; and (4) if the client has received a high

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96

school diploma or General Equivalency Diploma (GED), what degree(s) has the client

earned. Allow clients to identify multiple degrees.



4.15B Education Response Categories

Currently in school or working on any degree orcertificate


Received vocational training or apprenticeshipcertificates


Highest level of school completed 0 = No schooling completed1 = Nursery school to 4th grade2 = 5th grade or 6th grade3 = 7th grade or 8th grade4 = 9th grade5 = 10th grade6 = 11th grade7 = 12th grade, No diploma10 = High school diploma11 = GED12 = Post-secondary school8 = Don’t Know9 = Refused0 = None1 = Associates Degree2 = Bachelors Degree3 = Masters Degree4 = Doctorate Degree5 = Other graduate/professional degree6 = Certificate of advanced training or skilled artisan8 = Don’t Know

If client has received a high school diploma, GED orenrolled in post-secondary education, what degree(s)has the client earned

9 = Refused


Changes from Previous Notice: Information on education may be collected from all

clients or all adults and unaccompanied youth served by the program. The previous

notice recommended limiting data collection to adults and unaccompanied youth. In

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97

addition, the revised data element recommends collecting this information at program

entry, program exit and on an annual basis. Response categories for “Don’t Know” and

“Refused” were added to capture information when the client does not know or the client

refuses to respond and to ensure consistency in data quality reporting.

4.15C General Health Status

Rationale: Information on general health status is a first step to identifying what types of

health services a client may need. This data element permits the self-reported health status of

clients to be compared with the self-reported health status of the U.S. population in general.






Definition and Instructions: Determine how the client assesses his/her health (and the

health of minors with the household, if applicable) in comparison to other people their

age.



4.15C General Health Response Categories

1 = Excellent2 = Very good3 = Good4 = Fair5 = Poor8 = Don’t Know9 = Refused


Changes from Previous Notice: Information on general health status may be collected

from all clients or all adults and unaccompanied youth served by the program. A

response category for “Refused” was added to this data element to capture information

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98

when the client refuses to respond and to ensure consistency in data quality reporting. In

addition, it is recommended that the revised data element be collected at program entry,

program exit and on an annual basis.

4.15D Pregnancy Status

Rationale: To determine eligibility for benefits and need for services, and to determine

the number of women entering CoC programs while pregnant.


When Data are Collected: In the course of client assessment nearest to program entry.

Subjects: All females of child-bearing age served.

Definition and Instructions: In separate fields, determine (a) if a client is pregnant and (b), if

so, what is the due date. The due date is one field that consists of the two-digit month, two-

digit day and four-digit year. If the day is unknown, programs are encouraged to record “01”

as a default value. Communities that already have a policy of entering another approximate

day may continue this policy. If the month is unknown, programs should leave the data field

blank.



4.15D Pregnancy Status Response Categories

Pregnancy status 0 = No1 = Yes8 = Don’t know9 = Refused

If yes, due date __ __/__ __/__ __ __ __(Month) (Day) (Year)

Special Issues: Records for pregnant clients should be updated automatically to account

for changes in clients’ pregnancy status (e.g., following the birth of a child). Using the

“If yes, due date” field, the HMIS should automatically update, but not overwrite, the

client’s record by changing the “Pregnancy status” field from “Yes” to “No” once the due

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99

date passes. This is a transactional data element and changes in pregnancy status should

be recorded in data fields without overwriting previously entered data.


were added to capture information when the client does not know or the client refuses to

respond and to ensure consistency in data quality reporting.

4.15E Veteran’s Information

Rationale: To collect a more detailed profile of the homeless veteran’s experience and to

determine eligibility for Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) programs and benefits.

These questions were developed in consultation with the VA and reflect HUD’s continuing

effort to standardize data definitions and standards across federal agencies.


When Data are Collected: In the course of client assessment nearest to program entry.

Subjects: All persons who answered “Yes” to Veterans Status data element.

Definition and Instructions: In separate fields, determine: 1) which military service era

did the client serve; 2) how many months did the client serve on active duty in the

military; 3) if the client served in a war zone; 4) if the client served in a war zone, the

name of the war zone; 5) if the client served in a war zone, the number of months served

in the war zone; 6) if the client served in a war zone, whether the client received hostile

or friendly fire; 7) what branch of the military did the client serve in; and 8) what type of

discharge did the client receive. In identifying the military service era served by the

client, programs are encouraged to begin with the most recent service era and proceed in

descending order through the various eras. Allow clients to identify multiple service eras

and branches of the military.

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100



4.15E Veteran’s Information Response Categories

Military service eras 1 = Persian Gulf Era (August 1991 – September 10, 2001)2 = Post Vietnam (May 1975 – July 1991)3 = Vietnam Era (August 1964 – April 1975)4 = Between Korean and Vietnam War (February 1955– July 1964)5 = Korean War (June 1950 – January 1955)6 = Between WWII and Korean War (August 1947 – May 1950)7 = World War II (September 1940 – July 1947)8 = Don’t know9 = Refused10 = Post September 11, 2001 (September 11, 2001 -Present)

Duration of active duty _____ monthsServed in a war zone 0 = No

1 = Yes8 = Don’t know9 = Refused

If yes, name of war zone 1 = Europe2 = North Africa3 = Vietnam4 = Laos and Cambodia5 = South China Sea6 = China, Burma, India7 = Korea8 = South Pacific9 = Persian Gulf10 = Other11 = Afghanistan12 = Don’t know13 = Refused

If yes, number of months in warzone _____ MonthsIf yes, received hostile orfriendly fire

0 = No1 = Yes8 = Don’t know9 = Refused

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101


4.15E Veteran’s Information Response Categories

Branch of the military 1 = Army2 = Air Force3 = Navy4 = Marines5 = Other8 = Don’t know9 = Refused

Discharge status 1 = Honorable2 = General3 = Medical4 = Bad conduct5 = Dishonorable6 = Other8 = Don’t know9 = Refused


were added to each field in this data element to capture information when the client does

not know or the client refuses to respond and to ensure consistency in data quality

reporting. Also, two reporting categories were deleted: (1) Between WWI and WWII,

December 1918 – August 1940; and (2) World War I, April 1917 - November 1918.

Following the latest guidance received from the Department of Veterans Affairs, the date

range for the response value “Persian Gulf Era” has been revised to end on September 10,

2001. A new response value has been added to represent the period after September 11,

2001. In addition, “Afghanistan” has been added as a separate category under the list of

war zones.

4.15F Children’s Education

Rationale: To determine if homeless children and youth have the same access to free,

public education, including public preschool education, that is provided to other children

and youth. It can also serve as an important outcome measure. These questions were

developed in consultation with the U.S. Department of Education.

Data Source: Client interview or case manager records.

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102




Subjects: All children between 5 and 17 years of age.

Definition and Instructions: For each child, determine in separate fields: 1) if the child is

currently enrolled in school; 2) if the child is currently enrolled, the name of the school; 3) if

the child is currently enrolled, indicate if the child is connected with the McKinney-Vento

Homeless Assistance Act school liaison; 4) the type of school; 5) if the child is not currently

enrolled in school, what date was the child last enrolled in school; and 6) what problems has

the head of household had in getting the child enrolled into school. The last date of

enrollment consists of the two-digit month and four-digit year. If the month is unknown,

programs are encouraged to record “01” as a default value. Communities that already have a

policy of entering another approximate month may continue this policy. If the year is

unknown, programs should leave the data field blank. When identifying the problems the

head of household encountered when enrolling the child in school, allow clients to identify

multiple reasons for not enrolling the child in school.



4.15F Children’s Education Response Categories

Current enrollment status 0 = No1 = Yes8 = Don’t know9 = Refused

If yes, name of child’s school_________________________________(Example: Lone Pine Elementary School)

If yes, was/is the child connected to theMcKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Actschool liaison?

0 = No1 = Yes8 = Don’t know9 = Refused

If yes, type of school 1 = Public school2 = Parochial or other private school8 = Don’t know9 = Refused

If not enrolled, last date of enrollment __ __/__ __ __ __(Month) (Year)

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4.15F Children’s Education Response Categories

1 = None2 = Residency requirements3 = Availability of school records4 = Birth certificates5 = Legal guardianship requirements6 = Transportation7 = Lack of available preschool programs10 = Immunization requirements11 = Physical examination records12 = Other8 = Don’t know

If not enrolled, identify problems in enrolling child

9 = Refused

Special Issues: Programs may choose to obtain additional information related to

children’s education, such as the number of school days missed over a specific period of

time, the barriers to school attendance and the name and type of the school.


were added to each field in this data element to capture information when the client does

not know or the client refuses to respond and to ensure consistency in data quality

reporting. In addition, the revised data element recommends collecting this information at

program entry, program exit and on an annual basis.

4.15G Reason for Leaving

Rationale: Reason for leaving is used, in part, to identify the barriers and issues clients

face in completing a program or staying in a residential facility, which may affect their

ability to achieve economic self-sufficiency.


When Data Are Collected: At program exit.


Definition and Instructions: Identify the reason why the client left the program. If a client

left for multiple reasons, record only the primary reason.


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4.15G Reason for Leaving Response Categories

Reason for leaving 1 = Left for a housing opportunity before completing program2 = Completed program3 = Non-payment of rent/occupancy charge4 = Non-compliance with program5 = Criminal activity/destruction of property/violence6 = Reached maximum time allowed by program7 = Needs could not be met by program8 = Disagreement with rules/persons9 = Death10 = Unknown/disappeared11 = Other


Changes from Previous Notice: Under the previous notice, this information was required

for all programs; it is now optional.

4.15H Services Provided

Rationale: To determine the services provided to clients during program participation.

This data element can be used to track referrals from street outreach programs. It may

also be useful in identifying service gaps in a community and for meeting monitoring and

reporting requirements for non-HUD funded programs.


When Data are Collected: When services are provided during the course of program

participation.


Definition and Instructions: Services Provided are those that the program provides

directly for the benefit of program clients. For each service encounter, two types of

information are recorded in separate fields. Record “date of service” as the two-digit

month, two-digit day and four-digit year. Record “type of service” as one of the service

types listed below.


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4.15H ServicesProvided


Date of Service __ __/__ __/__ __ __ __(Month) (Day) (Year)

(08/31/2009)

1 = Food Emergency food programs and food pantries.2 = Housing placement Housing search3 = Material goods Clothing and personal hygiene items.4 = Temporary housing and other

financial aidRent payment or deposit assistance

5 = Transportation Bus passes and mass transit tokens6 = Consumer assistance and

protectionMoney management counseling and acquiringidentification/SSN

7 = Criminal justice/legal services Legal counseling and immigration services10 = Education GED instruction, bilingual education, and literacy

programs11 = HIV/AIDS-related services HIV testing, AIDS treatment, AIDS/HIV prevention

and counseling12 = Mental health care/counseling Telephone crisis hotlines and psychiatric programs13 = Other health care Disability screening, health care referrals, and health

education (excluding HIV/AIDS-related services, mentalhealth care/counseling, and substance abuse services)

14 = Substance abuse services Detoxification and alcohol/drug abuse counseling15 = Employment Job development and job finding assistance16 = Case/care management Development of plans for the evaluation, treatment

and/or care of persons needing assistance inplanning or arranging for services

17 = Day care Child care centers and infant care centers18 = Personal enrichment Life skills education, social skills training, and stress

management19 = Referral to other service(s) Street outreach referral, intra agency service referral,

referral to services from other agencies

Type(s) of Service

20 = Outreach Street outreach21 = Other Other service


Changes from Previous Notice: Under the previous Notice, this information was required

for all programs under the Services Received data element; it is now renamed Services

Provided and is optional for all programs. Several values have also been added and

renumbered.

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Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) Program

SSVF Compliance Requirements

Presenters:Linda Southcott

and Jeff Houser



This workshop will provide an overview of compliance and monitoring This workshop will provide an overview of compliance and monitoring procedures used by the SSVF Program Office in order to ensure that procedures used by the SSVF Program Office in order to ensure that grantees meet SSVF programmatic and financial requirements.grantees meet SSVF programmatic and financial requirements.

Compliance Requirements: G t ibl f ti i d• Grantees are responsible for operating programs in accordance

with their grant agreements, which require compliance with the

following:

1. Final Rule

2. Notice of Fund Availability (NOFA)

3. Applicable OMB Circulars

4. Agency application



Recordkeeping• Grantees must verify and document participant eligibility and

housing category upon entry into SSVF Program and at least once every 3 months thereafter.

• Grantees must maintain confidentiality of participant records.• Records must be maintained for at least 3 years and produced at VA

request.

Ensuring Compliance

3 33

Audits• VA’s Financial Services Center will perform fiscal audits for a

certain percentage of the SSVF grantees.• Audits will include an evaluation of costs according to OMB

circulars and recommendations for increased consistencies in reporting.

Page | 331



Primary responsibilities of Regional Coordinators include:

• Helping grantees understand how to complete the required performance reports

• Helping grantees document participant eligibility, through monitoring

• Helping grantees use the required HMIS reporting tool, and connecting

Regional Coordinators

Regional Coordinators are the Grantees’ POC for all things SSVF!

Helping grantees use the required HMIS reporting tool, and connecting grantees with TA provider when needed

• Helping grantees understand the process for requesting guidance from the Regional Coordinator

• Helping grantees collaborate with subcontractors related to the SSVF grant

• Connecting grantees to available resources that can provide assistance with homeless prevention, grants management, and other program related concepts.

• Tracking and reporting grantee progress and inhibitions to SSVF program staff

4



Primary responsibilities of Regional Coordinators include (cont’d):

• Providing assistance in facilitating relationships between VA and Grantees

• Connecting grantees with available resources that can assist in homeless prevention related concepts.

• Coordinating regional updates regarding upcoming events (conferences,


stand downs, etc)

• Visiting regional locations at least once a year but could visit more if requested/required.

• Assisting with in depth financial audit, if applicable

5



When will I meet my Regional Coordinator?• Regional meetings are being scheduled during first quarter

• Introductory site visit for new grantees

• Annual monitoring visit for all grantees

• Regional calls will take place with grantees

What will the Regional Coordinator monitor during the visit?


66

What will the Regional Coordinator monitor during the visit?• Client case files• Intake screening• Verification of participant eligibility (Veteran status, household income, and housing

status)• Policies and Procedures • Housing stability plan• Provision of the types of supportive services and, if applicable, types of financial

assistance• Recertification and reassessment (at least once every 90 days for all participants)• Rent reasonableness determination, if applicable• Housing inspections, if applicable

Page | 332



SSVF Reporting* Overview

• Monthly Dashboards and Repository Uploads

• Due 5 business days after the end of each month

• Program Office only accepts HPRP APR from HMIS

• Check your calculations!

SSVF Reporting

7

y

• Quarterly Performance Reports

• Due 20 calendar days after the end of each quarter

• Includes programmatic and financial information

*Schedule provided online and within this presentation.



Programmatic Reporting using Quarterly Report Template• Significant events that have occurred within program during quarter

• Assistance required from SSVF Program Office

• Locations where outreach has been conducted

• List of organizations/entities referring >5% of Veteran families

• Copy of participant screening form being used

• # of ineligible participants screened

Quarterly Reporting

88

• Types of supportive services provided

• Most requested supportive services (top 3)

• Types of temporary financial assistance provided

• Any participant safety issues that arose

• Program goals and outcomes

1. Best practices

2. HMIS data entry

3. Notable cases

• Grant agreement compliance



Financial Reporting using Quarterly Report Template• Actual expenditures during quarter (compared to estimated costs)

• Explanation of any variances

• Subcontractor expenses

• Total funding drawn down compared to total funds expended

• Number of participants served

1 C t l d

Quarterly Reporting

99

1. Current caseload

2. New participants served

3. New participants served by category of “occupying permanent housing”

4. Target populations of new participants served

• Non-VA funding sources used for SSVF program

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Changes to Program throughout grant cycle:

• Significant Changes – submit written request to Regional Coordinator BEFORE implementing a significant change; if VA agrees, will issue an amendment.

• Examples:o Change in grantee or any identified subcontractors

o Change in area or community served

Program Changes

o Additions or deletions of supportive services being provided

o Change in category of participants served

o Change in budget line items more than 10% of grant award

• Key Personnel Changes/Address Changes – inform Regional Coordinator within 30 days

• Corrective Action Plan (CAP) – SSVF Program Office may require CAP if:o On a quarterly basis, actual grant expenditures vary from amount

disbursed

o Actual grant activities vary from description in grant agreement



Grantees are required to provide each participant with a satisfaction survey.

Survey Form• Postage paid and include self-addressed envelope for direct mailing to

SSVF Program Office

Participant Surveys

1111

• Scantron format: photocopies may be used for distribution

Survey Distribution• Distribute within 45 to 60 days of participant’s entry into SSVF Program

• Distribute again within 30 days of participant’s pending exit from SSVF Program



Event Topic Date Notes

Monthly Dashboard Report

and HMIS APRUpload to VA Repository

Report Period: Grant to Date (GTD)

10/1/2012 – End of Month Reported

11/07/201212/07/201201/08/201302/07/201303/07/201304/05/201305/07/201306/07/201307/08/2013

Grantees submit reports to Regional Coordinator via email.

VA Repository is available for uploads during the first 5 days of each month.

Reporting Schedule

08/07/201309/07/201310/07/2013

QuarterlyPerformance

Report

Report PeriodQ1: 10/1/2012– 12/31/2012

Q2: 01/01/2013 – 03/31/2013Q3: 04/01/2013 – 06/30/2013Q4: 07/01/2013 – 09/30/2013

Q1: 01/22/2013

Q2: 04/22/2013

Q3: 07/22/2013

Q4: 11/15/2013

Grantees submit reports to Regional Coordinator via email.

Quarterly Report Template provided by VA.

Participant Satisfaction Surveys, from Veterans

On-going On-going Grantees must provide survey to Veteran upon entry and exit of SSVF program.

Surveys and postage-paid envelopes provided by VA.

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Event Topic Date Notes

Grantee National Call

SSVF Updates & Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA)

OverviewCompleting the SSVF

Quarterly Report and Monthly Dashboard

TBDTBDTBD

10/9/2012

10/19/2012

11/15/201212/20/201201/17/201302/21/201303/21/2013

Most SSVF National Calls are held on the third Thursday of each month at 2:00 PM Eastern Time.

Additional calls and trainings may be offered throughout the year.

Grantees will be notified via email.

National Call Schedule

TBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBD

04/18/201305/16/201306/20/201307/18/201308/15/201309/19/2013

The SSVF Program Office will provide email updates to grantees with information about registering for national calls, training opportunities, policy updates, etc. Please ensure that Regional Coordinators have updated agency contact

information.



Supportive services grant funds are disbursed via the Department of Healthand Human Services’ (HHS) Payment Management System (PMS).

PMS is an internet‐based system supported by staff from the HHS Division ofPayment Management (DPM).

Payment Management System

14

Current HHS Payment Financial System account users will use their existingusername and password to access the SSVF grant account.

Current users will be notified by HHS that the SSVF grant award has beenadded to the organization's account, but this will not affect the ability torequest payments from other accounts.



• Grantees are encouraged to make frequent drawdowns• Per the SSVF Program NOFA, Grantees are subject to the following

limitations:

Time Period Limitation on Cumulative Requests for Grant Funds

During 1st Qtr of Grant May not exceed 35% of the total grant award without written


15

During 1st Qtr of Grant Award Period

May not exceed 35% of the total grant award without written approval by VA

End of 2nd Qtr of Grant Award Period


End of 3rd Qtr of Grant Award Period


End of 4th Qtr of Grant Award Period

May not exceed 100% of the total grant award

Page | 335



Go to: www dpm psc gov


16

Go to: www.dpm.psc.gov

Click on “Payment Management System”

Refer to SSVF Program Guide!



Internet AccessDivision of Payment Management Home Page

www.dpm.psc.gov

Hours of OperationMonday through Friday: 5:00 a.m. until 11:00 p.m. EST*

Sat rda and S nda 9 00 a m ntil 9 00 p m EST*


17

Saturday and Sunday: 9:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. EST* *Requests for payment submitted after 5:00 p.m. EST will be processed as if

received on the next business day.

One-DHHS Help DeskToll Free Telephone Number 1-877-614-5533

E-Mail: [email protected] Service: www.psc.gov/one-dhhs

Hours: Monday – Friday 7:00 AM to 9:00 PM EST (except Federal holidays)



Audit Guidelines for Audit Guidelines for Supportive Services For Supportive Services For Veteran Families Program (Veteran Families Program (SSVF) Grant SSVF) Grant RecipientsRecipients

Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)Financial Services Center (FSC)Financial Services Center (FSC)

Page | 336



– FSC will provide audit and oversight services for grants awarded by the SSVF that provide housing stability to homeless and at-risk Veterans and their families.

SSVF Program AuditSSVF Program Audit

Audit Information

homeless and at risk Veterans and their families.

– Throughout the program year, SSVF and FSC will provide more information on auditing via our monthly informational webinars.



• Risk Assessment– OMB A-133 Single Audit Compliance

– Prior Year Single Audit Findings

• Fieldwork– Unallowable Costs

What to expect…What to expect…

Audit Summary

Unallowable Costs

– Proper Application of Indirect Cost Rate

• Reporting– Management Concurrence / Non-concurrence

– Exit Conference (By Phone or On-site)

• On-going Quarterly Desk Review of Grantee Payments– Reconciliation of Accounting Records, Financial Reports,

and Source Documents

– Transparency and Compliance Recommendations



• Program Compliance– Adherence to Grant Agreement and Application

– Provisional Caps

• OMB CircularsUnallowable Costs

Notable Audit Concerns Notable Audit Concerns

Audit Concerns

– Unallowable Costs

– Single Audit Requirements

– Inadequate Internal Controls

– Indirect Cost Rate Agreement

• Accountability and Transparency– Adequate Source Documentation

– Irreconcilable General Ledger

– Business Continuity Plan

Page | 337



• Cost Principles – 2 CFR Part 230 (OMB Circular A-122)

Principles for determining costs of grants, contracts and other agreements with non-profit organizations.

Regulations and GuidanceRegulations and Guidance

Audit Information

• Audit Requirements – OMB Circular A-133

Non-Federal entities that expend $500,000 ($300,000 for fiscal years ending before December 31, 2003) or more in a year in Federal awards shall have a Single Audit or Program-specific Audit conducted for that year.

5



• SSVF Final Rule – 38 CFR Part 62http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/pdf/2010-28407.pdf

• Administrative Requirements –OMB Circular A-110http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/assets/omb/circulars/a110/2cfr215-0.pdf

• Cost Principles OMB Circular A 122

ReferencesReferences

Audit References

• Cost Principles – OMB Circular A-122 http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/assets/omb/fedreg/2005/083105_a122.pdf

• Audit Requirements – OMB Circular A-133 http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/assets/a133/a133_revised_2007.pdfhttp://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/circulars/a133_compliance_supplement_2011http://harvester.census.gov/sac/

• Federal Financial Report – SF 425http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/grants/standard_forms/SF-425_instructions.pdf

• Generally Accepted Government Auditing Standards (GAGAS)http://www.gao.gov/govaud/iv2011gagas.pdf



Thank You for Your Participation!

The PowerPoints will be posted onVA’s SSVF Website:

/ /www.va.gov/homeless/ssvf.asp

Please send any comments and questionsregarding the materials covered to:

Kyia [email protected]

Page | 338



We want to hear from you!

Please download the ConferenceEvaluation form using the link below:

http://www.va.gov/homeless/virtual_post_award_conference.asp

Complete and submit via email at [email protected] or via fax at

215-222-2591

Page | 339

VA's Supportive Services for Veteran Families Program Approved Quarterly SSVF Grant Funds Budget

Name of Applicant:SSVF Program Number:SSVF Grant Amount:Application Fiscal Year:

% of Total SSVF Grant

SSVF Grant Funds Total Annual

SSVF Grant Funds Quarter 1

SSVF Grant Funds Quarter2



I. Provision and Coordination of Supportive Services (Minimum of 90% of Total SSVF Grant Amount)1. Personnel/Labor

Title and OrganizationCase manager 2.0 100% 25,000.00 8% 49,000.00$ 10,000.00$ 13,000.00$ 13,000.00$ 13,000.00$ Outreach Worker 1.0 100% 15,000.00 2% 14,250.00$ 3,000.00$ 3,750.00$ 3,750.00$ 3,750.00$ Program Coordinator 1.0 75% 50,000.00 6% 37,500.00$ 9,375.00$ 9,375.00$ 9,375.00$ 9,375.00$ Housing Specialist 1.0 100% 25,000.00 4% 22,750.00$ 4,000.00$ 6,250.00$ 6,250.00$ 6,250.00$

0% -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ 0% -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ 0% -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ 0% -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ 0% -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ 0% -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ 0% -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ 0% -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ 0% -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ 0% -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ 0% -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ 0% -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ 0% -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ 0% -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ 0% -$ -$ -$ -$ -$

Subtotal Salaries/Wages 21% 123,500.00$ 26,375.00$ 32,375.00$ 32,375.00$ 32,375.00$ Fringe Benefits @ 25% 5% 30,875.00$ 6,593.75$ 8,093.75$ 8,093.75$ 8,093.75$ Subtotal Personnel 27% 154,375.00$ 32,968.75$ 40,468.75$ 40,468.75$ 40,468.75$

2. Temporary Financial Assistance 45% 260,000.00$ 10,000.00$ 50,000.00$ 100,000.00$ 100,000.00$

3. Other Non-Personnel Provision and Coordination of Supportive Services ExpensesTelephone 0% 375.00 50.00 75.00 100.00 150.00Utilies 0% 375.00 50.00 75.00 100.00 150.00Staff Mileage 0% 850.00 100.00 250.00 250.00 250.00Printing 0% 800.00 500.00 100.00 100.00 100.00Occupancy 1% 8,000.00 2,000.00 2,000.00 2,000.00 2,000.00

0% 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.000% 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.000% 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.000% 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.000% 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.000% 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.000% 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.000% 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.000% 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.000% 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.000% 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.000% 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.000% 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Subtotal Other Program Expenses 2% 10,400.00 2,700.00 2,500.00 2,550.00 2,650.00# of Vehicles

4. Lease & Maintenance of Vehicle(s) 1 6% 32,000.00 2,000.00 10,000.00 10,000.00 10,000.00

Subtotal Provision and Coordination of Supportive Services 79% 456,775.00 47,668.75 102,968.75 153,018.75 153,118.75

II. Administrative Expenses (Maximum of 10% of Total SSVF Grant Amount)Quality Assurance 19% 109,000.00$ 20,000.00$ 1,000.00$ 85,000.00$ 3,000.00$ Audit 3% 15,720.00$ 500.00$ 5,220.00$ 5,000.00$ 5,000.00$

0% -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ 0% -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ 0% -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ 0% -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ 0% -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ 0% -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ 0% -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ 0% -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ 0% -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ 0% -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ 0% -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ 0% -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ 0% -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ 0% -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ 0% -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ 0% -$ -$ -$ -$ -$

Subtotal Administrative Expenses 21% 124,720.00$ 20,500.00$ 6,220.00$ 90,000.00$ 8,000.00$

Grand Total 100% 581,495.00$ 68,168.75$ 109,188.75$ 243,018.75$ 161,118.75$ % of Total SSVF Grant 100.0% 11.7% 18.8% 41.8% 27.7%

Program Expenses

% FTE# FTE

We Help Veteran Families

$581,495.00FY 2012

Base Annual Salary/Wage

12-AB-123

Page | 340

VA's Supportive Services for Veteran Families Program Attachment 1, Tab 2: Grantee Quarterly Financial Report - Quarterly Variance Report

Name of Grantee:SSVF Program Number:SSVF Grant Amount:Grant Fiscal Year:


ACTUALSSVF Grant Funds

Spent (Total Annual to Date)

BUDGETEDSSVF Grant Funds

(Total Annual to Date)

% VARIANCE SSVF Grant Funds (Total Annual to

Date)

ACTUAL 1ST QTR

SSVF Grant Funds Spent

BUDGETED 1ST QTR

SSVF Grant Funds

% VARIANCE 1ST QTR

SSVF Grant Funds

Explanation of Any Variance

ACTUAL 2ND QTR


BUDGETED 2ND QTR

SSVF Grant Funds

% VARIANCE 2ND QTR

SSVF Grant Funds


ACTUAL3RD QTR


3RD QTR SSVF Grant Funds

% VARIANCE 3RD QTR

SSVF Grant Funds


ACTUAL 4TH QTR


BUDGETED 4TH QTR

SSVF Grant Funds

% VARIANCE 4TH QTR

SSVF Grant Funds


I. Provision and Coordination of Supportive Services (Minimum of 90% of Total SSVF Grant Amount)

1. Personnel/Labor

Title and OrganizationCase manager 2.0 100% 25,000 0% -$ 49,000.00$ -100% -$ 13,000.00$ -100% -$ 13,000.00$ -100% -$ 13,000.00$ -100% -$ 13,000.00$ -100%Outreach Worker 1.0 100% 15,000 0% -$ 14,250.00$ -100% -$ 3,750.00$ -100% -$ 3,750.00$ -100% -$ 3,750.00$ -100% -$ 3,750.00$ -100%Program Coordinator 1.0 75% 50,000 0% -$ 37,500.00$ -100% -$ 9,375.00$ -100% -$ 9,375.00$ -100% -$ 9,375.00$ -100% -$ 9,375.00$ -100%Housing Specialist 1.0 100% 25,000 0% -$ 22,750.00$ -100% -$ 6,250.00$ -100% -$ 6,250.00$ -100% -$ 6,250.00$ -100% -$ 6,250.00$ -100%0 0.0 0% - 0% -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0!0 0.0 0% - 0% -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0!0 0.0 0% - 0% -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0!0 0.0 0% - 0% -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0!0 0.0 0% - 0% -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0!0 0.0 0% - 0% -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0!0 0.0 0% - 0% -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0!0 0.0 0% - 0% -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0!0 0.0 0% - 0% -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0!0 0.0 0% - 0% -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0!0 0.0 0% - 0% -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0!0 0.0 0% - 0% -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0!0 0.0 0% - 0% -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0!0 0.0 0% - 0% -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0!0 0.0 0% - 0% -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0!

Subtotal Salaries/Wages 0% -$ 123,500.00$ -100% -$ 26,375.00$ -100% -$ 32,375.00$ -100% -$ 32,375.00$ -100% -$ 32,375.00$ -100%Fringe Benefits @ 25% 0% -$ 30,875.00$ -100% -$ 6,593.75$ -100% -$ 8,093.75$ -100% -$ 8,093.75$ -100% -$ 8,093.75$ -100%Subtotal Personnel 0% -$ 154,375.00$ -100% -$ 32,968.75$ -100% -$ 40,468.75$ -100% -$ 40,468.75$ -100% -$ 40,468.75$ -100%

2. Temporary Financial AssistanceSpent on Prevention Participants (Category 1)

Rent, penalties, fees 0% -$ NA NA -$ NA NA NA -$ NA NA NA -$ NA NA NA -$ NA NA NAUtility fees 0% -$ NA NA -$ NA NA NA -$ NA NA NA -$ NA NA NA -$ NA NA NASecurity deposits 0% -$ NA NA -$ NA NA NA -$ NA NA NA -$ NA NA NA -$ NA NA NAUtility deposits 0% -$ NA NA -$ NA NA NA -$ NA NA NA -$ NA NA NA -$ NA NA NAMoving costs 0% -$ NA NA -$ NA NA NA -$ NA NA NA -$ NA NA NA -$ NA NA NAPurchase of emergency supplies 0% -$ NA NA -$ NA NA NA -$ NA NA NA -$ NA NA NA -$ NA NA NATransportation 0% -$ NA NA -$ NA NA NA -$ NA NA NA -$ NA NA NA -$ NA NA NAChild Care 0% -$ NA NA -$ NA NA NA -$ NA NA NA -$ NA NA NA -$ NA NA NAOther as approved by VA 0% -$ NA NA -$ NA NA NA -$ NA NA NA -$ NA NA NA -$ NA NA NA

Subtotal Prevention TFA 0% -$ NA NA -$ NA NA NA -$ NA NA NA -$ NA NA NA -$ NA NA NA

Spent on Rapid Re-Housing Participants (Categories 2 & 3)Rent, penalties, fees 0% -$ NA NA -$ NA NA NA -$ NA NA NA -$ NA NA NA -$ NA NA NAUtility fees 0% -$ NA NA -$ NA NA NA -$ NA NA NA -$ NA NA NA -$ NA NA NASecurity deposits 0% -$ NA NA -$ NA NA NA -$ NA NA NA -$ NA NA NA -$ NA NA NAUtility deposits 0% -$ NA NA -$ NA NA NA -$ NA NA NA -$ NA NA NA -$ NA NA NAMoving costs 0% -$ NA NA -$ NA NA NA -$ NA NA NA -$ NA NA NA -$ NA NA NAPurchase of emergency supplies 0% -$ NA NA -$ NA NA NA -$ NA NA NA -$ NA NA NA -$ NA NA NATransportation 0% -$ NA NA -$ NA NA NA -$ NA NA NA -$ NA NA NA -$ NA NA NAChild Care 0% -$ NA NA -$ NA NA NA -$ NA NA NA -$ NA NA NA -$ NA NA NAOther as approved by VA 0% -$ NA NA -$ NA NA NA -$ NA NA NA -$ NA NA NA -$ NA NA NA

Subtotal Rapid Re-Housing TFA 0% -$ NA NA -$ NA NA NA -$ NA NA NA -$ NA NA NA -$ NA NA NA

Subtotal Temporary Financial Assistance 0% -$ 260,000.00$ -100% -$ 10,000.00$ -100% -$ 50,000.00$ -100% -$ 100,000.00$ -100% -$ 100,000.00$ -100%

3. Other Non-Personnel Provision and Coordination of Supportive Services ExpensesTelephone 0% -$ 375.00$ -100% -$ 50.00$ -100% -$ 75.00$ -100% -$ 100.00$ -100% -$ 150.00$ -100%Utilies 0% -$ 375.00$ -100% -$ 50.00$ -100% -$ 75.00$ -100% -$ 100.00$ -100% -$ 150.00$ -100%Staff Mileage 0% -$ 850.00$ -100% -$ 100.00$ -100% -$ 250.00$ -100% -$ 250.00$ -100% -$ 250.00$ -100%Printing 0% -$ 800.00$ -100% -$ 500.00$ -100% -$ 100.00$ -100% -$ 100.00$ -100% -$ 100.00$ -100%Occupancy 0% -$ 8,000.00$ -100% -$ 2,000.00$ -100% -$ 2,000.00$ -100% -$ 2,000.00$ -100% -$ 2,000.00$ -100%0 0% -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0!0 0% -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0!0 0% -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0!0 0% -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0!0 0% -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0!0 0% -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0!0 0% -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0!0 0% -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0!0 0% -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0!0 0% -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0!0 0% -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0!0 0% -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0!0 0% -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0! -$ -$ #DIV/0!

Subtotal Other Program Expenses 0% -$ 10,400.00$ -100% -$ 2,700.00$ -100% -$ 2,500.00$ -100% -$ 2,550.00$ -100% -$ 2,650.00$ -100%# of Vehicles

4. Lease & Maintenance of Vehicle(s) 1 0% -$ 32,000.00$ -100% -$ 2,000.00$ -100% -$ 10,000.00$ -100% -$ 10,000.00$ -100% -$ 10,000.00$ -100%

Subtotal Provision and Coordination of Supportive Services 0% -$ 456,775.00$ -100% -$ 47,668.75$ -100% -$ 102,968.75$ -100% -$ 153,018.75$ -100% -$ 153,118.75$ -100%

II. Administrative Expenses (Maximum of 10% of Total SSVF Grant Amount)

Subtotal Administrative Expenses 0% -$ 124,720.00$ -100% -$ 20,500.00$ -100% -$ 6,220.00$ -100% -$ 90,000.00$ -100% -$ 8,000.00$ -100%

Grand Total 0% -$ 581,495.00$ -100% -$ 68,168.75$ -100% -$ 109,188.75$ -100% -$ 243,018.75$ -100% -$ 161,118.75$ -100%

Base Annual Salary/Wage

12-AB-123

Program Expenses

% FTE# FTE

2ND QUARTER 3RD QUARTER 4TH QUARTER


$581,495.00FY 2012

1ST QUARTER

Page | 341

VA's Supportive Services for Veteran Families Program Attachment 1, Tab 3: Grantee Quarterly Financial Report - Quarterly Spending by Subcontractor

Name of Grantee:SSVF Program NumberSSVF Grant Amount:Grant Fiscal Year:

INSERT SUB-CONTRACTOR NAME &

ADDRESS


ADDRESS


ADDRESS


ADDRESS


ADDRESS

Description of Activities PerformedI. Provision and Coordination of Supportive Services (Minimum of 90% of Total SSVF Grant Amount)

1. Personnel/LaborSubtotal Personnel 0% -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$

2. Temporary Financial Assistance 0% -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$

3. Other Non-Personnel Provision and Coordination of Supportive Services ExpensesSubtotal Other Program Expenses 0% -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$

# of Vehicles4. Lease & Maintenance of Vehicle(s) 0% -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$

Subtotal Provision and Coordination of Supportive Services 0% -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$

II. Administrative Expenses (Maximum of 10% of Total SSVF Grant Amount)

Subtotal Administrative Expenses 0% -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$

Grand Total 0% -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ % of Total SSVF Grant 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%

PROGRAM EXPENSES PAID TO DATE TO:

Program Expenses


$581,495.00FY 2012

12-AB-123


SPENTSSVF Grant Funds Total

Annual to DateGRANTEE

Page | 342

VA's Supportive Services for Veteran Families Program Attachment 1, Tab 4: Grantee Quarterly Financial Report - Quarterly Draw Downs

Name of Grantee:SSVF Program Number:SSVF Grant Amount:Grant Fiscal Year:


TOTAL 1st QTR 2nd QTR 3rd QTR 4th QTR

Grantee SSVF Draw Downs 0% -$ -$ -$ -$ -$

Grantee Spending to Date 0% -$ -$ -$ -$ -$

% Variance #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0!Explain any variances:

We Help Veteran Families12-AB-123

$581,495.00FY 2012

Page | 343

VA's Supportive Services for Veteran Families Program Attachment 1, Tab 7: Grantee Quarterly Financial Report - Non-VA Funding Sources

Name of Grantee:SSVF Program NumberSSVF Grant Amount:Grant Fiscal Year:

TOTAL VA and NON-VA FUNDS SPENT

Annual to Date

TOTAL SPENTSSVF Grant Funds

Annual to Date

Non-VA Funding Source #1:

INSERT NAME


INSERT NAME


INSERT NAME

Grand Total -$ -$ -$ -$ -$

PROGRAM EXPENSES PAID TO DATE TO:

Program Expenses

We Help Veteran Families12-AB-123

$581,495.00FY 2012

Page | 344

SSVF PROGRAM NUMBER: ___-___-____

VA Form July 2011

110-0508b

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) Program

Quarterly Grantee Performance Report Instructions: Please complete the following form and email, along with your Quarterly Financial Report (Attachment 1), to the VA SSVF Program Office at [email protected]. Please clearly mark any information that is confidential to individual participants. Grantee Name:

SSVF Grant Amount:

Date of Report:

GENERAL 1. Describe any significant events (positive and negative) that occurred within your program

during this quarter. Explain how these events will impact your performance. 2. Do you require additional assistance from the SSVF Program Office? If so, please specify

the nature of the assistance required. OUTREACH & SCREENING 3. Please list the types of locations / events (e.g., shelters, street, stand downs, housing courts,

welfare offices, etc.) where your program has conducted outreach during this quarter. 4. Attach a copy of the participant screening form used this quarter if it has changed since the

previous quarter.

OMB Number: 2900-0757 Estimated Burden: 2.25 hours

Page | 345

initiator:[email protected];wfState:distributed;wfType:email;workflowId:c80a45af253ab747aba47263e7d4f0df


VA Form July 2011

210-0508b

5. Please list any types of organizations / entities from which you have received more than an estimated 5% of your referrals during this quarter.

6. How many ineligible individuals were screened this quarter? Describe generally how these

situations were handled and the program(s) to which individuals were referred. SUPPORTIVE SERVICES 7. During this quarter, which of the following supportive services were provided by your

program (either directly or by referral)?

Type of Benefit/Service (See 38 CFR 62.33 for definitions of these services)*

Grantee/program provided benefit directly

(Yes/No)

Grantee/program assisted participants in obtaining

benefit through referrals to other organizations (Yes/No)

Health care services Daily living services Personal financial planning services Transportation services Income support services Fiduciary and representative payee services Legal services Child care Housing counseling, housing search Other: Other: Other:

8. List the three supportive services most requested by participants and describe how your

program delivered those supportive services.

Page | 346


VA Form July 2011

310-0508b

9. During this quarter, which of the following other supportive services were provided by your program? (see 38 CFR 62.33 and 38 CFR 62.34 for descriptions of these supportive services)

☐ Rental Assistance ☐ Child Care Financial Assistance

☐ Utility-Fee Payment Assistance ☐ Transportation

☐ Security or Utility Deposit Assistance ☐ Other:

☐ Moving Costs Assistance ☐ Other:

☐ Emergency Supplies Assistance

PARTICIPANTS 10. Describe any issues that arose this quarter with respect to participant safety (e.g., domestic

violence, suicide risk, etc.) and indicate how those issues were handled. PROGRAM GOALS AND OUTCOMES 11. As this is a new initiative, VA is interested in learning about best practices in the field.

Please describe an interesting/notable participant case from this quarter (describe the household composition, their needs, the services provided, and the outcomes).

12. Confirm that your program’s data for 100% of participants has been exported from HMIS

and uploaded to the SSVF Data Repository not less than on a monthly basis. If not, please explain why.

SSVF GRANT AGREEMENT COMPLIANCE 13. Have you complied with all the terms of your supportive services grant agreement this

quarter? If no, please explain.

Page | 347

7. Is there any other feedback about the supportive services provider that you wish to provide to the VA?

8. In the following table, please indicate which supportive services you received and indicate the quality of thesupportive services received.

Yes No

6. If you answered Yes to Question 5, do you feel that this housing plan is a good fit for your needs?Yes No

5. Did the supportive services provider involve you in creating an individualized housing stabilization plan?Definitely Not Probably Not Probably So Definitely

4. If you needed help again and had a choice of where to go at no cost to you, would you return to this supportive servicesprovider?

Very Dissatisfied Dissatisfied Neither Satisfied Nor Dissatisfied Satisfied Very Satisfied

3. How satisfied are you with the services you have received from this supportive services provider?Definitely Not Probably Not Probably So Definitely

2. If another Veteran or a friend were in need of similar help, would you recommend this supportive servicesprovider to him or her?

Extremely Poor Below Average Average Above Average Excellent1. How would you rate the quality of the services you have received from this supportive services provider?

Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) ProgramParticipant Satisfaction Survey

To assist VA in improving the SSVF Program, please complete this form and mail it back (postage pre-paid)

Date / /Name of provider:Number of individuals in household: 1 2 3 4+

Number of individuals in household receiving support services from this provider: 1 2 3 4+

Are you enrolled in the VA health care system? Yes No

Is this the first or second time completing this survey? First Second

Extremely Poor Below Average Average Above Average Excellent


What was the quality of the service?Did you receivethis service?

YesNoYesNo

YesNo

YesNo

Supportive Services

1. Case Management

2. Assistance inobtainng VA Benefits3. Assistance in obtaining & coordinating other public benefits

Did you needthis service?

a. Health care YesNo

YesNo Extremely Poor Below Average Average Above Average Excellent

b. Daily living YesNo


c. Personal financialplanning

YesNo


d. Transportation YesNo


e. Income support YesNo


VA FormApril 2011

OMB Control Number: 2900-0757Estimated Burden: 15 minutes

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Please place your completed survey in the envelope provided, seal the envelope and return it in accordance with the instructions youwere given at the time you received the survey. Do not place your name on this survey or on the envelope. Thanks for your feedback.If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the SSVF Program Office at 1-877-737-0111 or via e-mail at [email protected] orvisit http://www.va.gov/homeless/ssvf.asp.

Start Working Stop Working

10. If you answered Yes to any of the places listed in Question 9, on how many separate occasions did you sleep in one ofthose places?

11. How many times did you move in the year before you requested help at this program?

12. In the year before you requested help from this supportive services provider, was there a time when your incomedecreased so much that it became hard to pay your housing costs?

13. Did your employment status (employed full time, employed part time, unemployed) change significantly in the year beforeyou requested help from this supportive services provider?

14. If you answered Yes to Question 13, did you start working or stop working?

Please answer questions 15 - 18 if you are no longer receiving services from this provider or will no longer bereceiving services from this provider in the immediate future. You do not need to answer these questions if youanswered questions 9-14.

15. How many times have you moved since you started receiving services from this provider?

16. Since you started receiving services from this supportive services provider, was there a time when your incomedecreased so much that it became hard to pay your housing costs?

17. Has your employment status changed significantly (employed full time, employed part time, unemployed) since youstarted receiving services from this supportive services provider?

18. If you answered Yes to Question 17, did you start working or stop working?

Yes No

Yes No

0 1 2 3+

Start Working Stop Working

Yes No

Yes No

0 1 2 3+

1 time 2-5 times 6-10 times More than 10 times

4. Other Supportive Services

f. Other:

Please answer questions 9 - 14 if you have recently begun receiving services from this provider. You do notneed to answer these questions if this is the second time you are completing this survey.

Yes No

9. Have you ever lived in one of the following places?

Yes No On the street or a place not meant for human habitationIn your car, boat, or an abandoned building

Yes No Emergency shelter or drop-in centerYes No Transitional housing or halfway houseYes No Hotel/motel, Single Room Occupancy (SRO), Safe HavenYes No In a family or friend's apartment or house because you had nowhere else to go

h. Housing counseling YesNo




YesNo

YesNo

YesNo

YesNo

g. Child care

f. Legal

Did you needthis service?

Did you receivethis service? What was the quality of service?

YesNo


e. Purchase ofemergency supplies

YesNo


d. Moving costs YesNo


c. Security and utilitydeposits

YesNo


b. Utility fee paymentassistance

YesNo


a. Rental assistance YesNo


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