HMIS SYSTEM ADMINISTRATOR TRAINING SERIES
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
HMIS 101: MODULE 2Federal PartnersAHAR 101SHP-HMIS Annual Performance Report (APR)
Partners
Kat Freeman, The Cloudburst Group Natalie Matthews, Abt Associates, Inc. Chris Pitcher, The Cloudburst Group Jeff Ward, Abt Associates, Inc.
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Purpose3
Provide HMIS System Administrators, end users, CoC representatives, consumers, and federal, state, and local partners with a basic understanding of: HMIS Participation from other Federal
Partners AHAR 101 SHP-HMIS APR
Webinar Format4
This training is part of a series of trainings that will provide staff with the basic information needed to operate or participate in an HMIS
It is anticipated that this series of trainings will be offered quarterly
This training is anticipated to last 90 minutes
Presenters will walk through presentation material
Submitting Questions 5
Because of the high volume of participants, all participants will be muted throughout the presentation
Questions can be asked during the webinar via the “Questions” pane of Go To Webinar
All questions that we cannot reply to should be submitted via the Ask the Expert function on www.hmis.info
Webinar Materials & Evaluation
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Quick follow up survey will be emailed out after the webinar
The webinar will be recorded, and all materials will be posted to HMIS.info (www.HMIS.info)
Overview of Training Series7
HMIS 101 Modules I and II: Module I: HMIS History, Overview of Data and Technical
Standards, Data Quality Concepts, and CoC APR 101 Module II: Federal Partners, AHAR 101, and SHP-HMIS APR
101 HMIS 101 Modules III, IV and V:
Module III: In-Depth Data Standards Module IV: In-Depth Security, Privacy, and Governance Module V: Data Quality Standard and Compliance Plans
HMIS 201: HMIS Budgeting and Staffing PIT and HIC Best Practice Highlights/ Use of Technology
HMIS Participation by other Federal Partners
Federal Partners8
Session Objectives
• Provide an overview of the status 5 federal partner program’s use of HMIS:• Veterans Administration (VA)
• Supportive Service for Veteran Families (SSVF)• Grant and Per Diem (GPD)• HUD-VASH (VA Supportive Housing Vouchers)
• Health and Human Services (HHS)• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
(SAMHSA) Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH)
• Administration for Children and Families (ACF) Runaway and Homeless Youth (RHY)
• Housing Opportunities for Persons With HIV/AIDS (HOPWA)
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Overview
HMIS and CoC staff should use this information for planning purposes
The HMIS project is not required to financially support federal partner use of HMIS and new programs should be prepared to financially support their participation
However, increased use of HMIS will require planning to increase capacity for both the HMIS itself and its staffing
It will also require a review of existing policies and agreements
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Overview
Current HMIS Data Standards are those published March, 2010
All 5 programs contributed recommendations to HUD on changes to the HMIS Data Standards that would open the path for these programs to utilize the HMIS
Other than the VA programs, no timelines have been set for participating in HMIS
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Overview
HHS, VA, and HOPWA will determine timelines and publish data collection requirements in accordance to their own implementation strategies
It is not yet known what HMIS implementation will look like for all of these programs, but we can provide some information to assist with planning
One thing that is for sure, the Universal Data Element collection mandate that already exists for all programs utilizing the HMIS will also apply to new federal partners
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Veteran Programs
The VA has the most aggressive timeline for HMIS participation.
All VA programs are required to comply with local data collection, privacy, security, and data quality requirements
There are 3 VA programs that are expected to directly participate in or contribute data to HMIS SSVF GPD HUD-VASH
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Veteran Programs: SSVF
Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) Will provide supportive services to very low-
income veterans and their families residing in or transitioning to permanent housing Homeless Prevention Rapid Re-housing
SSVF is REQUIRED to participate in HMIS from the first day of the program activities
There is no reporting for SSVF; however the program is required to EXPORT data out of the HMIS
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Veteran Programs: SSVF15
Veteran Programs: GPD
The VA Grant and Per Diem program is also required to participate in HMIS.
VA staff are prohibited from entering data directly into the HMIS; however,
The community service provider who is administering the GPD program can and is expected to.
The GPD program is only required to input the Program Descriptor and Universal Data Elements.
There is NO reporting required.
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Veteran Programs: HUD-VASH The VA also expects the HUD-VASH
program to participate in HMIS. VA staff are prohibited from entering data
directly into the HMIS; however, Any community service provider can enter
data for them, or They can import data to the HMIS.
The HUD-VASH program is only required to input the Program Descriptor and Universal Data Elements.
There is NO reporting required.
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HHS: SAMHSA PATH
SAMHSA is strongly encouraging PATH programs to participate in HMIS; BUT…
Participation is not mandatory There has been no timeline established
by SAMHSA to require participation Many PATH programs are working with
their HMIS to participate now Data Elements for the current PATH
Annual Survey are included in the current HMIS Data Standards (March 2010)
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HHS: Runaway and Homeless Youth The RHY program is in its infancy in
participating in HMIS They have contributed recommendations
to the HMIS Data Standards, but much work will be required before they are ready to announce data elements and timelines
There has been no timeline established by ACF to require participation
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HUD: HOPWA
The HOPWA program is in its infancy in participating in HMIS, but they are further along than RHY
They have contributed recommendations to the HMIS Data Standards, but much work will be required before they are ready to announce data elements and timelines
There has been no timeline established by HUD to require participation
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Federal Partners
This is how things stand now. Everything is subject to change.
Use what you know about programs currently in order to plan for their integration later.
Work with partner programs to make implementation successful for both the HMIS and the program.
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What you need to know about the Annual Homeless Assessment Report
AHAR 101
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Learning objectives for today Understand what the AHAR is and why
participation in the AHAR is important Learn the sources of the data used to
complete the AHAR Understand the AHAR categories Learn data quality definitions and
thresholds Learn how to develop an effective
strategy for participating in the 2011 AHAR
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So, what is the AHAR? Annual report to Congress:
An account of sheltered and unsheltered homeless individuals and families, both on a single night (Point-in-Time count)
A descriptive analysis of characteristics and service use patterns of sheltered persons over the course of the year (HMIS data)
Nationwide trends in homelessness The size and use of the U.S. inventory of
residential programs for homeless persons (HIC) A summary of the impact of the Homelessness
Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing program Released annually in June/July The sixth annual AHAR (2010) is available for
download at www.hudhre.info.
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Why the AHAR is important
Primary source of data on the extent and nature of homelessness nationwide AHAR data are being used to inform the
nation’s plan to end homelessness and to measure progress.
Communities learn about their homeless population, and take greater stake in the quality of their HMIS data
HUD considers AHAR participation a benchmark of a high quality HMIS implementation
HUD asks questions about AHAR participation in Exhibit 1 of HUD’s CoC funding application
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Sources of AHAR data
All 453 CoCs nationwide provide Housing Inventory and Point-in-Time (PIT) Count data: PIT includes sheltered and unsheltered HIC includes both funded and unfunded housing
providers Submitted using Homelessness Data Exchange
(HDX) in April/May
HPRP reporting Quarterly Performance Reports (QPR) Annual Performance Reports (APR) Reported through e-snaps
Sources of AHAR data - cont
For HMIS data, all CoCs with adequate data quality can participate Sample Communities: 102
Sample communities are Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) jurisdictions that were randomly selected to be representative of the nation (CDBG jurisdictions can be part or all of a CoC).
Contributing Communities: 324 in 2010, 246 in 2009 Contributing communities are CoCs that
volunteer to provide CoC-wide data
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Sources of AHAR data - cont
HMIS Data Data from October 1-September 30 of each
reporting year Universal data elements (some program
specific—PSH only) Examples: Age, Race, Veteran Status, etc.
Limited to emergency shelters, transitional housing, and permanent supportive housing programs
AHAR data from HMIS is submitted and stored in the Homelessness Data Exchange (HDX)
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AHAR categories
Categories ES-FAM: all persons in families served in emergency
shelters ES-IND: all persons served in emergency shelters for
individuals TH-FAM: all persons in families served in transitional
housing TH-IND: all persons served in transitional housing for
individuals PSH-FAM: all persons in families served in permanent
supportive housing PSH-IND: all persons served in permanent supportive
housing for individuals
Major AHAR sections ALL Persons Vets
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Veteran report
Starting with the 2009 AHAR, communities submitted separate data for veterans
The “All Persons” section of the AHAR must be completed before the “Veterans” section can be accessed in HDX.
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Threshold definitions
Bed Coverage: the total number of beds in HMIS divided by the number of beds in the CoC
Bed Utilization: the number of people served on a given night divided by the number of available beds the same night HMIS participating agencies must be recording accurate
entry and exit dates for all clients served during the reporting period
Looking for utilization rates between 65%-105%
Data Completeness: a low rate of missing data across all questions
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Participation thresholds
CoCs can participate in all or a few categories - it’s not all or nothing!
Each reporting category is assessed independently for data quality, using three thresholds: At least 50% HMIS bed coverage HMIS participating agencies must be
recording accurate entry and exit dates for all clients served during the reporting period
Looking for utilization rates between 65%-105%Reasonable rates for missing data
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Strategies for successful participation
Increasing AHAR participation requires a realistic strategy Focus on a few, solid AHAR categories Increase bed coverage by using your full CoC to
encouraging new agencies to participate in HMIS Why? Bigger ‘footprint’ and increased credibility
TH is usually easier than ES and PSH may be easier than TH Why? Funding, turnover and bed inventory size
FAM may be easier than IND Why? Increased stability
Data entry for the 2011 AHAR began on October 1, 2010. You will be unpleasantly surprised if you don’t monitor data quality every month from now until September 30, 2011.
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The 2011 AHAR
The 2011 AHAR will be very much like the 2010 AHAR – few changes.
Expect more automatic data testing as you enter data into HDX. ‘Hard stops’ will prevent the submission of erroneous data.
Anticipate earlier deadlines and less time between draft and final submissions.
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Registration and login process Everyone needs an HMIS.Info account to
log into the HDX. The same username and password work on both sites.
The CoC Primary must assign “rights’ to appropriate people: Every CoC has a primary contact for the
HDX Usually the CoC lead contact
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The Sandbox
A special feature of the HDX is the HDX Sandbox The Sandbox is a “dummy” HDX site which was
designed for public viewing and testing the AHAR data collection screens and for generating and testing upload files
To access the Sandbox site go to http://sandbox.hudhdx.info
Communities may use Sandbox year around to monitor AHAR data quality
Changes and data entered into the Sandbox cannot be transferred to the live HDX site.
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Final comments
Submitting information for the AHAR is an interactive/ iterative process. This is not a ‘file and forget’ report. Submit data as early as possible so your data collector can help you with the process. Expect to revise and submit data several times.
Use your AHAR data in the community. Why? AHAR is independently reviewed for quality. HDX
has useful reporting tools. Using data improves data quality and helps justify the effort needed to be successful.
Make the AHAR ‘just another report.’
The Annual Performance Report for HMIS dedicated projects
SHP-HMIS APR38
Session Objectives
Understand which parts of the HMIS APR apply to HMIS Implementations that cover multiple CoCs and which apply to the specific grant, single COC
Understand reporting requirements Review all questions on the SHP-HMIS
APR
Key Differences
Annual Progress Report is now the Annual Performance Report
Submitted electronically, via e-snaps HMIS grantees will now be reporting on
activity levels of their implementations, not just providing a financial report.
Overview of APR Sections for HMIS Dedicated Projects
Scope of HMIS Implementation HMIS Functionality HMIS Program and Bed Coverage Training – types and frequency Data Quality Funding Expenditures Narrative
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e-snaps
1. Basic instructions can be found at the top of each question.
2. Use HMIS APR Guidebook, posted on HUDHRE, as a reference to create and complete your APR.
3. e-snaps process for grants with operating years ending June 1, 2011 or later is different—new guidebook coming soon!
HMIS Implementation
Some questions on the new HMIS APR, ask you to report information for the entire HMIS Implementation
There are three types of HMIS Implementations Single CoC: HMIS covers only one CoC Multiple CoCs: Covers more than one
CoC, but not the entire state Statewide: Must have two or more CoCs
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HMIS Implementation Resource Not sure what type of HMIS
Implementation your state has? Go to: http://www.hmis.info/Communities/
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H1a. Lead Organization
Each CoC has identified to HUD the Lead Organization for their HMIS implementation in their annual Exhibit 1 submission. Identify the Lead Organization associated with this particular HMIS Implementation.
If the implementation or CoC has multiple HMIS dedicated grants, then this section should be identical across the grants
H1b. Contact Person
Identify the contact person for the HMIS Lead Organization who you would want HUD to contact if there are any questions about your HMIS Implementation.
H1c. General Information
Question relates to the entire HMIS implementation
H2. HMIS Implementation & Staffing
See HMIS Guidebook for specific directions and definitions associated with (a-g).
H3. Participation by Program Type
Only report programs associated with this HMIS dedicated project, based on participation at the end (last day) of the operating year.
H4 – Functionality (includes 6 sub-questions)
Indicate whether your HMIS supports any of the specified functionality.
Base your responses on the software functionality as it has been configured and is in use within the CoC.
An HMIS supports functionality if: That function is available by the end of the
operating year. An HMIS does not support that function if:
It is an “add-on” offered by the vendor, but not purchased for use in the CoC.
Use of the functionality may mean daily use by case workers or annual use by data administrators.
H4a. General Functionality
H4f. Functionality Narrative
Describe any current plans you have to enhance your HMIS software with new functionality or to begin using existing functionality.
H5. Electronic Data Sharing
Provide information on electronic data sharing within the CoC funded by the HMIS dedicated project.
H6. Training – Type, Requirements, Frequency and Completion
Identify the training requirements for the CoC associated with the HMIS dedicated project.
The fields are dependent fields and will open based on your answer to questions.
H6. Training
Type Requireme
nts Frequency Completion
H7. Follow-Up Training Requirements
Identify follow-up training requirements for HMIS beyond basic HMIS software training (yes/no). If you selected “yes,” then in a brief narrative, describe the follow-up training requirements and offerings for the operating year that you are reporting on.
H8. Data Timeliness
CHO: Contributory HMIS OrganizationDefined in the March 2010 HMIS Data Standards
H9. Data Quality Procedures
Identify whether you have standard operating procedures for monitoring the quality of the data
If “yes,” describe in a brief narrative your data quality policies and procedures.
H10. HMIS Bed and Unit Participation
There are a series of six bed and unit participation sub-questions which identify point-in-time count data from the HMIS system for the CoC associated with this HMIS dedicated project.
H10 # Housing being reported on Date being reported on
H10a Emergency Shelters in the CoC Last Wednesday in January of the operating year
H10b Transitional Housing in the CoC Last Wednesday in January of the operating year
H10c Permanent Supportive Housing in the CoC Last Wednesday in January of the operating year
H10d Emergency Shelters in the CoC Last Wednesday in July of the operating year
H10e Transitional Housing in the CoC Last Wednesday in July of the operating year
H10f Permanent Supportive Housing in the CoC Last Wednesday in July of the operating year
H10a.-10f. PIT Counts January and July
Year round unit information is only collected for permanent housing.
Year round unit information is only collected for permanent housing.
• Collects counts on beds and persons in ES, TH and PSH.
H10g. Explanation of Barriers
If you did not have 100% bed coverage for ES, TH and/or PSH in either January or July (as reported
in H10a-H10f):1. Explain the barriers you are having in
implementation; and 2. Your plan for improving your bed coverage. Because this question is required, if you
had 100% coverage, type in: 100% coverage, not applicable in the text box.
H11. HMIS Data Quality (H11a-H11b)Universal Data Elements
H11a - Residential Programs
H11b - Outreach and Supportive Services Only
There are two identical HMIS Data Quality Charts for the Universal Data Elements:
H11c. HMIS Data Quality Program Descriptor Data Elements
Reports on the data quality on all program descriptor elements for all Contributory CoC Programs.
H12. HMIS Funding Sources
Report on funding sources spent during the operating year.
Includes all money received as match and leverage.
Based on what was committed in Exhibit 2.
H13. HMIS Expenditures by Type
Report on all expenditures, by type during the operating year.
H14. HMIS Narrative
Review Submission Summary
Last Updated: Date that form was completed with all required fields.
Please Complete: Mandatory fields missing.
Click on Question Name: Returns you to that page.
Export to PDF: Creates a PDF file for your records.
Submit: All forms must be completed prior to submittal.
Tips for Implementing the New APR
Make sure that you can run reports that identify: Number of participating and non-
participating programs; Number of programs participating
through data integration; Number of unduplicated active
homeless clients in your HMIS; Number of users and number of active
users.
Tips for Implementing the New APR
Make sure new Programmatic Data Standard fields are populated for all Homeless Programs within your HMIS Coverage area.
Identify the functionality components available within your HMIS.
Identify functionality components not available and develop a plan to incorporate those functions your CoC thinks they will want/need to meet HUD requirements.
Tips for Implementing the New APR
Track trainings and training participants on a monthly basis.
Run monthly PIT counts on the last Wednesday of each month and work with users to ensure that all data is clean and being entered.
Run monthly Housing Inventory Counts on the last Wednesday of each month. Make sure that all homeless programs have up to date bed and unit counts.
Check your utilization rates monthly.
Tips for Implementing the New APR
Run monthly data quality checks and follow-up with users to ensure low missing data rates for: Residential programs Service only and outreach programs Program descriptor data elements
Meet quarterly with accounting to check budget resources and expenditures.
Use the HMIS Narrative section to briefly outline things you think HUD should know about your HMIS and implementation.
APR Resources72
Guidebooks, eLearning modules, webinars, Frequently Asked Questions, and HUD Virtual Help Desk are all available on the HUD HRE for the APR
Next Steps and Resources73
Up Next: Module 1, Parts 3, 4, 5
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Module 3 Friday, August 12th, 2011from 3:00pm-4:30pm
(EST) In-depth review of HMIS Data and Technical Standards
Module 4 Friday, August 19th, 2011from 3:00pm-4:30pm
(EST) In-Depth Security, Privacy, and Governance Module 5
Friday, September 16th, 2011from 3:00pm-4:30pm (EST)
Data Quality Standard and Compliance Plans
Resources
HUD Homeless Data Exchange (HDX):http://www.hudhdx.info/ HMIS.info:www.hmis.info HUD Homelessness Resource Exchange:www.hudhre.info
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Thank you!
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