MINUTES: HMIS Users Forum 8/17
Thanks to the many of you that participated in our Monthly HMIS Users Forum this morning. Please see the notes below by my teammate, Sam!
· Client confidentiality + data sharing
o Everyone is signing the HMIS Consent form
§ The most recent Consent form is located on our teamhmis.com website
§ Client must check the "consent" or "do not consent" to make form valid
§ Child household members under 18 can have their names on the back of the form
§ The form is good for 3 years
§ Submit support request to receive the Microsoft Word version of the form
§ Q: Does each program have to have its own form? (T. Brooks): Yes. Every program needs its own form unless the programs are related (Parent Provider).
§ Q: Do outreach programs have to have the form? (A. Haskins): "Implied consent rule" allows us to collect the basic client information and have the information locked down in the system. Do not collect personal information such as social security number.
§ Q: How long do the forms need to be kept in the office? (T. Brooks): the forms need to be kept for years in a secure location (locked file cabinet, locked office, etc.)
· Monthly HMIS report cards - Vary by program type. Currently broken up into Housing Programs and the Services Programs.
o Housing Report Card Review: Seasonal (SEA)-orange, Emergency Shelter (ES)-pink, Transitional Housing (TH)-blue, Rapid Rehousing (RRH)-green, Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH)-yellow. Items highlighted in yellow are areas of concern. Items highlighted in red are areas that need immediate attention. Please contact us if any items are highlighted so that we can assist with fixing the errors.
§ Child Only Households- Most likely an error in data entry as there are no programs who serve child only house holds
§ Service Count (RH only)
§ Data Quality- Need to be at 95% or higher which means you need to enter at least 95% of all client data.
§ Prior Residence (Homeless, Institution, Perm. Housing/ other)/ - There is a cheat sheet on the HMIS website breaking down the choices to help providers understand what you need to choose for your program. (Ex.: all housing programs should have clients coming from a homeless situation)
§ Utilization Rate- County expects emergency shelters to be 85% or higher
o Services Report Card Review:
§ Service Count and Services per Client- There should be at least 1 service (if not more) per client.
§ Data Quality- Need to be at 95% or higher which means you need to enter at least 95% of all client data.
§ Median Length of Stay (LOS) - Areas are highlighted when there are clients staying longer than is expected for particular programs. When areas are highlighted, please contact us to discuss. Most of the time the issue is because there are no exits for clients)
· Q: For some service providers, shouldn't the LOS be 1 since they provide same day service? (T. Brooks): In this situation, there is an entry date and probably no exit date attached to the client. The Null Exit Report (sent out monthly) will provide the list of clients who need to be exited out. If you need this, please contact us.
· Program performance measures- If you have any questions, please contact us
· Opening Doors: Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness- A summary has been created to briefly go over the Plan. This will be sent out after the meeting.
· Zero Veterans Homeless Initiative- A summary has been created to briefly go over the Plan. This will be sent out after the meeting. HUD expects us to have housed 100% of homeless Veterans in our area. We are expected to have a bi-weekly work group designed to come up with a plan to house all of our homeless veterans. An email will be sent out on this after the meeting asking for volunteers
· Updated report formats/requirements from DHCD, DHR, DHMH- Some providers receive funding from these agencies indirectly. Jason can meet with anyone to discuss this if anyone has any questions. Jason has been working with Agencies for several years trying to get the reports updated and streamlined so they are easier to review. The plan is to have the reports available in HMIS directly. This report should be available hopefully by next month.
Always use our manuals. NEVER guess! Proper data saves hours!
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