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.

2

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

6

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)

9

Overview

HMIS and CoC staff should use this information for planning purposes

The HMIS project is not required to financially support federal partner use of HMIS and new programs should be prepared to financially support their participation

However, increased use of HMIS will require planning to increase capacity for both the HMIS itself and its staffing

It will also require a review of existing policies and agreements

10

Overview

Current HMIS Data Standards are those published March, 2010

All 5 programs contributed recommendations to HUD on changes to the HMIS Data Standards that would open the path for these programs to utilize the HMIS

Other than the VA programs, no timelines have been set for participating in HMIS

11

Overview

HHS, VA, and HOPWA will determine timelines and publish data collection requirements in accordance to their own implementation strategies

It is not yet known what HMIS implementation will look like for all of these programs, but we can provide some information to assist with planning

One thing that is for sure, the Universal Data Element collection mandate that already exists for all programs utilizing the HMIS will also apply to new federal partners

12

Veteran Programs

The VA has the most aggressive timeline for HMIS participation.

All VA programs are required to comply with local data collection, privacy, security, and data quality requirements

There are 3 VA programs that are expected to directly participate in or contribute data to HMIS SSVF GPD HUD-VASH

13

Veteran Programs: SSVF

Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) Will provide supportive services to very low-

income veterans and their families residing in or transitioning to permanent housing Homeless Prevention Rapid Re-housing

SSVF is REQUIRED to participate in HMIS from the first day of the program activities

There is no reporting for SSVF; however the program is required to EXPORT data out of the HMIS

14

Veteran Programs: 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.

16

Veteran Programs: HUD-VASH The VA also expects the HUD-VASH

program to participate in HMIS. VA staff are prohibited from entering data

directly into the HMIS; however, Any community service provider can enter

data for them, or They can import data to the HMIS.

The HUD-VASH program is only required to input the Program Descriptor and Universal Data Elements.

There is NO reporting required.

17

HHS: SAMHSA PATH

SAMHSA is strongly encouraging PATH programs to participate in HMIS; BUT…

Participation is not mandatory There has been no timeline established

by SAMHSA to require participation Many PATH programs are working with

their HMIS to participate now Data Elements for the current PATH

Annual Survey are included in the current HMIS Data Standards (March 2010)

18

HHS: Runaway and Homeless Youth The RHY program is in its infancy in

participating in HMIS They have contributed recommendations

to the HMIS Data Standards, but much work will be required before they are ready to announce data elements and timelines

There has been no timeline established by ACF to require participation

19

HUD: HOPWA

The HOPWA program is in its infancy in participating in HMIS, but they are further along than RHY

They have contributed recommendations to the HMIS Data Standards, but much work will be required before they are ready to announce data elements and timelines

There has been no timeline established by HUD to require participation

20

Federal Partners

This is how things stand now. Everything is subject to change.

Use what you know about programs currently in order to plan for their integration later.

Work with partner programs to make implementation successful for both the HMIS and the program.

21

22

What you need to know about the Annual Homeless Assessment Report

AHAR 101

23

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

24

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.

25

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

26

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

27

28

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)

29

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

30

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.

31

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

32

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

33

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.

34

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.

35

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

36

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.

37

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

41

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

43

HMIS Implementation Resource Not sure what type of HMIS

Implementation your state has? Go to: http://www.hmis.info/Communities/

44

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

74

Module 3 Friday, August 12th, 2011from 3:00pm-4:30pm

(EST) In-depth review of HMIS Data and Technical Standards

Module 4 Friday, August 19th, 2011from 3:00pm-4:30pm

(EST) In-Depth Security, Privacy, and Governance Module 5

Friday, September 16th, 2011from 3:00pm-4:30pm (EST)

Data Quality Standard and Compliance Plans

Resources

HUD Homeless Data Exchange (HDX):http://www.hudhdx.info/ HMIS.info:www.hmis.info HUD Homelessness Resource Exchange:www.hudhre.info

75

Thank you!

76