HMIS 101: MODULE 2
Federal Partners
AHAR 101
SHP-HMIS Annual Performance Report (APR)
HMIS SYSTEM ADMINISTRATOR TRAINING SERIES
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Partners
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Kat Freeman, The Cloudburst Group
Natalie Matthews, Abt Associates, Inc.
Chris Pitcher, The Cloudburst Group
Jeff Ward, Abt Associates, Inc.
Purpose
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Provide HMIS System Administrators, end users, CoC
representatives, consumers, and federal, state, and
local partners with a basic understanding of:
 HMIS
Participation from other Federal Partners
 AHAR 101
 SHP-HMIS APR
Webinar Format
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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
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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 Series
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HMIS 101 Modules I and II:
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HMIS 101 Modules III, IV and V:
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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
Module III: In-Depth Data Standards
Module IV: In-Depth Security, Privacy, and Governance
Module V: Data Quality Standard and Compliance Plans
HMIS 201:
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HMIS Budgeting and Staffing
PIT and HIC
Best Practice Highlights/ Use of Technology
8
Federal Partners
HMIS Participation by other Federal Partners
Session Objectives
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• 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)
Overview
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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
Overview
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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
Overview
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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
Veteran Programs
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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
Veteran Programs: SSVF
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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
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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
Veteran Programs: SSVF
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Veteran Programs: GPD
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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.
Veteran Programs: HUD-VASH
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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.
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The HUD-VASH program is only required to input
the Program Descriptor and Universal Data
Elements.
There is NO reporting required.
HHS: SAMHSA PATH
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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)
HHS: Runaway and Homeless Youth
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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
HUD: HOPWA
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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
Federal Partners
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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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AHAR 101
What you need to know about the Annual
Homeless Assessment Report
Learning objectives for today
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Understand what the AHAR is and why
participation in the AHAR is important
Learn the sources of the data used to complete the
AHAR
Understand the AHAR categories
Learn data quality definitions and thresholds
Learn how to develop an effective strategy for
participating in the 2011 AHAR
So, what is the AHAR?
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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.
Why the AHAR is important
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Primary source of data on the extent and nature of
homelessness nationwide
 AHAR data are being used to inform the nation’s
plan to end homelessness and to measure progress.
Communities learn about their homeless population,
and take greater stake in the quality of their HMIS
data
HUD considers AHAR participation a benchmark of a
high quality HMIS implementation
HUD asks questions about AHAR participation in
Exhibit 1 of HUD’s CoC funding application
Sources of AHAR data
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All 453 CoCs nationwide provide Housing Inventory
and Point-in-Time (PIT) Count data:
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PIT includes sheltered and unsheltered
HIC includes both funded and unfunded housing providers
Submitted using Homelessness Data Exchange (HDX) in
April/May
HPRP reporting
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Quarterly Performance Reports (QPR)
Annual Performance Reports (APR)
Reported through e-snaps
Sources of AHAR data - cont
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For HMIS data, all CoCs with adequate data quality
can participate
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Sample Communities: 102
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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
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Contributing communities are CoCs that volunteer to
provide CoC-wide data
Sources of AHAR data - cont
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HMIS Data
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Data from October 1-September 30 of each reporting year
Universal data elements (some program specific—PSH only)
Examples: Age, Race, Veteran Status, etc.
Limited to emergency shelters, transitional housing, and
permanent supportive housing programs
AHAR data from HMIS is submitted and stored in the
Homelessness Data Exchange (HDX)
AHAR categories
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Categories
 ES-FAM: all persons in families served in emergency shelters
 ES-IND: all persons served in emergency shelters for
individuals
 TH-FAM: all persons in families served in transitional housing
 TH-IND: all persons served in transitional housing for
individuals
 PSH-FAM: all persons in families served in permanent
supportive housing
 PSH-IND: all persons served in permanent supportive housing
for individuals
Major AHAR sections
 ALL Persons
 Vets
Veteran report
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Starting with the 2009 AHAR, communities submitted
separate data for veterans
The “All Persons” section of the AHAR must be
completed before the “Veterans” section can be
accessed in HDX.
Threshold definitions
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Bed Coverage: the total number of beds in HMIS divided by the number of
beds in the CoC
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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%
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Data Completeness: a low rate of missing data across all questions
Participation thresholds
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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:
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At least 50% HMIS bed coverage
HMIS participating agencies must be recording accurate
entry and exit dates for all clients served during the
reporting period
Looking for utilization rates between 65%105%Reasonable rates for missing data
Strategies for successful participation
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Increasing AHAR participation requires a realistic strategy
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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.
The 2011 AHAR
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The 2011 AHAR will be very much like the 2010
AHAR – few changes.
Expect more automatic data testing as you enter
data into HDX. ‘Hard stops’ will prevent the
submission of erroneous data.
Anticipate earlier deadlines and less time between
draft and final submissions.
Registration and login process
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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:
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Every CoC has a primary contact for the HDX
Usually the CoC lead contact
The Sandbox
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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.
Final comments
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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.
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Use your AHAR data in the community.
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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.’
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SHP-HMIS APR
The Annual Performance Report for HMIS
dedicated projects
Session Objectives
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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
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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
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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.
2.
3.
Basic instructions can be found at the top of each
question.
Use HMIS APR Guidebook, posted on HUDHRE, as
a reference to create and complete your APR.
e-snaps process for grants with operating years
ending June 1, 2011 or later is different—new
guidebook coming soon!
HMIS Implementation
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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
HMIS Implementation Resource
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Not sure what type of HMIS Implementation your
state has? Go to:
http://www.hmis.info/Communities/
H1a. Lead Organization
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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
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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
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Question relates to the entire HMIS
implementation
H2. HMIS Implementation &
Staffing
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See HMIS Guidebook for specific directions and
definitions associated with (a-g).
H3. Participation by Program
Type
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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 subquestions)
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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
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Describe any current plans you have to enhance
your HMIS software with new functionality or to
begin using existing functionality.
H5. Electronic Data Sharing
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Provide information on electronic data sharing
within the CoC funded by the HMIS dedicated
project.
H6. Training – Type, Requirements,
Frequency and Completion
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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
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Type
Requirements
Frequency
Completion
H7. Follow-Up Training
Requirements
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Identify follow-up training requirements for HMIS beyond
basic HMIS software training (yes/no). If you selected “yes,”
then in a brief narrative, describe the follow-up training
requirements and offerings for the operating year that you
are reporting on.
H8. Data Timeliness
CHO: Contributory HMIS Organization
Defined in the March 2010 HMIS Data Standards
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H9. Data Quality Procedures
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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
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
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There are a series of six bed and unit participation subquestions which identify point-in-time count data from the
HMIS system for the CoC associated with this HMIS
dedicated project.
H10a.-10f. PIT Counts January and
July
• Collects
counts on
beds and
persons in
ES, TH
and PSH.
Year round unit
information is only
collected for
permanent housing.
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
There are two identical HMIS Data Quality Charts for the
Universal Data Elements:
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H11a - Residential
Programs
H11b - Outreach
and Supportive
Services Only
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
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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
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Report on all
expenditures,
by type
during the
operating
year.
H14. HMIS Narrative
Review Submission
Summary
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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
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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
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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

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Meet quarterly with accounting to check budget
resources and expenditures.
Use the HMIS Narrative section to briefly outline
things you think HUD should know about your HMIS
and implementation.
APR Resources
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
Guidebooks, eLearning modules, webinars,
Frequently Asked Questions, and HUD Virtual Help
Desk are all available on the HUD HRE for the APR
73
Next Steps and Resources
Up Next: Module 1, Parts 3, 4, 5
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Module 3
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Friday, August 12th, 2011from 3:00pm-4:30pm (EST) Indepth 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
75

HUD Homeless Data Exchange (HDX):
http://www.hudhdx.info/
HMIS.info:
www.hmis.info
 HUD Homelessness Resource Exchange:
www.hudhre.info

76
Thank you!