Los Angeles/Orange County
Homeless Management Information System
Collaborative
Homeless Management Information System (HMIS)
Policies and Procedures
SUPPLEMENTAL POLICIES for LAHSA ONLY
In addition to the requirements set forth in LA/OC HMIS
Policies and Procedures, the following are required for
End Users in the Los Angeles Continuum of Care.
LAHSA HMIS Program Entry and Exit Date
Policy:
End user of any Participating Agency must record the Program Entry Date of client into
HMIS no later than three (3) business days up after entering program or receiving their
first service.
End user of any Participating Agency must record the Program Exit Date of client into
HMIS no later than three (3) business days up after exiting program or receiving their
last service. End users must exit client from HMIS project (30) business days after no
client contact has occurred and record the date of the client’s last day in the program or
the last day a service was provided.
Procedure:
 End user must enter the month, day, and year of program enrollment and
program exit.
 For returning clients, end user must record a new Program Entry Date and
corresponding Program Exit Date.
 The system will trigger a warning when end users enter a Program Exit Date that
is earlier than the Program Entry Date for a client.
 The system will trigger a warning when end users enter a Program Exit Date
earlier than the client’s last Service Date.
Client Informed Consent and Confidentiality for HFSS Only
Policy:
LAHSA Programs Department is requesting an exception to the written consent policy
to allow a verbal HMIS consent procedure to be incorporated into the LA CoC HMIS
Consent Policy in order to accommodate the HMIS data entry and appointment
scheduling during the HFSS initial screening process.
Procedure:
1. Each FSC has a Family Response Team (FRT) that is responsible for completing
the initial screening over the telephone for homeless families seeking assistance
from the FSC to include gathering of basic information on the family and their
options for diversion to or remaining at temporary housing options outside of the
shelter system or confirming the family’s need for immediate crisis housing.
Upon completion of the screening the FRT staff needs to schedule an
appointment for further assessment in HMIS. In order to accomplish this
functionality in HMIS homeless families speaking with an FRT staff member will
need to provide their consent to allow the entering of their personal information
into HMIS over the telephone.
2. Each FRT staff member will follow a written, standardized procedure for
obtaining the family’s consent over the telephone to have their information
entered into HMIS. This procedure will include, but not be limited to:
a. Providing the family with a basic explanation to of what HMIS is and
what providing their consent to participate in the systems means,
b. Explain the highlights of the written HMIS consent form to the Head
of Household (HoH) or other adult in the family and explaining that
upon arrival at their scheduled assessment appointment they will
be asked to sign the consent form.
c. Recording on the family’s written consent form the date and time of
the screening conversation and name of the HoH or other
responsible adult in the family who granted temporary verbal
consent.
d. Transmit the written HMIS consent form with the temporarily
granted, verbal consent information to the FSC case management
team for completion of written HMIS consent at the during the
family’s assessment appointment.
LAHSA HMIS/IT Technical Support
Policy:
The LAHSA HMIS/IT Team will provide a reasonable level of support to Participating
Agencies via email, phone, and/or remote.
Procedure:
1. HMIS Users should first seek technical support from Agency Administrator.
2. If more expertise is required to further troubleshoot the issue, Agency
Administrator or HMIS User should submit request to:
 HMIS Support for general technical support at HMISSupport@lahsa.org.
Refrain from sending email correspondence directly to the HMIS Support
Team.
 Training Team for inquiries regarding training at
HMISTraining@lahsa.org.
 IT Hardware Support for issues with hardware failures at
ITSupport@lahsa.org.
 Data Analysts for data quality and report issues at
DataAnalysts@lahsa.org.
3. Provide issue replication details if possible (or help recreate the problem by
providing all information, screenshots, reports, etc.) so team can recreate
problem if required.
4. Support load can affect response time. The team will try to respond to all email
inquiries and issues within 24 hours and unresolved requests may be escalated
to HMIS Management, Daniel Phan at (213) 689-4090 or email at
dphan@lahsa.org, or Aamir Shaikh at (213) 225-6565 or email at
HMISashaikh@lahsa.org.
5. The HMIS System Administrator will submit a ticket to vendor if progress is
stalled.
LAHSA Training Requirements
Policy:
Each end user must complete the required training prior to gaining access to the LA/OC
HMIS.
Procedure:
 Agency Administrator will inform proposed end user of the required training
courses.
 Proposed end user must enter email address and password on the New User
Registration Information page at the LAHSA Training Website (training.lahsa.org)
to register for the required training courses.
 Once registered, proposed end user may view course information (dates, times,
and instructor's names) and enroll to the required training.
 Proposed end users must complete and pass the exam with a score of 70
percent or higher for the training courses described in the table below.
 Proposed end user will not be able to register for HMIS 100 without successful
completion of HMIS 10.
 HMIS System Administrator will provide new end user with a copy of the Policies
and Procedures and HMIS Users Guide.
 End users that have not used the system for 6 months or more will be required to
pass an assessment or retake a refresher course.
Course Description
Course Detail
Required
HMIS 10: Policies &
Procedures of HMIS
(Prerequisite of HMIS
100)
This course focuses on Policies
and Procedures, review of HUD
Data and Technical Standards,
Privacy and Mandatory Collection
Notices, consents, and outcomes.
All new end users.
HMIS 100: Introduction to
HMIS
This training focus is on the
navigation of the LA/OC HMIS.
All new end users.
Onsite Training
Policy:
Onsite training will be based on staffing and resources only after other means of support
have been attempted (email, phone, and remote). Minimum requirements for onsite
training sessions: (a) minimum of 5 end users, (b) computers with Internet access for
each end user, and (c) a room equipped with a projector for instruction.
Procedure:
 Agency Administrator should submit request for onsite training request to HMIS
Training at HMISTraining@lahsa.org.
 The HMIS Training Team will respond to Agency Administrator within 3 business
days, but holidays or other events may affect response time.