Order Code RL33956
Counting the Homeless:
Homeless Management Information Systems
April 11, 2007
Libby Perl
Analyst in Social Legislation
Domestic Social Policy Division
Counting the Homeless:
Homeless Management Information Systems
Summary
In 1998, Congress directed the Department of Housing and Urban Development
(HUD) to develop a process for collecting data about the homeless. Together with
local communities, HUD began in 2001 to implement a series of Homeless
Management Information Systems (HMIS). Two categories of federal fund
recipients are required to participate in HMIS: organizations that receive grants
through the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) program and
organizations that receive HUD Homeless Assistance Grants. The HOPWA program
provides housing and supportive services for persons living with AIDS, while the
Homeless Assistance Grants fund transitional and permanent housing, as well as
services, for homeless individuals.
Local jurisdictions called “Continuums of Care” (CoCs) — typically cities,
counties, or combinations of both — are the entities that implement HMIS.
Homeless service providers in these CoCs collect and store information about
homeless individuals they serve, and the information is aggregated in computer
systems at the CoC level. HUD anticipates that information about homeless
individuals from CoCs across the country eventually will help it to better serve the
needs of the homeless.
HUD released the first analysis of data from a sample of participating HMIS
jurisdictions — the Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) — in February
2007. The AHAR used HMIS data from a sample of 64 communities to derive
national-level estimates of the number of homeless at two points in time in 2005, and
over a three-month period from February to April 2005. The report also provided
point-in-time estimates of homeless individuals from counts done by local
communities in January 2005. It is expected that data from HMIS eventually will
provide an unduplicated count of the number of homeless from communities across
the country.
Congress initially allocated funds for homeless data collection in the FY2001
HUD Appropriations Act (P.L. 106-377), and has continued to allocate funds in all
HUD spending bills from FY2002 to FY2007. Local communities can then apply to
HUD for available funds that they may use to implement HMIS. According to the
most recent HUD progress report to Congress regarding HMIS, 72% of local CoCs
were implementing HMIS, meaning that they had established systems into which data
are entered. Approximately 20% of CoCs had decided to implement an HMIS, and
were in the process of planning the system, and 7% of CoCs were not yet planning
an HMIS.
This report describes the development of HMIS, summarizes information
released in the AHAR, describes previous attempts to count the homeless, and reports
on the continuing progress of HMIS. It will be updated as events warrant.
Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Development of the HMIS Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Congressional Direction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
HUD Actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
HMIS Data and Technical Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Confidentiality of Domestic Violence Victims . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Counts of the Homeless . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
The Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
AHAR Estimates Using HMIS Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
AHAR Estimates Using CoC Point-in-Time Counts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Additional Sources of Information About the Homeless . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Status of HMIS Implementation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
List of Tables
Table 1. Estimates of the Number of Homeless Individuals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Counting the Homeless:
Homeless Management
Information Systems
Introduction
It is difficult to ascertain the number and characteristics of the homeless due to
the transient nature of the population.1 Although attempts to count and describe the
homeless have been made in recent decades, no systematic method for tracking the
homeless has existed until now. In response to a directive from Congress, the
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) began to develop a system
to track the homeless in 2001, with the goal of full implementation by 2004 (the goal
of full implementation has not yet been reached). The HUD plan calls for local
communities and their homeless service providers to gather information about
homeless individuals, and enter and store the information in databases at the local
level. These data collection, organization, and storage systems have been termed
Homeless Management Information Systems (HMIS).
HUD is implementing HMIS through local “Continuums of Care” (CoCs),
which acquire and process data from all participating local service providers. CoCs
are local boards formed by communities — typically cities, counties, or combinations
of both — made up of representatives from nonprofit service providers, advocacy
groups, local government, and other interested organizations.2 Local boards identify
the needs of the homeless in their communities and try to ensure that they receive the
appropriate mix of preventative assistance, emergency services, transitional housing,
supportive services, and permanent housing. Local homeless services providers
submit requests for funding to their local boards, which each in turn submit single
consolidated applications to HUD. In FY2006, 436 CoCs received funding from
HUD.3
1 As defined by the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (P.L. 100-77), a homeless
person is “(1) an individual who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence;
and (2) an individual who has a primary nighttime residence that is — (A) a supervised
publicly or privately operated shelter designed to provide temporary living accommodations
(including welfare hotels, congregate shelters, and transitional housing for the mentally ill);
(B) an institution that provides a temporary residence for individuals intended to be
institutionalized; or (C) a public or private place not designed for, or ordinarily used as, a
regular sleeping accommodation for human beings.”
2 States may also constitute CoCs to coordinate funding in sparsely populated areas.
3 Statement of Mark Johnston, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Special Needs, HUD Office
of Community Planning and Development, FY2007 Continuum of Care NOFA Webcast,
(continued...)
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Two types of organizations are required to participate in HMIS: those that
receive funding through the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS
(HOPWA) program and those that receive Homeless Assistance Grants. The
HOPWA program, enacted in 1990 (P.L. 101-625) provides housing and supportive
services for persons living with HIV/AIDS.4 The Homeless Assistance Grants,
enacted as part of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (P.L. 100-77),5
consist of both formula grants, which are distributed through the Emergency Shelter
Grants program, and competitive grants, which are available through the Shelter Plus
Care program, Supportive Housing Program, and Section 8 Moderate Rehabilitation
Assistance for Single Room Occupancy Dwellings program.6 Other service providers
that serve the homeless but do not receive federal funds from these sources are also
encouraged to participate in HMIS.
Development of the HMIS Network
Congressional Direction
Beginning in 1998, Congress asked HUD to count the homeless and gather data
about both their characteristics and use of homeless assistance services. The FY1999
HUD spending bill (P.L. 105-276) set aside up to 1% of the total appropriation for
Homeless Assistance Grants for systems to track the homeless. The law referred to
the House Appropriations Committee report (H.Rept. 105-610), which specifically
described the type of data that HUD should collect. The data elements listed in the
report include an unduplicated count of the homeless; characteristics such as age,
race, sex, disability status, health status, and income; types of services that homeless
clients received; and client outcomes such as length of stay in transitional housing,
success in acquiring permanent housing, and employment status. The report language
concluded that this information would allow HUD to better assess the quality of
service programs supported with federal funds.
Congress provided further direction to HUD in the HUD Appropriations Act for
FY2001 (P.L. 106-377). The law made Supportive Housing Program funds available
for local CoCs to implement management information systems.7 The conference
report (H.Rept. 106-988) directed HUD to work with local jurisdictions to develop
3 (...continued)
Mar. 27, 2007, available at [http://www.hud.gov/offices/cpd/homeless/index.cfm].
4 For more information on the HOPWA program, see CRS Report RS20704, Housing
Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA), by Libby Perl.
5 P.L. 100-77 is codified at 42 U.S.C. §§11301-11435.
6 For more information about the Homeless Assistance Grants, see CRS Report RL33764,
The HUD Homeless Assistance Grants: Distribution of Funds, by Libby Perl.
7 The provision allowing HMIS funding from the Supportive Housing Program (SHP) is
codified at 42 U.S.C. §11383(a)(7). HUD enumerated the ways in which CoCs may use
SHP funds for management information systems in Federal Register, volume 69, no. 146,
July 30, 2005, p. 45890.
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a system to collect data, and to be ready to analyze the data within three years of
passage of the appropriations bill. Congress also requested that HUD provide
Congress with a report on its findings containing an unduplicated count of the
homeless and a descriptive profile of the population.8 The FY2001 Appropriations
Act once again allocated funds to pay for data collection, this time setting aside 1.5%
of the total appropriation of $1.02 billion. Congress has continued to allocate funds
for homeless data collection in spending bills from FY2002 to FY2007.
HUD Actions
In the time since Congress directed HUD to implement a system to count the
homeless and collect information on their characteristics, HUD has issued five annual
reports to Congress updating its progress. In an initial report, dated August 2001,
HUD stated that it would help CoCs collect homelessness data through four means:9
! flexibly implementing the new Homeless Management Information
System (HMIS) eligible activity under the Supportive Housing
Program in the 2001 McKinney-Vento competition;
! initiating a comprehensive technical assistance program to help local
jurisdictions collect unduplicated client-level data by 2004;
! developing an approach to obtaining meaningful data for an Annual
Homeless Assessment Report from a nationally representative
sample of jurisdictions; and
! analyzing the most viable approaches to obtaining homeless client-
level reporting.
Since issuing this 2001 report, HUD has initiated a number of activities to
follow through on its pledge to assist CoCs. It specified that CoCs may use
Supportive Housing Program funds for computer hardware, software, and personnel
to manage and operate information systems, analyze HMIS data, and produce reports.
HUD technical assistance teams hold training sessions for CoCs across the country.
In 2004, 2005, and 2006, HUD sponsored national conferences in which it provided
sessions on a wide range of topics, including data entry, strategies for including data
on domestic violence clients and the chronically homeless, and how to use HMIS to
evaluate program performance and improve services to the homeless. HUD
established a website — HMIS.Info — where information about HMIS
8 Senate Appropriations Committee. Department of Veterans Affairs, and Housing and
Urban Development, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act 2001. S.Rept. 106-410
to accompany H.R. 4635. 106th Cong., 2nd sess., Sept. 13, 2000.
9 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Report to Congress: HUD’s
Strategy for Homeless Data Collection, Analysis and Reporting, Aug. 2001, p. 1, available
at [http://www.hud.gov/offices/cpd/homeless/hmis/strategy/congressreport.pdf].
CRS-4
implementation across the country can be disseminated.10 Since October 2004, the
HMIS.Info site has published a newsletter, managed a listserv, and hosted conference
calls. In addition, a number of publications on implementing management
information systems are available on the HMIS.Info website.
HMIS Data and Technical Standards. On July 30, 2004, HUD released
its final notice on HMIS data and technical standards that local CoCs are expected
to follow when they collect information about their homeless clients.11 The standards
describe two levels of data collection — universal data, which homeless service
providers must collect from all clients, and program-specific data, which programs
that receive certain types of funding must collect, but that other programs are
encouraged to collect as well.
All participants must report on universal data elements, which include name,
date of birth, race, ethnicity, gender, veteran’s status, Social Security Number, prior
residence, and disabling conditions.12 In general, all programs that receive funds
under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act and HOPWA are required to
provide program-specific data; this requirement is not new, as HUD already requires
grantee organizations to provide this information in their Annual Progress Reports.13
Included in program-specific data elements are amount and sources of income,
receipt of non-cash benefits, physical and developmental disabilities, HIV status,
mental illness, substance abuse status, and domestic violence status.14
Confidentiality of Domestic Violence Victims. Due to the sensitive
nature of much of the information that homeless service providers must collect, some
groups that provide services to domestic violence victims raised privacy concerns to
HUD after its release of proposed data and technical standards but prior to release of
final standards in 2004. These organizations requested that information about
domestic violence victims not be included in HMIS.15 At the time, HUD
acknowledged the sensitivity of certain information, but concluded that CoCs could
collect the information in such a way that would protect the identity of those in the
system. To this end, HUD included privacy and security standards in the data and
technical standards that all organizations must follow.
However, on January 5, 2006, President Bush signed the Violence Against
Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act (P.L. 109-162), which
included provisions to (1) amend the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act to
prevent victim service providers from disclosing personally identifying information
through HMIS, and (2) permit disclosure of non-personally identifying information
only after a public notice and comment period. On March 16, 2007, HUD released
10 The website is [http://www.hmis.info].
11 Federal Register vol. 69, no. 146, July 30, 2004, pp. 45888-45934.
12 Ibid., p. 45905.
13 Ibid., pp. 45913-45914.
14 Ibid., p. 45914.
15 Ibid., p. 45891-45892.
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a notice regarding HMIS and the amendments to McKinney-Vento made by P.L. 109-
162.16 In the notice, HUD confirmed that it would require disclosure of non-
personally identifying information only after going through a notice and comment
period. Until HUD does so, it has instructed organizations that provide services to
domestic violence victims not to input information about their clients into HMIS.
Counts of the Homeless
Since the 1980s, numerous attempts have been made to estimate the total
number of homeless in the country, as well as describe their characteristics.
Although the specific methods used in the studies have varied, in each, researchers
surveyed a sample of the homeless population and used the sample to estimate the
total number of homeless persons in the country. The time periods covered by these
counts vary. Some are “point-in-time” counts that estimate the number of homeless
on a single night during the year. Others estimate the number of persons who are
homeless during longer periods — a week or span of months. Researchers have also
used samples to estimate the total number of persons who are homeless at some point
during the year.
The HMIS initiative differs from these previous efforts to count the homeless
and gather information. Instead of sampling only certain communities or counting
the homeless on only a single night, CoCs gather information from all homeless
assistance providers on all homeless individuals who use their services each day of
the year. Eventually, once communities have fully implemented HMIS, the network
of systems is expected to provide an annual unduplicated count of the homeless from
each jurisdiction. Counting homeless populations on the street might continue to be
important, however, as their use of services is unknown.17 HUD recently released its
first report to Congress using HMIS data, the Annual Homeless Assessment Report
(AHAR). Because HMIS is not fully implemented in all jurisdictions around the
country, the AHAR, like previous efforts to count the homeless, relies on a sample
of jurisdictions.
The Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR)
On February 28, 2007, HUD released the first AHAR.18 The report collected
HMIS data from a sample of 64 communities during a three-month period (February
16 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, “The Violence Against Women and
Department of Justice Reauthorization Act of 2005: Applicability to HUD Programs,” 72
Federal Register 12695-12700, Mar. 16, 2007.
17 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, HUD’s Homeless Assistance
Programs: A Guide to Counting Unsheltered Homeless People, October 2004, p. 11,
available at [http://www.hud.gov/offices/cpd/homeless/library/countinghomeless/counting
guide.pdf] (hereinafter A Guide to Counting Unsheltered Homeless People).
18 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, The Annual Homeless Assessment
Report to Congress, Feb. 2007, available at [http://www.huduser.org/Publications/pdf/
ahar.pdf].
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to April 2005), and used these data to derive national-level estimates of the number
of homeless persons. The report provides estimates of the number of homeless
individuals at two points in time, an estimate of the number of homeless persons
during a three-month period, and a description of characteristics of the homeless.
The HMIS data in the AHAR provided estimates only of the sheltered homeless
population — individuals living in emergency and transitional housing — and did not
include estimates of individuals living on the street or other places not meant for
human habitation. As a result, the AHAR also reported data collected from CoCs
during their one-night counts of the homeless in January 2005, which included street
counts of the homeless. HUD requires CoCs to conduct these counts at least once
every two years, and include the results in their annual grant applications.
AHAR Estimates Using HMIS Data. Using HMIS data and counts
collected from CoCs, the AHAR reported two point-in-time estimates of the number
of sheltered homeless, as well as an estimate of the number of persons who were
homeless in the three month period from February 1 to April 30, 2005. (See Table
1.) These estimates do not include the homeless who were not residing in emergency
shelters or transitional housing during the relevant time periods. Data from the
HMIS sample communities provided that
! an estimated 313,722 persons in the country were homeless on April
30, 2005;
! an estimated 334,744 persons were homeless on an average day
between February 1 and April 30, 2005; and
! an estimated 704,146 persons were homeless on at least one day
between February 1 and April 30, 2005.
The AHAR did not attempt to use these numbers to estimate the total number of
persons who were homeless at some point during the year.
The HMIS data collected over the three-month period in 2005 also provided
information about the characteristics of the homeless surveyed. Information from the
sampled jurisdictions was used to estimate that 65.7% of homeless persons were
individuals or households without children, while 34.4% were comprised of
households with children. Unaccompanied adult males made up the largest
percentage of the population (47.4%). Children made up 21.2% of the population.
The majority of homeless individuals in the three-month count were members of
minority groups, 58.9%. Of the adult homeless population counted during the three-
month period, 18.7% were veterans and 25.0% were disabled.
AHAR Estimates Using CoC Point-in-Time Counts. The AHAR also
provided estimates of sheltered and unsheltered homeless persons collected by CoCs
as part of HUD-required one-night counts of the homeless. Beginning in the mid-
1990s, HUD asked CoCs to provide a count of the sheltered homeless in their annual
grant applications. In 2003, it broadened the requirement and asked CoCs to provide
information on subpopulations of homeless, including the number of chronically
homeless, those with mental illness and HIV/AIDS, and victims of domestic
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violence. For the 2005 count, HUD provided more specific guidance, directing CoCs
to conduct a one-night count during the month of January of both clients who used
homeless services and those who were on the street.19
The CoCs’ counts found that the sheltered homeless population consisted of
415,366 persons on a single day in the month of January 2005, while the unsheltered
homeless numbered 338,781, for a total estimate of 754,147.20 Note that these are
not estimates of all those who are homeless at some point during the year. The HUD
website provides a breakdown of the point-in-time estimates for each CoC.21 In
addition, the National Alliance to End Homelessness gathered the CoC point-in-time
counts from HUD and published them in a report released in January 2007.22
Additional Sources of Information About the Homeless
Previous attempts have been made both to arrive at an accurate count of the
number of homeless in the United States and to describe their characteristics. In
1989, the Urban Institute released estimates of the number of homeless persons using
data collected during March 1987. Researchers surveyed a sample of homeless
persons who used soup kitchens and shelters, and estimated that the number of
homeless persons during an average seven-day period in March 1987 ranged from
496,000 to 600,000.23 The researchers used this seven-day estimate to project that
approximately 1 million individuals were homeless at some time during 1987.24
The Urban Institute released a second estimate in 2000 using data collected in
1996 by the Census Bureau as part of the National Survey of Homeless Assistance
Providers and Clients (NSHAPC). The NSHAPC surveyed individuals who used
numerous services such as emergency shelters, transitional and permanent housing
facilities, soup kitchens, food pantries, and drop-in centers.25 The researchers used
the data to arrive at an estimate of the number of homeless individuals who relied on
homeless services during two different seven-day periods in 1996. During a seven-
day period in the fall of 1996, an estimated 444,000 clients used homeless assistance
19 A Guide to Counting Unsheltered Homeless People, p. 1.
20 For the 2005 count, HUD directed CoCs to conduct a point-in-time count of the homeless
during the last week of January 2005. Therefore, not all CoC point-in-time counts took
place on the same day in January.
21 The counts are available at [http://www.hud.gov/offices/cpd/homeless/local/index.cfm].
22 National Alliance to End Homelessness, Homelessness Counts, Jan. 2007, Appendix A,
available at [http://www.endhomelessness.org/files/1440_file_30099_NAEH_FINAL_
lo.pdf].
23 Martha R. Burt and Barbara E. Cohen, America’s Homeless: Numbers, Characteristics,
and Programs that Serve Them, (Washington, DC: The Urban Institute Press, July 1989),
29.
24 Ibid., p. 32.
25 Martha Burt and Laudan Y. Aron, America’s Homeless II: Population and Services, The
Urban Institute: Feb. 1, 2000, available at [http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/900344_
AmericasHomelessII.pdf].
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services, and during a seven-day period in the winter of that year, the number was
estimated to be 842,000. The researchers used these numbers to estimate that during
all of 1996, between 2.3 million and 3.5 million individuals were homeless at some
time.26
A number of organizations have also collected information to describe the
characteristics of the national homeless population. Using the NSHAPC data
collected in 1996, the Urban Institute published demographic, income, and other
information.27 The U.S. Conference of Mayors has issued an annual report every year
since 1984, in which between 20 and 30 large cities survey their social service
providers’ efforts to combat hunger and homelessness and provide housing.28 The
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) publishes an annual report in which it reports
the results of surveys from VA staff, service providers, and veterans themselves, as
well as a point-in-time estimate of the number of homeless veterans.29 Finally, in
2000, the Census Bureau conducted several one-day surveys of homeless individuals
and wrote a report that described basic characteristics of the homeless such as
location, gender, race, and age.30
26 Ibid.
27 Martha R. Burt, Laudan Y. Aron, et. al., Homelessness: Programs and the People They
Serve, Urban Institute, December 1999, available at [http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/
homelessness.pdf].
28 The most recent U.S. Conference of Mayors report, the USCM-Sodexho USA Hunger and
Homelessness Survey 2006, was published in December 2006, and is available online at
[http://usmayors.org/uscm/hungersurvey/2006/report06.pdf].
29 John Nakashima, Craig W. Burnette, James F. McGuire, and Amanda Sheely, The
Thirteenth Annual Progress Report on Public Law 105-114: Services for Homeless Veterans
Assessment and Coordination (Draft), U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, April 15, 2007,
available at [http://www1.va.gov/homeless/docs/CHALENG_REPORT_FY2006_DRAFT.
pdf]. The point-in-time estimate of homeless veterans in FY2006 was 195,827.
30 Annetta C. Smith and Denise I. Smith, Emergency and Transitional Shelter Population:
2000, U.S. Census Bureau, October 2001. The report is available from the Census Bureau
website, at [http://www.census.gov/prod/2001pubs/censr01-2.pdf].
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Table 1. Estimates of the Number of Homeless Individuals
Data from Annual Homeless Assessment Report
Time Period
Source
Population
Estimate
Sampled
One Day, April 30, 2005
HMIS
Sheltered
313,722
Persons Only
Average Day, February - April 2005
HMIS
Sheltered
334,744
Persons Only
One Day, January 2005
CoC Counts
Sheltered
415,366
Persons Only
One Day, January 2005
CoC Counts
Sheltered and
754,147
Unsheltered
Persons
Three Months, February - April 2005
HMIS
Sheltered
704,146
Persons Only
Data from Previous Estimates
Time Period
Source
Population
Estimate
Sampled
Average Week, March 1987
Urban
Persons Using
496,000 - 600,000
Institute
Shelters and
Soup Kitchens
Average Week, October 1996
NSHAPC
Persons Using
444,000
Various
Services
Average Week, February 1996
NSHAPC
Persons Using
847,000
Various
Services
Full Year, 1996
NSHAPC
Persons Using
2.3 - 3.5 million
Various
Services
Sources: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, The Annual Homeless Assessment
Report to Congress, February 2007, available at [http://www.huduser.org/Publications/pdf/ahar.pdf];
Martha R. Burt and Barbara E. Cohen, America’s Homeless: Numbers, Characteristics, and
Programs that Serve Them, (Washington, DC: The Urban Institute Press, July 1989), 32; and Martha
Burt and Laudan Y. Aron, America’s Homeless II: Population and Services, The Urban Institute:
Feb. 1, 2000, available at [http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/900344_AmericasHomelessII.pdf].
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Status of HMIS Implementation
HUD’s initial goal was that every CoC implement an HMIS by October 2004.
According to HUD’s 2006 Report to Congress, as of 2005, 72% of CoCs were
implementing an HMIS (meaning actually inputting data), 20% had decided to
implement an HMIS and were in the process of planning the system, and 7% were
not yet planning an HMIS.31
At the local level, CoCs have several options for implementing and maintaining
their HMIS databases. Not all CoCs are implementing their own HMIS. Some are
collaborating to create a multi-jurisdictional HMIS. Others are planning to make
individual CoC data accessible at the state level, while 14 states have decided to
implement a state-level HMIS.32 Local initiatives also differ in their methods of
incorporating service providers into HMIS. Local CoCs may use one central HMIS,
into which all service providers input client information. Another option is to allow
service providers to use different database systems, but to have technical specialists
available at the CoC level to merge all data into one unified system. A third option
is to use side-by-side systems where individual service providers enter data into their
own systems, and also enter data into a CoC-wide HMIS.
Conclusion
HUD anticipates that a version of HMIS eventually will be active in each CoC
across the country. Once established, a comprehensive HMIS network is meant to
improve the ability of communities to provide services to the homeless as well as to
help HUD determine how best to allocate resources.33 In the coming years, the
AHAR is expected to include data from a larger number of service providers, cover
nonresidential populations, examine longitudinal data over a time period greater than
three months, and include more information about the clients served.34
31 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Report to Congress: Fifth
Progress Report on HUD’s Strategy for Homeless Data Collection, Reporting and Analysis,
Mar. 2006, p. 6, available at [http://www.hud.gov/offices/cpd/homeless/hmis/strategy/report
tocongress2006.pdf].
32 Ibid., p. 5.
33 The Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress, p. 1.
34 Ibid., p. 53.