1

Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) National Call Training

Please Note – The audio portion of this training is available by dialing (800) 260-0712 and entering participant code 187 552

Questions can be directed to VAHMIS@abtassoc.com

Sponsored by:U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

2

2

Training Objectives:

Participants will…1. Understand core concepts of a VA

Participation in the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS)

2. Review data collection requirements for each of the VA programs, Grant and Per Diem (GPD), HUD-VA Supportive Housing (HUD VASH) and Supportive Services for Low Income Veterans and their Families (SSVF)

3. Learn about the VA’s Long-Term HMIS and Data Management Plans

3

Training Agenda:• VA Participation in HMIS

▫ GPD▫ VA Community Contract Beds▫ HUD VASH

• SSVF & HMIS▫ Overview▫ Data Collection▫ Reporting

• Roles and Responsibilities▫ HMIS staff▫ VA Grantees

• Community Perspectives on HMIS Participation• Long-Term Plans for Data Collection and

Management▫ HOMES▫ VA Registry

• TA Resources and Tools• Upcoming Training

4

4

Training Format:

• Call will last approximately 60 minutes

• There will be no live questions so please email questions to VAHMIS@abtassoc.com

• Materials from today will be available online at http://va.gov/HOMELESS/NationalCenter_Needs_and_Interventions.asp

5

VA Participation

VA is committed to grantee participation in HMIS to support community-based service planning and coordination for homeless and at-risk veterans.

6

Grant and Per Diem (GPD) Programs

▫VA directed GPD programs to begin participation in local HMIS by the end of March 2011.

▫GPD beds/units should be included on the Housing Inventory Count (HIC) as Transitional Housing with the prefix “GPD”.

▫GPD grantees should collect Universal Data Elements; any additional data collection is allowable but up to local requirements and program decisions.

7

Grant and Per Diem (GPD) Programs

▫ GPD providers will continue to be offered training to help them comply with VA expectations that they enter data into HMIS. The VA imposes no costs or fees for either the training or HMIS data entry. However, in some Continuums of Care local HMIS operators do charge for use. VA will consider costs associated with VA’s expectation regarding HMIS data entry as operational costs and therefore these costs can be calculated into your cost of care, which may allow your agency to request an increase in per diem.

8

VA Community Contract Beds

▫VA Community Contract Bed providers should begin participation in local HMIS as soon as possible.

▫Community Contract beds should be included on the HIC as Emergency Shelter.

▫Community Contract providers should collect Universal Data Elements; any additional data collection is allowable but up to local requirements and program decisions.

9

HUD-VASH Programs▫ VA and HUD encourage CoCs to support HMIS data

collection for HUD-VASH clients.

▫ VA staff are prohibited from entering client-level data into HMIS. But, community providers and PHA staff do not have this same prohibition.

▫ Many communities have partnered with Public Housing Authorities or community-based providers to enter HUD-VASH data into HMIS.

Dayton VAMC has negotiated read only access to HMIS. This level of access helps VA identify Veteran status among homeless clients and link those clients to available VA resources/services.

▫VASH should be listed under the permanent supportive housing category on the HIC with the prefix "VASH".

10

Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF)

▫SSVF is a new VA program that provides homelessness prevention and rapid rehousing services. Grants will be awarded to private non-profit organizations and consumer cooperatives to assist very low-income veterans and their families with supportive services to prevent and end homelessness.

11

SSVF and HMIS

▫SSVF programs will be required by the VA to participate in their local HMIS systems.

▫Grant contracts will be executed in late June / early July.

▫Programs should be up and running in July.

▫After selected, SSVF program grantees should begin working with local HMIS administrators to set up the SSVF program in HMIS as soon as their grants are executed.

12

SSVF Data Collection▫SSVF services provided are similar to

HUD’s HPRP programs.

▫Data collection will include only data elements included in HUD’s March 2010 HMIS Data Standards.

▫Data collection should include all of the data elements that HPRP programs collect.

13

SSVF Data CollectionRequired data collection for SSVF

programs :

All Universal Data Elements plus the following Program Specific Data Elements• 4.1 Income and

Sources• 4.2 Non-Cash Benefits• 4.10 Destination

• 4.13 Financial Assistance Provided

• 4.14 Housing Relocation and Stabilization Services Provided

14

SSVF Reporting

▫VA is expecting that client-level data for SSVF programs will be exported from HMIS and uploaded to a VA server.

▫Exports may be either XML 3.0 or CSV 3.02.

▫Exports will occur quarterly in the initial stages; long-term, they will occur monthly.

▫All VA-required reporting and data analysis for the SSVF program will be done by VA based on the data from the HMIS systems.

15

VA-Funded Beds/Units and the HIC• Housing Inventory Count (HIC) counts each

CoC’s capacity to house homeless persons in emergency shelter, transitional housing and permanent supportive housing programs.

• The HIC should include all VA-funded residential programs that provide housing for homeless and formerly homeless persons. 

▫ Emergency Shelter – VA Contract Beds▫ Transitional Housing – VA Grant & Per Diem

(GPD)▫ Permanent Supportive Housing – HUD-VASH

(VASH)

16

Roles and Responsibilities –HMIS Staff•Conduct start-up trainings with VA

Grantees-GPD, Community Contract Providers and SSVF

•Execute Agency Participation Agreements•Execute Local User Agreements•Execute local required contracts•Finalize any required user fees and

license requests•Complete agency and program set-up •Upload SSVF Client Level data to the VA

server from the HMIS System

17

Roles and Responsibilities -VA Grantees• Participate in start-up meetings and

conversations• Execute Agency Participation Agreements• Execute Local User Agreements• Execute local required contracts• Finalize any required user fees and license

requests• Complete agency and program set-up procedures• Implement and submit monthly data quality

reports (if required)• Participate in local HMIS User Group meetings

18

VA Participation in HMIS

A community perspective…

Lysa AllisonConnerstone Rescue Mission30 Main StreetRapid City, SD  57701

19

Homeless Operations Management and Evaluation

System (HOMES)• The VA recently began development of HOMES

to facilitate and integrate the collection of standardized client-level case management and detailed health services information from programs that serve homeless veterans.

• The goal of HOMES is to enable the centralized management of data from homeless veterans served in VA-funded programs (HCHV, VJO, CWT/TR, DOM) and to make those data accessible for analysis and reporting.

20

VA’s Homeless Registry

• VA’s Homeless Registry will serve as a data warehouse for veteran homeless services funded by the VA. Registry will identify and monitor utilization and outcomes for VA funded homeless services.

• Registry will enhance VA’s capacity to monitor program effectiveness and the long term outcomes of veterans who have utilized VA programs and other federally funded services.

21

VA Long Term Data Collection and Management Goal

▫HUD and VA are aware that local communities would benefit from having access to client-level data from homeless veterans served in other VA-funded programs.

▫VA is in the early stages of investigating the possibility of exporting data from other homeless veteran programs out of their data warehouse (Registry) and making those data available to CoCs for import into HMIS.

22

Resources Guides and Tools

• VA HMIS Program Specific Data Collection Training Guide

• VA HMIS Program Specific Intake Template (Note: template does not include HIV/AIDS and Substance abuse questions, but adds Veteran Discharge  Status and Era Served)

• VA HMIS Program Specific Exit Template• 

VA HMIS Universal Data Collection Training Guide 

•  VA HMIS Universal Intake Template •  VA HMIS Universal Exit Template •VA HMIS Resource Guide 

23

More Information About VA and HMIS

Future announcements about HMIS participation requirements and implementation timelines as can be found at the following VA’s homeless webpage for updates and resource materials regarding HMIS participation for VA-funded programs :

http://va.gov/HOMELESS/NationalCenter_Needs_and_Interventions.asp

24

Trainings and Technical Assistance

▫VA is planning additional webinars in June and July for CoCs, vendors, and HMIS administrators to review specific data collection and reporting requirements.

▫In July VA will host additional trainings for SSVF grantees on their data collection requirements

▫Technical assistance will be available as well

25

Questions?

Ask now or submit them to the HUD HRE Virtual Help Desk:

http://www.hudhre.info/helpdesk

Or send an email to:

VAHMIS@abtassoc.com