Do you need housing, health care, or other services?
Dial 2-1-1 or 949-646-4357 to be connected to a referral specialist, or click here to view resources.

Orange County HMIS

Author: Adriana McCarty

HMIS Q1 2017 Report Cards Posted!

The HMIS Q1 2017 Report Cards have been published!  These report cards review data timeliness, entries referred from the Coordinated Entry System, and Average Data Quality Scores, for the three different types of data elements our users collect data for: Universal Data Elements, Program Specific Data Elements at Entry, and Program Specific Data Elements at Exit.

Intake forms have been updated!

All HMIS Intake Spanish Forms have been updated to make them flow better and sound more natural, as well as to incorporate the recent changes to the Data Standards. There are separate forms for projects that receive PATH, RHY, SSVF, and VASH funding, as these projects require additional questions to be answered. In addition, small corrections were made to the English Intake Forms.

FY 2016 Continuum of Care Program Competition Funding Announcement

Earlier today, HUD announced $1.95 billion to more than 7,600 local homeless housing and service programs across the U.S., Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. These Continuum of Care (CoC) grants will help end homelessness and provide critically needed support to local programs on the front lines of serving individuals and families experiencing homelessness. View a complete list of all the state and local homeless projects awarded funding.

This year, HUD continued to challenge CoCs to support their highest performing local programs that have proven most effective in meeting the needs of persons experiencing homelessness in their communities. Overall, CoCs stepped up to meet this challenge. Many state and local planners embraced HUD’s call to shift funds from existing underperforming projects to create new ones that are based on best practices that will further their efforts to prevent and end homelessness. HUD recognizes the hard work it took for CoCs to make these sometimes difficult choices, and appreciates their efforts to work towards results.

Secretary Castro stated, “Today marks another critical investment in support of those working each and every day to house and serve our most vulnerable neighbors. We know how to end homelessness and will continue to encourage our local partners to use the latest evidence to achieve success. These grants support proven strategies to end homelessness once and for all.”

HUD strongly encouraged local applicants to prioritize their funding request very carefully, using a mix of performance data and local needs. In addition, applicants were encouraged to submit projects that were based on research-driven approaches and supported the nation’s goals to prevent and end homelessness. As a result, local CoCs reallocated a combined $103 million in renewal funding from lower performing projects in order to apply for new housing projects; between reallocation and Bonus projects, HUD is awarding $139 million in new projects, including critical investments in permanent supportive housing (PSH) and rapid re-housing (RRH).

Ultimately, the awards made today will help us achieve the bold goals established in Opening Doors: Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness. This means continuing the progress made in reducing the number of people experiencing homelessness and setting a path to ending homelessness in this country.

The Department estimates there were 549,928 persons experiencing homelessness on a single night in 2016. Since the launch of Opening Doors in 2010, local communities around the country report:

  • The total number of individuals experiencing homelessness declined by 14 percent;
  • Veteran homelessness fell by 47 percent;
  • Chronic homelessness declined 27 percent; and
  • Family homelessness declined by nearly 23 percent.

Adjustments to Funding

The conditional awards for renewal projects may be different than what was requested in the project application.

  1. Projects were reviewed to ensure that they were consistent with the approved Grant Inventory Worksheet (GIW) and CoC Program interim rule.
  2. In some cases, a project straddled Tier 1 and Tier 2 and only the Tier 1 portion of the project was funded.

Unlike prior years, HUD did not make Fair Market Rent (FMR) adjustments to the awards. HUD uses the FMRs that were in effect at the time applications were due, which means that FY 2016 FMRs will be used for these awards.

If you have questions or require more specific information, please submit a question to the e-snaps HUD Exchange Ask A Question (AAQ) portal or contact your local HUD CPD field office.

To submit a question to the e-snaps AAQ portal, select “e-snaps” from the “My question is related to” drop down list on Step 2 of the question submission process. If you have questions related to the CoC Program interim rule or a policy related question, please submit your questions to the CoC Program AAQ portal. To submit a question to the CoC Program AAQ portal, select “CoC Program” from the “My question is related to” drop down list on Step 2 of the question submission process.

New Resources on Documentation of Chronic Homelessness

November 28, 2016

HUD has recently posted two new resources on the HUD Exchange on the Definition of Chronic Homelessness. The following new materials are available via the Chronic Homelessness landing page:

  • Flowchart of HUD’s Definition of Chronic Homelessness – This tool guides you through HUD’s Chronically Homeless Definition through mostly “Yes” or “No” questions, providing an interactive way to help understand who meets the definition and what documentation requirements apply.
  • Sample Chronic Homelessness Documentation Checklist – This sample checklist provides an optional way to help record Chronic Homelessness for those projects that need documentation of Chronic Homelessness (like a Permanent Supportive Housing program that exclusively serves the Chronically Homeless). This sample checklist would not be needed in projects where this requirement is not in place (like an Emergency Shelter). This tool is a sample, is not required by HUD, and has been provided in an editable format so communities may edit it and add to their current forms, if they wish.

In addition to these resources, you can also find the following resources on the Chronic Homelessness landing page:

If additional questions arise that are not addressed by these resources, submit them online through the Ask A Question (AAQ) portal on the HUD Exchange website. To submit a question to the CoC AAQ portal, select “CoC: Continuum of Care Program” from the “My question is related to” dropdown list on Step 2 of the question submission process.

Scroll to top