Orange County HMIS

Check out the new Orange County CoC Dashboard here

Registration is now open for the fourth cohort of the HMIS Data Analytics On-Demand Course. The goal of this immersive course is to provide a conceptual and practical framework for ad hoc reporting utilizing HMIS data. This self-paced course is open to anyone in your community who is interested in analyzing, interpreting, and communicating HMIS data. This is an introductory level course and might be a good fit for newer members of your HMIS team or someone looking to brush up on their data skills. Participants are not expected to have high-level technical or statistical skills; only basic knowledge of the following is needed:

• HMIS data standards
• How to pull an HMIS comma-separated value (CSV) file set (unless the participant has access to someone who can pull HMIS reports for them)
• How to enter data into Excel and navigate within it

The data analytics course will equip participants with the skills to create a data brief highlighting trends to engage communities to drive insights into action. A combination of content, hands-on skill-building, and recommended resources are provided to help a basic data user build skills and knowledge necessary to be an advanced data professional while providing opportunities for ongoing professional development and learning. Participants will have eight weeks to complete six course modules at their own pace. Course participants will also receive a certificate upon completion of all six modules.

The HMIS Policies and Procedures has been updated to include the appeals process for agencies that are denied access to HMIS by the Agency Access Working Group. The new policy is included below for reference.

Agencies that are denied access to HMIS by the Agency Access Working Group may request an appeal. The purpose of the appeal is to ensure the integrity of the review process for the agency’s application. Appeals must be submitted to the HMIS Help Desk.

Upon receipt of the request, the HMIS Lead will complete the Agency Access Process Review, and determine whether the review process was followed appropriately. If all steps of the review process were followed, the decision by the Agency Access Working Group stands. If all steps in the review process were not followed, a sub-set of the Policies, Procedures, and Standards Committee will provide a secondary review and make a final determination regarding the agency’s application. This decision cannot be appealed, but agencies denied access to HMIS may re-apply in the future if they can effectively address the reasons their initial application was denied.

Orange County’s HUD CoC System Performance Measures have been published! Check out the report here.

The Q4 2021 HMIS Data Report Cards have been published! Review your agency’s data here!

These report cards look at the main components of Data Quality: Data Completeness, Data Accuracy, and Data Timeliness.

The first tab of the Report Cards assesses the Data Completeness and Data Accuracy of the Universal Data Elements for each project in our system, and for all our system as a whole. This tab includes:

• The Percentage of enrollments that fall into the following data response categories: Valid Responses, Don’t know/Refused, Data not Collected, Missing Response, and Data Issues The Average Data Completeness Score by project: This is a unique indicator of data completeness for each project.
• The Average Data Completeness Score by project: This is a unique indicator of data completeness for each project.

The second tab of the Report Cards assesses the Data Timeliness of each project of our system. This tab shows the percentage of enrollments that fall into the following length of time categories: 0-3 days, 4-7 days, 16-30 days, and more than 31 days.

If you have any questions, please enter a ticket to the HMIS Help Desk.

A new resource, Emergency Housing Vouchers (EHV): A How-To Guide for Public Housing Agencies, is now available on the HUD Exchange. The purpose of this guide is to:

• Provide an overview of EHV operating requirements
• Outline considerations for Public Housing Agencies (PHAs) in the design of their EHV programs
• Highlight best practices in program implementation

This guide is a helpful resource for PHAs, Continuum of Care (CoCs), and Victim Services Providers (VSPs) to understand key components of the EHV program including:

• Partnerships and referral processes
• Use of service fees
• Housing search requirements
• Application of EHV waivers and alternative requirements

You can view the guide here

The HMIS Client Record Requests page is now available, and is helpful for clients to understand how to request a copy of their HMIS data, what data is included in the request, and how to protect their privacy once the data is received.

The Client Record Requests knowledge base article is also available, and should be used to assist agencies with processing Client Record Requests that they receive.

The Homeless Prevention Project Performance Report and the Goals and Outcomes reports for 1/1/21 – 12/31-21 have been posted!

Click here to view the reports.

This information was originally distributed via HUD.gov. HUD Exchange is redistributing the information for awareness.

Congress has found that the right of citizens to vote is fundamental and that it is the duty of the Federal, State, and local governments to promote the exercise of that right.[i] Accordingly, HUD is sharing information to support the public, specifically people experiencing homelessness, in understanding how to access this fundamental right.

People can vote without a permanent address, and homeless services providers can help through nonpartisan registration and get-out-the-vote efforts. It is important to be aware of local registration deadlines, some of which occur in February, to ensure the ability to vote. Many rules about voting are set by states, so check with counsel to ensure that all activities are compliant with local and state law.

To help more Americans exercise their right to vote, our partners at the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) created the following step-by-step voting guides for homeless providers and for people experiencing homelessness. Both are available in five languages:
Election Checklist for Homeless Service Providers
Voting Checklist for People Experiencing Homelessness

[i] National Voter Registration Act of 1993.

Please review the 2022 HIC & Sheltered PIT Knowledge Base article for more details on the process!

Below are the materials from the HIC/Sheltered PIT Training that was held on February 15th:

HIC/Sheltered PIT Training Slides

HIC/Sheltered PIT Training Recording