March 2023

Welcome to the March edition of the HMIS Newsletter! This month we are excited to provide you with more of the Ask HMIS column, tips on Protected Personal Information (PPI), and to introduce the release of our new Job Aids section on our webpage! As always, please let us know if there is anything you'd like to see in our newsletters to support you.

In partnership, 

Wendy, Tina, Kai, Rae, Glenn, and Ashley

Q: Why has my account been deactivated? 

A: HMIS accounts get deactivated due to non-use. When users do not log into HMIS every 30 days, the system will automatically inactivate their account for security reasons. To avoid this, please log in often. If you do not work in HMIS regularly, we request that you set up a calendar reminder to log in every 20-25 days. Click here for some tips on how to set up a calendar reminder in Outlook.

Do you have a question for HMIS? Email us your question with "Ask HMIS" in the subject line and look for the answer in an upcoming newsletter!

The 2023 System Performance Measure (SPM) has been submitted!

The Sacramento CoC has completed and submitted the annual SPM report. The SPM is focused on homeless client demographics and program effectiveness, including the following data:

• Program Enrollment Lengths
• Client Destination at Exit
• Changes in Household Income at Exit
• Changes in Client Employment at Exit
• Length of Time to Get Clients Housed
• Recidivism of Permanently Housed Clients
• Successful Resolution for Homeless Prevention Clients

As always, we appreciate your prompt assistance and the accuracy and timeliness of your data entry. HUD will use the system-level performance information we provide as a competitive element in its annual CoC Program Competition.

Protecting Client Protected Personal Information (PPI)

Safeguarding our client's Protected Personal Information (PPI) is an important part of being an HMIS user. Email is not a secure method of communication, so we ask that you do not send any sensitive client PPI in emails. No unencrypted email (internally or externally) should ever include a client's:

• first or last name
• date of birth
• social security number
• phone number
• attachments of IDs

Additionally, if you are sending any screenshots of your HMIS account, please make sure that there is no personal information in the image. If you deem it necessary to include clients’ personal protected information in an email, you must encrypt the email. For more information, please review our HMIS Privacy and Security Plan.

What should you use to reference a client in email?

When talking about a client, we suggest using their HMIS unique identification number (UID). You can find the client's UID on their global profile page under their picture (see above). Alternatively, you can use the first three letters of the client's first and last name. For example, you could use "Mot Goo" if you were referring to Mother Goose.

We are still gathering and verifying data for our 2023 PIT and HIC report.  The Sacramento CoC and our HMIS Department will continue to review, verify, and validate this data throughout the month.  As always, we appreciate your assistance and look forward to sending our data to HUD to show our hard work and the great need we have in Sacramento County.

Introducing Job Aids!



Job aids are short pdfs with detailed directions on how to complete regular HMIS tasks. We plan to release 1-2 new job aids each month. In February, we also created a couple of special report job aids for the HIC and PIT. Please check out these links below. You will find all of our job aids in the HMIS Training section of our website.

• How to Run a Program Roster
• How to Reopen a Enrollment (aka “Undo” an Exit)
• How to Run a HIC Report (Housing Inventory Count)
• How to Run a Program Roster (for 2023 HIC and PIT Reporting)

A Snapshot of HMIS User Growth!

In the last five years, the Sacramento and Yolo Continuums of Care have grown a great deal.  Our HMIS has seen a 61% increase in the number of participating community agencies.  You all are collectively offering over 45% more programs to individuals facing homelessness. Most impressively, our number of HMIS users has more than doubled, which means that there are more HMIS certified staff working with our local homeless population than ever before!

We are so happy to see our system and community grow. For more detailed information about the last five years of growth within our HMIS, please click the button below.

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