April 2024

Welcome to the April Data & Analytics Department Newsletter! In this edition, you will find:



• How to rate your HMIS admin user experience and submit feedback
• An important reminder on the Sacramento CoC’s auto-exit implementation
• An update on the Sheltered PIT and HIC submission
• A chance to cast your vote for this month's Bitfocus feature

In Partnership,

Data & Analytics Department

Q: How can I submit feedback and comments on my experience with HMIS support? 



A: Great question! You can provide feedback after any time you contact HMIS for assistance. All you have to do is wait for the ticket confirmation after your question is answered—see the screenshot below for an example—and click on the link that reflects your experience and add in your comments.

In August, we implemented auto-exits for all program types as part of our Data Quality Plan updates, approved by the Sacramento County Continuum of Care. 

The auto-exit feature automatically removes clients from programs if there's been no service or assessment activity for over 90 days. For reference and for further information, we've sent out the following E-Blasts: All Programs will Have Auto-Exits Enabled and Reminder of the Auto-Exit Plan: Resources & Reports. To prevent this occurring to your clients, we request to refer to the job aid:

For additional job aids, review our webpage of resources. For direct support, please join open office hours happening every Wednesday 12:00–2:00 p.m. or send us an email at hmis@sacstepsforward.org. 

Join us in shaping the future of our HMIS software by participating in a vote for a proposed new feature!

Please vote below to allow partial SSN data entry without mandatory completion of the other fields in the client profile. The new FY2024 Data Dictionary from HUD now supports partial SSNs, specifically the last 4 digits. However, in Clarity, you're required  to input 0's in other fields to record these digits. 

The annual Sheltered Point-in-Time (PIT) & the Housing Inventory Count (HIC) will be reported to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) at the end of this month. The data provided by the HIC is used by HUD and the Sacramento CoC to evaluate the shelter and housing capacity of the Sacramento CoC’s homeless crisis response system. The Sheltered PIT count informs HUD and the CoC of the size of the homeless population. Thank you all for your tremendous support. We would not have been able to accomplish this submission without you!

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