San Luis Obispo CoC HMIS Newsletter

Try the Clarity Training Site

Did you know you can practice data entry and configurations in the Clarity HMIS Training site? An exact copy of Clarity HMIS, the Training Site offers a sandbox to enter data and coordinate care with confidence! Reach out directly to the HMIS Support Team and request access to the Training Site today!

9AM Monday, July 21: HSOC Data and Performance

11AM Wednesday, July 23: HSOC Coordinated Entry Committee

1:30PM Tuesday, July 29: CES Announcements and Information

3PM Wednesday, Aug. 6: HMIS "Drop-in" Office Hours

1:30PM Tuesday, Aug. 12: CES Case Conferencing

Client Demographics Report

Available in the Report Library for users of all access levels, the Client Demographics Report [Program Based] offers a great summary of client information like race, ethnicity, age, gender, and veteran status. This quick report gives users aggregate client information for individual programs.

Reminder: Sign your HMIS Agency Agreement

Administrators for HMIS-participating agencies received direct communication about signing and renewing the recently approved HMIS Agency Agreement. All 2025 HMIS policy updates are available on the County website and questions can be directed to the HMIS Support Team.

Coordinated Entry Updated Training Required for all CES Users

Updated training content for current Coordinated Entry System (CES) users in HMIS was launched on July 1. All CES users have 60 days to complete the training to maintain access to the CES Program in Clarity HMIS. This was an updated course from a previous training, and therefore should be information that all current users are already practicing. Any new HMIS users requesting CES access will be assigned the updated course as part of their New User course catalog. If you have not been assigned the training or if you need help accessing the course, reach out to HMIS Support and be sure to include the Coordinated Entry Team.

Reassessing Clients with a New Type of VI-SPDAT

If a client's situation or household makeup changes while already referred to the Community Queue, they may need to be reassessed with a new type of VI-SPDAT. Examples that may warrant a reassessment include if an individual joins a household with children, or leaves a family household, or if a Transitional Aged Youth (TAY) client's eligibility changes. The Coordinated Entry team has created step-by-step guidance in this Knowledge Base Article for reassessing clients and referring back to the Community Queue.

HMIS Drop-in Office Hours: Wednesday, August 6 at 3PM

Drop-in to HMIS Office Hours and meet users across the county, ask questions directly to the team, learn the latest updates. Attending 'Office Hours' builds community, fuels collaboration, and offers extended learning opportunities. Click here to join the August Office Hours.

Planned Site Maintenance on Friday, July 18 between 9 and 10AM

Clarity HMIS will undergo planned maintenance resulting in the system being unavailable for 15 - 20 minutes. The site maintenance will be completed by 10:30AM with no additional interruptions expected.

Question: Is there a report that will allow me to see my staff's caseload?

Answer: Yes! Available in the Data Analysis section of Clarity reporting, Agency Managers or Administrators can navigate to the "Admin" section to see the first report listed "Staff Caseload." This reports offers Agency Managers the ability to see their staff's caseload! And if you were interested - the second Admin report available called "User Access Roles" offers managers a comprehensive list of their staff accessing HMIS and at which level. Learn tips to navigate the Data Analysis tool of Clarity HMIS in this Knowledge Base Article.

Question: Is there a way to direct message fellow Clarity HMIS users so I don't have to deal with email too?

Answer: Hey, we get it! There are a lot of tools out there to coordinate care for clients, and we all want what works the fastest. Great news - users can use Clarity's direct messaging feature (the white envelope in Clarity) to message people directly about clients or updates. Users can even "tag" other users if you send a message to multiple people. We want HMIS to work for you to get your client what they need now.

Queue Referrals

Referrals to Emergency Shelter are live in Coordinated Entry, and there have been several providers sending referrals. Great work!

Please be mindful of which community queue you and your staff are referring clients to. The Family Shelter is intended only for households with children. If clients are part of a household with multiple adults, the VI-SPDAT V3 is the appropriate survey for their situation, and they should be referred to the Emergency Shelter queue. The Family Shelter and Emergency Shelter queues do not refer to permanent housing.

CES Drop-in Office Hours - we want to hear from you!

The CES Specialists Hayley Spyksma and Nathanial Bearson will be offering monthly CES Drop-in Office Hours starting in August.

Submit this Doodle Poll to give feedback about suggested times.

If you or your agency would like to schedule one-on-one time with the CES Specialists, Hayley or Nathaniel, reach out to them directly via email:

hspyksma@capslo.org and nbearson@capslo.org

The CES Specialists can provide technical assistance, share community best practices, troubleshoot issues, and answer any Coordinated Entry System questions.

Questions regarding CES user support

can be directed to CAPSLO, the CES Management Entity

Free Course: Extreme Heat & Health

Join the American Public Health Association on Thursday, July 24 at 1PM for their free course: Extreme Heat & Health: Clinical and Public Health Strategies for Prevention and Action. Register for this Course here.

HMIS Website