San Luis Obispo CoC HMIS Newsletter - Staying Active on the Community Queue

Staying Active on the Community Queue

Once a client has been referred to the Community Queue, be sure to keep their status "active" by completing a Current Living Situation (CLS) assessment every 90 days. Follow directions for Staying Active on the Community Queue in this Bitfocus Article.

Thank you for attending July Office Hours

Thank you to everyone who attended July Office Hours! This is a great opportunity to build community with fellow HMIS users across all agencies. The next monthly Office Hours is scheduled for Wednesday, August 15.

Monthly HMIS Data Quality Monitoring is Back!

More than four months live in Clarity HMIS, means the return of monthly Data Quality (DQ) Reports. Starting Monday, July 15, HMIS Agency Administrators can expect to hear from the HMIS Team with a Data Quality Report and corresponding instructions for their Agency.

Agencies are expected to make corrections to the extent possible by the 14th of the following month. Often case managers have additional client information after an initial enrollment, so be sure to involve the appropriate staff in making updates and corrections to client records. Users may run the HMIS DQ Report live in Clarity to "drill down" to client-level information. It is recommended to re-run the DQ reports after corrections have been made to see any completed or revised work.

Click here for instructions on running the HMIS DQ Report.

Click here for instructions on running the Eva DQ Tool.

For any questions or additional support, reach out to HMIS Support directly at ss_HMISsupport@co.slo.ca.us.

Q: Who should I contact when a staff member leaves my agency? I need to make sure their access to HMIS is removed.

Answer: When staff no longer require access to HMIS for any reason, please inform the HMIS Support team directly at ss_HMISsupport@co.slo.ca.us. Per signed Agency Agreements, the HMIS Support Team kindly requests notifications to remove, limit, or change staff access within three (3) business days of their last day of relevant access, which for most folks may be their last day in that role or with that agency.

Q: It has been some time since I completed my HMIS user training. Are there any new training modules I should check out to stay informed?

Answer: Yes! The HMIS Team is consistently adding new training material to help folks increase their HMIS knowledge. We encourage all HMIS users to complete the overview training in TalentLMS for System Performance Measures, also known as SPMs. While there are many metrics and reports submitted to HUD or to the State, SPMs provide a critical evaluation of performance in any CoC. The SPM Overview Training in TalentLMS provides a general overview of all System Performance Measures, including a measure-by-measure breakdown, a look at 5-year trends, and relevant Data Quality considerations. All HMIS users are enrolled in this optional course. Questions regarding enrollment can be sent to ss_HMISsupport@co.slo.ca.us. Check out the System Performance Overview Training on TalentLMS today to further your HMIS knowledge!

Q: When I have questions in the field, I need answers right away. What can I expect for response time when emailing the HMIS Support Team?

Answer: We will always do our best to get you a timely and accurate response! After four months post Go-Live in Clarity, and more than 1,660+ messages to the HMIS Support inbox, the average response time is 1 day and 17 hours and 50% of Support tickets are resolved on the first reply. We are thrilled to be supporting your transition to a high-functioning HMIS. Reach out to the HMIS Support Team anytime you have questions or need help. We are here for YOU!

Learn about 40 Prado's Safe Parking Program!

Part of 40 Prado's Housing Focused Shelter Program, the 40 Prado Safe Parking Program offers individuals living in their cars a safe place to park overnight and access showers, meals, mental and physical health services, and housing case management. Eligibility criteria includes:

Must be interested in obtaining permanent housing in SLO County.
Must be willing to participate in case management services at 40 Prado.
Participants meet weekly with a case manager.
Participants have access to 3 meals per day, showers, laundry, pet kennels, and on-site medical services.

Do Not Share PII (Personal Identifying Information) via Email or during Meetings

Friendly Reminder to all HMIS users that PII should not be shared via email, in meetings, or in spaces where there are non-HMIS users. It is important that we treat HMIS data and information with the respect and confidentiality it deserves. Unique Client IDs from Clarity can suffice for support tickets and emails that do contain PII should be encrypted.

No Access to Bell Data Systems after November 2024

Agencies are encouraged to pull any remaining data they are interested in archiving from the previous HMIS Bell Data Systems prior to October 31, 2024.

HMIS Office Hours in August

August Office Hours have been moved from the regularly scheduled first Wednesday of the month. August Office Hours will take place Wednesday, August 15 at 11AM.

HMIS Website