Personal Device Policies Established

The CoC Board has approved a new addition to the HMIS security policies regarding the use of personal devices when accessing client data.

The community recognizes that some agencies may require personal device usage to complete certain tasks. While we encourage staff to use work-provided devices whenever possible, HMIS access on personal devices is permissible if the following guidelines are also followed:

• Devices used to access HMIS must be password, fingerprint, or facial recognition-protected at all times.

• Client details are not accessed while connected to a public Wi-Fi network. Protected personal Hotspots may be used when private connections are not available.

• Client Personally-Identifiable Information (PII) is not saved directly to the personal device. Any client notes, documents, or photos may be uploaded directly to HMIS using a mobile or personal device.

• Client PII may not be transmitted via SMS messages

• Devices may not be left unattended with clients or other staff while logged into HMIS.

Agencies needing additional support in complying with these new policies may reach out to HMIS Security & Compliance Specialist Ashley Boyer.

We are excited to announce that our HMIS vendor, CaseWorthy, has created a brand new mobile portal for Street Outreach. Over the past few months, the HMIS Team has been working with a team of Street Outreach staff to ensure this tool has all of the features necessary for serving the unhoused community on-location, and we are hoping it will aid our users in more efficiently getting clients the services they need.

Our community will be transitioning to this new portal from the previous Outreach Grid platform. The CaseWorthy portal will allow users to document information about encampments, gather e-signatures for ROIs and other documents, check Priority Pool status, and complete many other tasks available in the desktop version. Data entered into the mobile platform will also be immediately integrated into the system and available in the desktop version.

The mobile portal will be available in-browser, so users will not need to download a separate app. Once launched, access to the portal will be granted by request for Street Outreach staff and their supervisors.

We greatly appreciate everyone's patience while we make this transition as a community. This change is a result of years of hard work and collaboration with CaseWorthy and the community, and we are continuing to work with our partners in the Alliance to House Everyone on establishing standards for using this tool. We will also be sending a feedback survey to the Outreach& Access subcommittee to determine if any additional features are needed before launch.

September Data Quality Cleanup - Release of Information Records

This month's round of Data Quality Cleanup will focus on ensuring Releases of Information (ROIs) are on file for all shared open enrollments. Agencies will receive a list of shared open enrollments that do not have a signed release uploaded to the profile, and they will be asked to verify if and how the record is being stored. Any enrollments that do not have a corresponding ROI should not be set to Shared.

As a reminder, while we do not require HMIS ROIs to be saved on the profile, copies should be saved and secured on-site for potential future reference. If a client does not sign, their information should be set to Not Shared until consent to share has been received. Verbal consent may be given if written consent is not feasible.

For the full, up-to-date policies on client consent and ROIs, please view the HMIS Policies & Procedures document on our Resources page. For any further questions, submit a ticket to the HMIS Team at HMIS.Support@Havenforhope.org.

FY 2026 HMIS Data Standards Updates

HUD has released the expected changes to the HMIS Data Standards, set to go into effect Wednesday, October 1st, 2025.

The HMIS Team and our vendor will be working to ensure a smooth transition for the affected data elements and all reports that currently include them. We will be providing more details as we get closer to the implementation date.

Trainings introducing these changes will be offered via Teams on the following dates:

Tuesday, September 16th,

2PM - 3PM

Wednesday, September 17th,

11AM - 12PM

Thursday, September 18th,

1PM - 2PM

Invites to these trainings have been sent to primary points of contact for Category A, B, and C agencies. If you have not received an invite, please reach out to the HMIS Team to be added to the event.