September 2024 Newsletter

Monthly HMIS Calendar

Important HMIS Dates:


Wed 9/4:

Principles of HMIS Training - 9 AM - 11:30 AM


Wed 9/11:

New Policy Training @ Skilled Assessors Training - 11 AM


Thu 9/12:

Principles of HMIS Training - 1 PM - 3:30 PM


Quarterly Data Quality Cleanup Office Hours - 12 PM


Tue 9/17:

Code Migration - 8 PM


Thu 9/19:

Principles of HMIS Training - 9 AM - 11:30 AM

Foster Care Office Hours - 1 PM


Thu 9/26:

Principles of HMIS Training - 9 AM - 11:30 AM


Tue 10/1:

New Foster Care Questions Go Live!

Training Environment Changes

Our most recent Code Migration has introduced some changes to the appearance of our HMIS pages. Users may notice that the Live/Production environment and the Training environment now share the same color scheme.


While we work with our software vendor to create a greater visual difference between the two environments, we ask all of our users to always pay close attention to which environment they are using, The easiest way to double-check which version of the database you are on is to take a look at the URL:

"Prod" a.k.a. the Live Environment URL

Training Environment URL

Remember: when trying new things or practicing with HMIS, always use the Training environment, which refreshes nightly and makes no changes to the Live environment.

New Policies and Data Additions Approved

The CoC Board of Directors have approved several new policies, implementation plans, and local data definitions. Policies will be viewable in the HMIS Policies & Procedures document, and definitions can be found in the HMIS Data Quality Plan. Both can be found on the HMIS Team Site on the Resources page.

Housing Authority Voucher Policy:


Purpose: To clarify HMIS data entry responsibility for Housing Authority Vouchers


Section 3.4.1:


The responsibility of the Partner Agency:


1. Partner Agency is responsible for creating the Housing Authority Voucher HMIS Enrollment when a client is accepted into the housing program


2. Partner Agency is solely responsible for updating all HMIS data, including but not limited to: the Housing Move-In Date, Changes to Family Composition, Annual Assessments, if required, Exit Date, and any other HMIS required data entry.


The responsibility of the Housing Authority:


1. The Housing Authority is responsible for sending a list of clients to the Partner Agency in a cyclic timely manner (Monthly, Quarterly), determined by the Housing Authority or as needed to update client’s HMIS data.

Reporting Deceased Client


Purpose: A standardized procedure for handling profiles of

clients who have passed away.


Local Best Practices:


A client’s passing should be reported within HMIS at the earliest possible convenience. Once the agency becomes aware of the passing, a HMIS user within the agency should complete the following steps:


1. If the passing is not reported first-hand, verification should be made through an approved source before next steps are followed. Official forms of verification include:


a. Verbal report from Bexar County Medical Examiner


b. Identifiable record on https://deathrecords.bexar.org/ (only available for previous 30

days)


c. Family member of client giving notice, providing client’s full name and date of birth


d. San Antonio Police Department giving notice, providing client’s full name and date of

birth


Other forms of verification may be sufficient on a case-by-case basis.


2. Client’s Demographics page should be changed to include Deceased Date. An estimated date may suffice if the exact date is unknown.


3. Verification of death should be added to profile.


a. If verification was verbal, a case note should be added with Case Note Summary

denoting client’s death.


b. If verification was physical/digital, a copy should be uploaded to client’s Documents and

Files page.


4. A Client Alert can be added to the profile to ensure awareness if the profile is visited by another

user.


5. Active Enrollments must be closed out with an Exit Date of the last day the client received a service from the project. Exit Destination should be listed as “Deceased” (under Other category).


a. If client has open Enrollments with other agencies, the reporting user may submit a

ticket to HMIS to have HMIS Team reach out to have other agencies close their own

enrollments.


6. If a CE Event Referral has been made, the referral may be closed out using the “Client Did Not Follow Up” option in conjunction with the Deceased Date.

Aging Out of Foster Care


Purpose: Former Foster Care involvement is a data element that is required for RHY and YHDP projects in the community. Some agencies are funded to serve clients who have aged out of foster care. The addition of a new question in the enrollment workflow will help these projects determine eligibility.


Definitions to be added:


Aging out of Foster Care


The definition of "aging out" of foster care is the young adult was in the custody of the Department of Family and Protective Services when they reached the age of 18 years old. Youth who have aged out of care are eligible for tuition and fee waiver for state public institution of higher learning and other supportive services.


If “Yes“ for, “Formerly a Ward of Child Welfare/Foster Care Agency“, add “Was in the custody of the Department of Family and Protective Services at the age of 18?“ after.


Answer choices: Yes/No/Client Doesn’t Know/Client prefers not to answer/Data not collected


History of Foster Care


Youth with history of foster care can range from a person whose family was investigated by the Department of Family and Protective Service as a minor up to a person who was removed from the care of their guardian(s) and placed in the care of the State of Texas, which can include substitutive care (family, fictive kin, foster home, residential treatment facility, et cetera).


This data element will be added to the Local Data Power BI Dashboard that will soon be available to the community.

New Data Use Agreement


A new Data Use Agreement has been drafted to cover all community data requests submitted to Close to Home. This new agreement was written to better protect HMIS data and to streamline requests. Data requests can be submitted at Close to Home's Community Reporting page

New Data Definitions


3 community definitions have been approved for updates in the HMIS Data Quality Monitoring Plan - Unsheltered, First Time Homeless, and Returns to Homelessness. The definitions of these terms have been adjusted to more closely align with one another and to more closely align with definitions used by the continuum. Full data definitions for these (and more) will be viewable in Section 3.3 of the HMIS Data Quality Monitoring Plan.


Helpful Reminders!

There are so many aspects of using HMIS, that it can be hard to remember all of the tips and tricks you've learned since starting! That is why we've included some common questions and issues we receive from our users:

_______________________________________________________________________


"My client does not go by their legal name!":


HMIS records should use a client's full and accurate name whenever possible. If the client doesn't associate with their legal name, the name entered into HMIS should reflect the name the client identifies with, unless legal name is required by the funder (e.g., VA). Doing this as a standard practice makes it easier to find records when searching and avoids creating duplicate records.


Generally, projects are not required to verify that the information provided matches legal documents, and HMIS records are not expected to include "dead names" or otherwise unused legal names. However, each project should be aware of the funders' record-keeping requirements, and if maintaining copies of legal documents is a requirement, they should be collected, and pertinent information updated in HMIS accordingly.


-HMIS Data Standards, 2024




"My contact information has changed, how do I change it on my account?":


You can change the email and phone number associated with your account by logging in and going under the My Caseworthy tab, and then clicking "My Info."


If you wish to change your name and username for your account, a User Update Request can be submitted to the HMIS Team. This form can be found on the HMIS Team Site's Resource page.


"What does HMIS mean when it asks for a Move-In Date?":


If you are a PH, PSH, or RRH project, you will have the option to provide a Move-In Date associated with the enrollment. This date refers to the date the client begins living in the home. This is not necessarily the date the lease starts nor the day first payment is due, but only the date the client begins physically residing in the home.


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Still have questions about HMIS? As always, feel free to submit a ticket so we can assist!



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HMIS Team

VP of Transformational Services | David Huete

HMIS Director | Nina Gall

HMIS Business Systems Analyst | Jenni Hernandez

HMIS Security & Compliance Specialist | Ashley Boyer

HMIS Training Coordinator | Gloria Collins

HMIS Systems Administrator | Spencer Walker

HMIS Database Administrator| Villian Asong

HMIS Data Analyst | Jose Marines

HMIS Application Support Specialist | James Moses

HMIS Senior Data Analyst | Lori Stewart

HMIS Data Quality Analyst | Tracie Dixon

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If you are receiving this email, it is because you either have an active San Antonio/Bexar County HMIS account, or you are designated as an important point-of-contact for HMIS-related updates. As an HMIS User, it is important for you to stay up-to-date on all major updates regarding the database.


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