Love Your Data HMIS Quarterly Newsletter - May. 2023

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Love Your Data

may 2023 - A QUARTERLY update  FROM your cOMMERCE hmis TEAM

Featuring…

  • Spotlight: NEW Office of Homeless Youth dashboard
  • Data dashboards updated
  • Updates: Updated Data Quality Report Resources info sheet and NEW Commerce HMIS User Manual
  • Data Quality Check: Element 3 Accuracy
  • NEW Data Security Corner: Purpose, Agency Partner Agreement and User Policy
  • Reports Corner: Monthly Staff Report
  • Help Desk: What to do in HMIS if someone loses housing

Spotlight: New OHY Dashboard

screenshot of OHY data dashboard from HMIS

New Office of Homeless Youth (OHY) dashboard is here to help monitor performance and ensure best practices for grantees who receive funding for:

  • Independent Youth Housing Program (IYHP),
  • Young Adult Housing Program (YAHP),
  • Young Adult Shelter (YAS),
  • Street Outreach Services (SOS),
  • Transitional Living Program (TLP),
  • Crisis Residential Program (CRC), and
  • HOPE

This will allow staff to review progress and work with the Youth and Young Adult Performance Specialist to monitor program quality.

The dashboard includes data from the last three years to the most recent complete quarter.


Data dashboards are updated

graphic art of laptop with bar chart on the screen

Quarterly dashboards now include data for the third quarter of State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2023 (Jan. 1 - March 31, 2023):

Check out all available dashboards on the Data and Performance Unit | Housing Division page.


Updates

  • Updated Data Quality Report Resources Info Sheet

The Data Quality Report Resources Info Sheet provides HMIS users in the Balance of State (BoS) Continuum of Care (CoC) a resource that describes what reports can be used to monitor their data quality and make improvements as needed. It has been updated to include an additional data quality report and tips.

  • NEW Commerce HMIS User Manual

The new Commerce HMIS User Manual is ready for Washington Balance of State (BoS) HMIS users. In it, you’ll find helpful tips and tutorials that will help you navigate and learn to use features in HMIS.

Rubber chicken image from HMIS User Manual

Data Quality Check

Element 3: Accuracy

Let’s get comfy with data quality. Data quality has four elements: completeness, timeliness, accuracy, and consistency. We are focusing on one data element each quarter.

Accuracy is the degree to which data reflects the real-world client or service. It measures how closely the data in HMIS represents the real-life circumstances of the record. Learn more about this data element in the Accuracy article.


NEW Data Security Corner:

Purpose, Agency Partner Agreement and User Policy

graphic art image of a robot and security warning for HMIS newsletter

Let’s do our part to keep our client data safe and confidential.

We are launching this new segment of the newsletter to cover data security topics such as access, user policies and agreements, and personally-identifying information retention.

To start, we recommend that you take a few minutes to review the following documents depending on your role at your agency.

For all HMIS users: 

  • HMIS User Policy Example (the actual agreement is an electronic form in HMIS) – This document explains our security expectations of you. This is your agreement to adhere to policies and code of ethics and your responsibilities as an HMIS user. Make sure to ask your agency if you have questions.

For directors, managers and supervisors (especially if new to your role):

  • Agency Partner Agreement – Review this document to know what your agency has agreed to do regarding HMIS. This is your agency’s HMIS contract with Commerce.

These documents are also available on the HMIS webpage under the HMIS Resources – Forms heading.


Reports Corner 

Monthly Staff Report

clip art of a clipboard

We examine a report or reporting-related topic every quarter to help you take ownership of your data.

The [DQXX-103] Monthly Staff Report identifies general data quality, data quality by data element and user activity. In addition, the report helps agencies identify who needs support and potential training around data entry. Read the [DQXX-103] report article to learn more.


Dear HMIS Help Desk

What to do in HMIS if someone loses housing

Running into technical issues and not sure who to call? Don’t worry — the HMIS team has your back.

One of our readers writes:

Dear HMIS team,

Unfortunately, a client in one of our programs lost housing this week. Can you remind me what we need to do in HMIS? I want to make sure I don’t miss anything. Thanks!

Just checking,

Wondering in Whitman

 

Dear Wondering in Whitman,

Thanks for your question.

In Permanent Housing Programs such as Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) and Rapid Re-Housing (RRH), if a client remains enrolled in a program but loses their housing, follow these steps:

  1. Exit the client from the project. The Project Exit Date and Destination should be accurate.
  2. Create a new Project Start Date in a second enrollment for the client on the same or the following day.
  3. Continue working with the client on this project until a new unit is found. When it is, add a recent Housing Move-in Date on the second project record.

This will ensure that the client's history of housing is preserved.

If the client moves directly from one unit into another, with no days of homelessness in between, they do not need to be exited and re-entered. According to their enrollment record, the client’s housing move-in date still accurately reflects the day they entered permanent housing.

If you have any other questions, submit a ticket through our HMIS Helpdesk Form.

Best wishes,

HMIS team


How are we doing?

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions for future content, contact ellen.hatleberg@commerce.wa.gov.

That is all from us for now. Have a great quarter and don’t forget to love your data!