October 2017
Data Center Monthly Update
Take a look at last year's report
AHAR Reporting Season

The Annual Homeless Assessment Report better known as AHAR is one of the Federal Reports that Congress uses when determining where to invest scarce resources. Each CoC must meet data quality thresholds in order to submit, and we definitely want our data included!

The Data Center is running the HMIS AHAR report weekly to determine data quality issues. We are reaching out to agencies individually to correct their data, so please be sure to look for that email in the upcoming weeks. 
Mediware Update

CoC-APR, ESG-CAPER, SSVF Export, and PATH report Updates
These Dashboard reports (outside of ART) have been updated this month and most of the issues have been corrected. In particular, the CoC-APR report is able to be uploaded into Sage for submission. There is still an error with how the Move-In Date data quality question, but we are working with MCAH and Mediware to correct this.  It appears that the other questions are working correctly, but please let the Data Center know if you discover any other issues.
HUD Update

2017 HMIS Data Standards 
Every October, HUD updates the standards, look, and sometimes meaning of data collection in HMIS. This means new Assessments in HMIS, and new Paper Forms in your agency. Here are some of the highlights:
  • New Data Collection points
  • Changes to Housing Move-In requirements for PH projects
  • New drop down options for Gender, Living Situation, and Exit Destination questions
New Paper Forms for Intake, Updates, and Exits
Hot off the presses!  MCAH has updated our paper forms to incorporate 2017 Data Standards. If you have not replaced your forms yet, please print these so that you can collect everything you need. Your agency is responsible for collecting this data as of October 1, 2017.

All HMIS users are required to follow these new Data Standards, and review the slides for this new material. Contact the HelpDesk if you have any questions.
HUD Updates cont.

HUD AAQ Response for ESG Rapid Re-Housing
Many agencies have asked about the serving Rapid Re-Housing clients after they have exited. This has cause questions about data entry in HMIS as well. HUD has clarified what assistance returning clients can receive:
"A household that received  ESG assistance and is exited from the program may later receive additional  ESG assistance ONLY if the household meets all  ESG eligibility criteria and if the household has not yet received the maximum assistance available. The recipient or subrecipient would need to conduct a complete  ESG eligibility/intake assessment since a program participant who has been exited from the program would need to be recertified as eligible.

If, in this case, the program participant is housed, the program participant would not be eligible for rapid re-housing assistance but may be eligible for homelessness prevention assistance. "
In terms of HMIS data entry, this means that once an exit is recorded, the client or household would need a new entry if they returned. If you would like a copy of the AAQ to consult, please contact the HelpDesk. 
Featured Tool

Exit Destination Desk Guide
Sometimes it's difficult to figure out which of the many options fits best for your client's exit.  The Data Center has updated our guide for Exit Destinations in HMIS to help! This is one of the all-important Universal Data Elements from HUD, and is especially useful to your agency to demonstrate the outcomes of all your hard work. 
Calendar

Upcoming events
Make sure you have these events and deadlines on your calendar! 

Oct 31st - AHAR First Submission Deadline
Nov 9th - HMIS Entry/Exit Training in Raleigh ( RSVP required)
Nov 16th -  HMIS Entry/Exit Training in Greenville ( RSVP required)
Dec 1st - AHAR Final Submission Deadline
Dec 14th -  HMIS Entry/Exit Training in Raleigh (RSVP required)

Don't see the training your agency needs? Please submit what details through our Data Center Training Request Form and we'll do our best to meet your needs.

We look forward to seeing you soon!
Data Center at NCCEH | (919-410-6997) | [email protected]