HMIS Newsletter - November 2024

Hello Cambridge HMIS users! We hope you'll enjoy the latest updates and some helpful tips from the Cambridge HMIS Team.

In this edition, you will find information about:

Federal reporting season
Annual recertification training
Cambridge HMIS's new quarterly data quality process
HUD request for feedback on HMIS Data Standards
December HMIS Working Group Meeting

If you have any questions, please reach out to Connor Foley by responding to this email or emailing Connor directly at cfoley@cambridgema.gov.

Federal Reporting Season is Underway

With the HUD federal fiscal year having ended on September 30, federal reporting season is officially underway. We are preparing to submit the Longitudinal Systems Analysis (LSA) in January and the System Performance Measures (SPM) in early spring. These are both system-wide reports for the Cambridge CoC.

We will be reaching out to agency admins to coordinate any data cleanup and data quality checks to ensure we have data that is as complete and accurate as possible for these reports. Thank you in advance for your help. If you have any questions about the LSA or SPM reports, please reach out by responding to this email.

Annual Recertification Training

Like last year, we will be holding a mandatory recertification training for all Cambridge HMIS users. Unlike last year, these will be completed in our new Learning Management System (LMS) and not held via a live Zoom training. This will allow users to go at their own pace and work around their schedules.

We expect this training to be ready in the LMS sometime in January. Stay tuned for an update in the coming weeks!

New Data Quality Improvement Process Launched

In June, the HMIS Working Group voted to approve the proposed updates to our Cambridge HMIS (CHMIS) Data Quality Improvement Plan. The final draft was approved by the CoC Board in September and we have added a page to our website that has everything you need to know about the new data quality protocol. Check it out by clicking the button below!

Thanks to all the agency and program staff who are getting acclimated to this new process and making greater strides to improve our CoC's data!

CHMIS Data Quality Resources

HUD Soliciting Feedback on HMIS Data Standards

HUD is in the process of updating the HMIS Data Standards for FY 2027, to be launched on October 1, 2026. HUD is requesting feedback from different viewpoints, especially those who have experienced homelessness.

We will be reaching out more formally in 2025 to gather community feedback. In the meantime, please feel free to share any feedback you or your clients have with us sooner. The deadline for submitting feedback to HUD is May 31, 2025.

View on HUD Exchange

HMIS Working Group Meeting December 10

Save the Date!: The next meeting of the HMIS Working Group will be held on Tuesday, December 10 at 51 Inman St. from 1-2:30 p.m.

This will be a hybrid meeting with the option to join us in-person at 51 Inman St. or virtually. If you are a Working Group member, stay tuned for an email from Marianne with details on how to join. If you are not a member of the HMIS Working Group but are interested in joining, please let us know!

Reminder: Housing Move-In Date

Don't Forget to Add a Housing Move-In Date!

All clients served in a permanent housing or rapid rehousing project need a Housing Move-In Date entered on the enrollment screen when your client moves into a unit. This means that the client has a key or entry ability to the unit and has physically slept in the unit. This date may or may not align with the lease date. Without this date, your client will still appear to be experiencing homelessness.

Upcoming HMIS Events

HMIS Beginner Training

December 5, 2024

1- 5 p.m.

Online via Zoom

HMIS Working Group

December 10, 2024

1-2:30 p.m.

Hybrid (in-person and virtual)

Training Information and Registration

Visit our website