Homeless Management Information System (HMIS)
A Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) is the information system designated by a local Continuum of Care (CoC) to comply with the requirements of CoC Program rule 24 CFR 578. It is a locally-administered data system used to record and analyze client, service and housing data for individuals and families who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. HMIS is a valuable resource because of its capacity to integrate and unduplicated data across projects in a community. Aggregate HMIS data can be used to understand the size, characteristics, and needs of the homeless population at multiple levels: project, system, local, state, and national.
LA/OC HMIS
LA/OC HMIS is a response to the HUD mandated implementation of a HMIS database. The LA/OC HMIS is an online database used by homeless and at-risk service providers that records demographic and service usage data and produces an unduplicated count of the people using those services.
The LA/OC HMIS implementation is led by the LA/OC HMIS Collaborative which is comprised of the three Continua of Care (CoCs) in Los Angeles County (Pasadena, Glendale, and the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA)), along with the Orange CoC.
The LA/OC Collaborative brings the following advantages:
- Comprehensive, consistent and coordinated provision of services to homeless persons between CoCs to meet the specific needs of the homeless persons.
- Enhanced understanding of homeless needs, service usage, effectiveness and gap through the use of regional data and reports to make informed decisions.
To ensure privacy and consistency in documentation, the LA/OC HMIS Collaborative had developed a number of HMIS forms including participation agreements for both clients and organizations as well as assessment forms.
The LA/OC HMIS Policies & Procedures describe HMIS roles and responsibilities as well as implementation, security, operational, and data policies and procedures.
HUD provides guidance on HMIS through the HEARTH Interim Rule, various HUD Notices, FAQs, and published guides.