Information & Impact - May 2023
A Monthly Homeless Management Information System Update
We’re holding off on our quarterly DPAL meeting until we receive more information about the HMIS data standards coming later this year. This means no DPAL meeting in May. Please review this newsletter for updates, which will be sent on a monthly basis to all active HMIS end users. Thank you for all your collaboration and support!
Data Quality
There has been an increase in Data Quality errors recently. Please review the reminders below so we can fix some common errors.
Zendesk Resources
As a reminder, please use Zendesk for all updates and resources. It has copies of documents and forms, announcements, quick reference guides, and the training signup link.
Client Duplicates
Before entering a new client, you must search for the client in the database using a combination of the following information:
Name or Alias
SSN
Date of Birth
You can use partial information to prevent false negative results. For example, if you are searching for Candy Cane, entering “can can” in the search field makes it much easier to find the client. If you searched “candee” instead of “candy” the result would not populate. Note that Clarity will populate results as you type. You can click on the correct client as soon as they show in the pending results dropdown.
Household Management
Please ensure that you are creating and enrolling households appropriately. Use this Zendesk resource for reference.
All program enrollments must have a Head of Household (HoH) assigned
Children generally cannot be assigned as the HoH
Exception: Runaway & Homeless Youth (RHY) programs
Make sure that families are enrolled together as a group
If an individual enrollment is assigned to a child, email the helpdesk with the appropriate information to connect the child to the household
Clients Not Put on CQ
Remember to send a referral to the OneHome Community Queue (CQ) when you enroll a person into the OneHome program. If you do not add the person to the Community Queue, they cannot be considered for a resource referral through OneHome.
Data Standards
HUD released documentation for the FY24 HMIS Data Standards earlier this month. These changes will go into effect in HMIS on 10/1/2023.
Our team is reviewing the updated standards and preparing materials to review with DPALs and share with end users in the coming weeks. We’ll be working on updated COHMIS paperwork to be released on 10/1 when the updated data standards go into effect.
For a sneak peek of the FY24 HMIS Data Standards, review the slides from the most recent HUD HMIS Lead System Administrator webinar, beginning on slide 14. A link to the webinar is also available here.
Tableau Server Access
The COHMIS Leads recently rolled out access to an interactive suite of statewide dashboards that reflect a variety of HMIS data breakdowns. These dashboards are hosted on Tableau Server, a secure online platform provided to us by our partners at Community Solutions.
If you or staff members at your organization would like access to Tableau Server, please request access through our Tableau Server End User Agreement. Access will only be provided to staff who:
Are employed at an organization that has a valid COHMIS Agency Partnership Agreement (APA) on file, and
Will abide by the requirements outlined in the COHMIS Tableau Server End User Agreement
HMIS Training
How to Get Setup
All training is now conducted virtually on our Learning Management System (LMS). Only the agency DPALs can register staff for training. DPALs must log in to Zendesk and access the DPAL zone to register staff for the LMS.
Once the request is received, staff will receive an automated email with instructions on how to access the LMS. It can take up to 2 hours for the courses to be assigned after registration, so please be patient.
The email from the LMS may be marked as SPAM, so we ask that DPALs send the following message to your staff after signup. You should also work with your IT department to whitelist the LMS site.
You will receive an email from <noreply@talentlms.com> with your username and temporary password. Check your spam folder and have your agency whitelist this email address. Please be sure to change your password when you log in. If you don't have this email, you can visit this link and use your email to reset your password. Do not change your username. Before logging in, you need to watch the video on the home page labeled “How to use Talent LMS.” Once you login to the LMS, you will only see a single course assigned. As you complete the courses, the next one will appear 15 hours later.
HMIS Login Credentials
To get HMIS login credentials, end users will have to complete both HMIS 101 and the FY 2023 set of HMIS courses (Days 1-3). The HMIS training will be spread out over a minimum of 3 days.
Practical exam: As part of the day 3 training, staff will be expected to enter client information into the training website. The instructions will provide a login to the training site and a fake character bio. Staff must showcase proficiency in the system and a clear understanding of HUD concepts. If staff do not pass the practical exam, they will be given the next steps on a case-by-case basis. Once staff passes all of these sections, they will be issued login credentials to HMIS for their agency.
OneHome Access
If staff need access to OneHome:
The DPAL will need to send a request to the HMIS helpdesk
The Coordinated Entry course will be assigned to staff in the LMS
Once they pass the Coordinated Entry course, email the helpdesk to let us know
Our HMIS team will add OneHome access in HMIS