HMIS Data Standards







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This portion of AWARDS Online Help is intended to guide you through functionality specific to the HMIS Data Standards using a variety of resources, along with frequently asked questions.  Click one of the following links to navigate directly to the corresponding section of Data Standards-related information, or scroll through the content below.

HMIS Data Standards Changes - FY2022 - A detailed list of all changes made to meet requirements for FY2022 Data Standards.

Useful Resources - A complete list of related resources, including links to webinars, training films, AWARDS documentation, and links to official HUD documents.

Frequently Asked Questions - Commonly asked questions about the Data Standards-related changes in AWARDS.

HMIS Data Standards Changes - FY2022 - Oct 1 2021 Update

In order to meet requirements for FY2022 Data Standards, the following AWARDS changes are effective for HMIS projects as of Friday, October 1st 2021.   

You'll find detailed descriptions of the FY2022 Data Standards changes below, but if you'd prefer a walk-through we've got you covered!  Check out the following bite-sized Data Standards training films or access the corresponding playlist here.

- Introduction (3 min)
- Agency Program Information Changes (2 min)
- Universal Data Elements (4 min)
- Common Data Element Changes (2 min)
- Coordinated Entry Data Elements (4 min)
- HUD CoC Data Elements (9 min)
- HOPWA Data Elements (2 min)
- RHY Data Elements (2 min)
- VA Data Elements (7 min)
- CSV Changes (5 min)
- CoC APR and ESG CAPER Updates (4 min)

For more information on the data standards we also encourage you to read the HMIS Data Standards Manual.  

Project Descriptor Data Elements

The following changes were made to "Project Descriptor Data Elements," which define how projects are set up in AWARDS using the Add/Edit Entire Program and Configure Data Elements features:  

  The character limit for Project Names has been increased from 50 characters to 100.

   A new HOPWA Medically Assisted Living Facility Status option has been added to the HMIS settings tab.  Each HMIS project should be indicated as "Yes," "No," or "Non-HOPWA Funded Project."  Data entered here is available on the Agency Programs ReportBuilder, and is included on the Project.csv. 

All active projects should be updated to reflect a value for this new option.

  The Well Being section is now required for programs with funders with the prefix "HUD: CoC" and for HMIS Project Type "Permanent Supportive Housing." As a result, that section has been added as required in Configure Data Elements for those funding sources and that type. If there are programs for which you do not want it required, these can be set using Configure Data Elements on the Project level.

  The VAMC Station Number field is now required for projects with funding sources of "HUD:HUD-VASH," "VA:Supportive Services for Veteran Families," "VA:Grant Per Diem…" funders (7 funding sources fall under this umbrella), "VA: CRS Contract Residential Services," and "VA: Community Contract Safe Haven Program."  As a result, this field has been added to those required in Configure Data Elements for these funding sources.

The field has been turned on by default for all "VA:Supportive Services for Veteran Families" projects, but collection is only required for RRH & Homelessness Prevention projects.  Other components can turn it off at the project level.

  The General Health Status field is now required for programs with funder "HUD: CoC - Permanent Supportive Housing." As a result, this field has been added as required in Configure Data Elements for that funding source.

  Four new funding sources have been added and will be on the Funder.csv when selected.

- HUD: CoC - Joint Component RRH/PSH
- HUD: HOME
- HUD: HOME (ARP)
- HUD: PIH (Emergency  Housing Voucher)

These should be updated on active projects, where applicable.

  The Youth Education Status section is now required for programs with funder "HUD: CoC - Youth Homeless Demonstration Program (YHDP)" (if the HMIS Project Type is "Transitional Housing," "PH - Permanent Supportive Housing (disability required for entry)," "Services Only," "PH: Rapid Re-housing Supportive Housing," or "Other."  As a result we have added this section as required in Configure Data Elements for that funding source. If there are programs for which you do not want it required, these can be set using Configure Data Elements on the Project level.

Data Elements

Changes to client-level data elements known as Universal Data Elements and Program Specific Data Elements are as follows:

  The wording of the following Race options changed (all others remain the same):
- American Indian or Alaska Native > American Indian, Alaska Native, or Indigenous
- Asian > Asian or Asian American
- Black or African American > Black, African American, or African
- Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander > Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

  The HMIS Gender option now allows for the selection of as many of the following as apply: "Female," "Male," "A gender that is not singularly 'Female' or 'Male'," "Transgender," "Questioning."  "Client doesn't know," "Client refused," and "Data not collected" are also available. Mapping of previous selections to these new values is as follows:

- Trans Female > Female and Trangender
- Trans Male > Male and Transgender
- Gender Non-Conforming  > A gender that is not singularly "Female" or "Male"

  Throughout the application, language has been updated around Mental Health and Substance Use, with the new terminology "disorder" (for example, "Mental Health Disorder") in Special Needs and the RHY Family Critical Issues sections, and in RHY and HOPWA's Service Types and RHY referral's Purpose/Needs. 

  Suffixes have changed for some options - Hispanic/Latin(a)(o)(x) and Non-Hispanic/Latin(a)(o)(x). 

 When the HIV special needs question is answered "Yes," a new question is now included:  Receiving Ryan White-funded Medical or Dental Assistance along with a new (if no) Reason dependency question. 

There is no backdated data entry requirement here. Per HUD, workers should collect as an update, if applicable.

  The General Health Status option is now required for projects with funder "HUD: CoC – Permanent Supportive Housing," and workers will see the option as they do Intake/Admissions.

  The VAMC Station Number field is now required for heads of household in all projects with funding sources of "HUD:HUD-VASH," "VA:Supportive Services for Veteran Families," "VA:Grant Per Diem…" funders (7 funding sources fall under this umbrella), "VA: CRS Contract Residential Services," and "VA: Community Contract Safe Haven Program."  Workers will see this field as they do Intake/Admissions. 

  A new Well Being section is required for programs with funder prefix "HUD: CoC" and for Project Type of "Permanent Supportive Housing," so workers will see this section as they do Intake/Admissions, HMIS Info Updates, and Discharges. The four new questions are: Client perceives their life has value and worthClient perceives they have support from others who will listen to problemsClient perceives they have a tendency to bounce back after hard times, and Client's frequency of feeling nervous, tense, worried, frustrated, or afraid

  There's a new question for clients in HOPWA programs: Has the participant been prescribed anti-retroviral drugs?

There is no backdated data entry requirement here. Per HUD, workers should collect as an update, if applicable.

  For projects with HUD:COC funding sources, the list of eligible services on the Supportive Services Checklist has been updated with five new service types:

- Moving On Assistance - Subsidized housing application assistance
- Moving On Assistance - Financial assistance for Moving On
- Moving On Assistance - Non-financial assistance for Moving On
- Moving On Assistance - Housing referral/placement
- Moving On Assistance - Other (please specify)  

  For SSVF projects, the list of eligible services on the Supportive Services Checklist has been updated:

- The SSVF Financial Assistance options "General housing stability assistance - emergency supplies" and "General housing stability assistance - other" have been merged into a new option: "General housing stability assistance."

- "SSVF Financial Assistance - Food Assistance" has been added as an option.

  A new Youth Education Status section is required for programs with funder "HUD: CoC - Youth Homeless Demonstration Program (YHDP)" (if the HMIS Project Type is "Transitional Housing," "PH - Permanent Supportive Housing," "Services Only," "PH: Rapid Re-housing Supportive Housing," or "Other,") so workers will see this section as they do Intake/Admissions, and Discharges. The new questions are: Current school enrollment and attendance, and (conditionally) Most Recent Educational Status or Current Educational Status.

If the response to the first question is "Not currently enrolled in any school or educational course," Most Recent Educational Status will be collected. If the response to the first question is "Currently enrolled but NOT attending regularly (when school or the course is in session)" or "Currently enrolled and attending regularly (when school or the course is in session)," Current Educational Status will be collected.

As directed by HUD, collect data for all clients in any YHDP-funded project that are active as of October 1, 2021. Data collected should reflect the Youth's education status as of project start. There is no way to map the RHY field "School Status" data to this new data element for those projects that collected "School Status" at project start; however, this information may be useful to assist with completing the Youth Education Status section.

  The Homeless Prevention Targeting Criteria section underwent significant revisions. Please see the HMIS Data Standards (field V7) for details.

Coordinated Entry FormBuilder Forms

In the FormBuilder form used to track Coordinated Entry Events there are three new event types available for selection:  "Referral to emergency assistance/flex fund/furniture assistance," "Referral to Emergency Housing Voucher (EHV)," and "Referral to a Housing Stability Voucher." The value selected will be included in the Event column on the Event.csv. Note that workers are required to go back in and enter all EHV referrals from the past year.

HMIS Coordinated Entry APR

A new HMIS Coordinated Entry APR has been released in AWARDS.  Instructions can be found here.

APR and CAPER Changes

As per revised report specifications, changes have been made to the CoC APR and ESG CAPER. These changes were put in place to accommodate the new HMIS Data Standards as well as to apply minor clarifications and clean-up items.

CSV Version Update

The CSV version used to transmit data between system is has changed from CSV FY2020 to CSV FY2022.� AWARDS now only supports the new format  CSV FY2022.

CSV Addition

A new YouthEducationStatus.csv file is now in place, containing data exclusively for element "C3, Youth Education Status."

PATH ARS Updates

As per revised report specifications, minor changes have been made to the PATH ARS and were released in AWARDS. These changes were put in place to accommodate the new HMIS Data Standards as well as to apply minor clarifications and clean-up items. Click here for instructions on running the PATH ARS.

Useful Resources

Enhancement Request Forms

HMIS - Coordinated Entry Assessments / Events - Enhancement Request Form

FootholdConnect Event Recordings

HMIS Data Standards Updates - FY2020 (46 min) - September 2019

Recordings marked with a red asterisk (*) were made prior to deployment of significant AWARDS enhancements and do not reflect those changes; however, the overall content is still relevant and useful.

HMIS Data Quality - Learn How to Be the Best In the Pack [An Expo 2017 Session] (1 hr 1 min) - October 2017 *
Worried your HMIS data is not accurate? Struggling with bad data quality reports from your CoC? Finding that your HMIS exports are full of errors that you don't know how to resolve? If you answered yes to any of these questions, this session is for you! HMIS data quality is so critical to your agency, allowing you to ensure you are providing appropriate and effective services to your participants, and helping you to remain competitive in the challenging world of obtaining and maintaining HMIS funding. Join us as we walk you through various data quality reports in AWARDS and teach you how to troubleshoot common CSV export errors!

Understanding the CoC APR (1hr 28min) - June 2017 *
Learn about the new CoC Annual Performance Report (APR) in AWARDS, including the brand new data quality questions and the Sage Export file.

Training Films

Films marked with a red asterisk (*) were made prior to deployment of significant AWARDS enhancements and do not reflect those changes; however, the overall content is still relevant and useful.

HMIS - CSV Part 1 - Export & Validation (40 min) * - For a PDF version of the Powerpoint slide show used in this training film, please click here.

HMIS - CSV Part 2 - Import & Upload (24 min) * - For a PDF version of the Powerpoint slide show used in this training film, please click here.

HMIS - Understanding Annual Updates (14 minutes) - May 2017 - Learn how annual updates are recorded for clients, and how those updates affect the CoC APR.

HMIS - Using AWARDS to Track Chronic Homelessness (17 min) - May 2017 - Learn how Chronic Homelessness is calculated in AWARDS.

HMIS - Using the CoC APR Sage Export File (6 min) - May 2017 - Learn how to use the new Sage Export Files for submitting your APR to HUD.

Useful Links to Official HUD Documents

HMIS Data Standards

Frequently Asked Questions

The following frequently asked questions provide details on the most commonly asked about pieces of the HMIS Data Standards functionality in AWARDS.  Click a question from the list here to navigate directly to the corresponding answer, or scroll through the full list of questions and answers below.

Can an HMIS client have overlapping admissions to two residential programs?

Where do I locate the Victim Service Provider option?

Why does AWARDS say "not an annual update" when I try to do an HMIS Info Update using the anniversary of the client's admission?

Why does the "Housing Move In Date" section display on the Intake/Admission form for some programs and not others?

Why doesn't a local CoC Admin see a client when running a report that involves a program the worker has access to?

Why don't I see a certain field?

Why is "Disabling Condition" not editable on the HMIS Intake/Admission form?

Why isn't AWARDS auto-calculating "chronically homeless?"

Can an HMIS client have overlapping admissions to two residential programs?

Yes, if one of the programs is a Permanent Housing program and the program is using the Housing Move In Date field(s).  The question, Has the Client Been Placed into Permanent Housing? must be set to "No" (on the admission form or in the HMIS Info Update portion of the client's face sheet), and the Housing Move In Date must be blank.  In residential projects where the Housing Move in Date field is present, clients will not be assigned to a bed/apartment until the leading question, Has the client been placed into Permanent Housing, is set to "Yes." Once a client has been assigned a residence unit then this section will become read only and corrections can only be made using Program History Corrections.  This allows Permanent Housing projects to admit clients as soon as they are accepted by a program, even if an apartment or unit is not yet available. "

Where do I locate the Victim Service Provider option?

The Victim Service Provider option can be found under System Setup > Agency Program Information > Continuum Provider Agency Information - or - Agency Information (depending on how your AWARDS database is configured).  A "Yes" or "No" selection should be made here for the entire agency.

Why does AWARDS say "not an annual update" when I try to do an HMIS Info Update using the anniversary of the client's admission?

AWARDS calculates household members' annual assessment dates based on the head of household's admission date rather than their own (if it was after the head of household's).

  TIP: To make it clear when a client's HMIS Annual Update is due, the anniversary of the Head of Household's admission is automatically populated to two locations:

  
Face sheet > HMIS Info section > Date of relevant anniversary field

  HMIS ReportBuilder > HMIS Info Updates section > Date of Relevant Anniversary (Update) data variable  

Why does the "Housing Move In Date" section display on the Intake/Admission form for some projects?

Housing Move in Date is a new section that is required for all Permanent Housing projects as of October 1st, 2017.  (Previously this section was known as Residential Move In Date, and was required only for Rapid Rehousing projects.)

When working with this portion of the Intake/Admission form, keep in mind the following:

  "Housing Move In Date" is separate from "Project Start Date."

- Project Start Date is the client's Admission Date and signifies that he/she is eligible for the program and has been approved for housing.
- Housing Move In Date is the date the client actually moves into his/her apartment/housing.

The Housing Move In Date and Project Start Date may be the same day; however, Housing Move In usually happens later.

  Housing Move In Date is turned on using Configure Data Elements.  It can be found both at Intake/Admission, and on the HMIS Info section of the Face Sheet when turned on. Users can fill in information in either location, but it is only saved once per enrollment; information entered in one location will override previously saved information.

  When Housing Move In Date is turned on in a Residential project, the bed/unit assignment will no longer take place at admission; instead, it will take place when a Housing Move In Date is entered. The list of available Residence Units during data entry is based on available units on the Housing Move In Date. Non-Residential projects (such as Uploading projects) will not see the Residence Unit assignment.

  Once a Housing Move In Date is entered this section becomes read-only, similar to how Admission Date becomes read-only after an admission is processed. If you want to make a correction to the Move In Date you will need to use the Program History Corrections tool.  Bed/Unit Swaps can still occur using the Housing Bed Swap feature; however, this feature is not used to change Move In Dates.

  Error checking will prevent Housing Move In Dates that are before the Project Start Date (Admission Date), or after the client's Project Exit Date (Discharge Date). A client cannot be dually enrolled in two residential programs in the same division while in Housing; however, a client can be dually enrolled if they do not yet have a Housing Move In Date.

  Reports that look at Housing History will pay attention to the Housing Move In Date to determine if the client was in housing.  Affected reports include:

- Housing Report
- Housing Utilization Report
- Point In Time Report (to be updated in January 2018)
- 2018 HMIS Grantee APR
- 2018 AHAR Report

  This data element was deployed on 10/1/2017.  The Housing Move In Date for existing clients at the time of deployment was pre-populated with the client's Admission Date.  With this change in place, Rapid Re-Housing Projects are encouraged to switch to being set up as residential projects. Contact the Help Desk to have a project converted to a residential project.

Why doesn't a local CoC Admin see a client when running a report that involves a program the worker has access to?

If a client doesn't have Client Location (Continuum of Care) information filled out, then he/she won't be included on reports run by the worker.

Why don't I see a certain field?

The fields and options that are displayed by default are based on the HMIS Project Type and Funding Source associated with each project (as set under System Setup > Agency Program Information > Add/Edit Entire Program).

Why is "Disabling Condition" not editable on the HMIS Intake/Admission form?

If the client has already had an HMIS Info Update or a Discharge completed, the update needs to be made on the most recent form where Disabling Condition is available.  If it has already been filled out more recently on a different form, the Intake/Admission form will let you know which form with an indicator in parentheses below the Disabling Condition field label.  For example:  "(Value saved on the latest collection stage:  HMIS Info Annual Update 11/02/2018)."  Additionally, during a new Intake/Admission, if any of the Special Needs questions that would result in a disabling condition are answered "yes," then Disabling Condition will auto calculate to "Yes" and be read-only.

Why isn't AWARDS auto-calculating "chronically homeless?"

The auto-calculation fields only work if you are using a browser supported by AWARDS.  (For more information on supported browsers, see our System Requirements.)  In addition, the client must be a member of a household in order for the auto-calculation to work properly.

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