HMIS and AHAR Overview for NC CoCs

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HMIS and AHAR Overview for NC CoCs
TA Providers Michelle Hayes and Kristen Rynning,
the Cloudburst Group Tara Smith, Abt Associates
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AHAR Overview

• What is the AHAR?
• It is an annual report to Congress about the
  number and characteristics of people who use
  homeless residential services and their patterns
  of use.

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Who reports to the AHAR?

• The current AHAR can cover a CoC or a
  jurisdiction within a CoC, including the
  residential programs located in those areas
• 80 AHAR Sample Sites Community Development Block
  Grant (CDBG) jurisdictions, which can be large
  cities, cities with 50,000 or more people, urban
  counties, and non-entitlement (or rural) areas.
  Some CDBG jurisdictions coincide with the
  geographic boundaries of CoCs (e.g., large
  cities).
• Contributing Communities CoCs that volunteer to
  provide CoC-wide data.

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AHAR 1 and AHAR 2

• AHAR 1 includes 63 sites.
• Sample 54
• Contributing 9
• AHAR 2 includes 74 sites.
• Sample 58
• Contributing 16

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AHAR Reporting Periods

• AHAR 3
• Data collection 10/1/06-9/30/07
• Generate table shells 10/07 to 12/07
• AHAR 4
• Data collection 10/1/07-9/30/08
• Generate table shells 10/08 to 12/08

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What data are included in the AHAR?

• HMIS data
• Currently based on HUDs Universal Data Elements.
• Currently limited to emergency shelters and
  transitional housing programs only.
• CoC Application Data
• Housing Inventory Chart.
• Populations Chart.
• Subpopulations Chart.

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AHAR Reporting Requirements

• HMIS data are reported into 4 Excel Spreadsheets
  (aka the Table shells)
• ES-IND all persons served in emergency shelters
  for individuals.
• ES-FAM all persons in families served in
  emergency shelters.
• TH-IND all persons served in transitional
  housing for individuals.
• TH-FAM all persons in families served in
  transitional housing.

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AHAR Reporting Requirements

• Unduplicated count of persons within each housing
  category as reported on spreadsheets.
• Persons can be reported in multiple housing
  categories if they were served accordingly.
  (Excel spreadsheets have tabulations to adjust
  for cross-over.)
• Only HMIS participating programs provide data.
  (Excel spreadsheets have built-in adjust factors
  to account for non-participation.)

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AHAR Reporting Requirements

• HMIS-based reporting requirements
• One day point-in-time counts, average day count,
  and longitudinal counts.
• Counts of multiple program usee.g., how many
  people in ES-IND were also served in TH-IND.
• Counts of persons by household typee.g.,
  individual adult male, adult in family with
  children, unaccompanied youth.
• Frequencies by demographic characteristic.
• Total length of stays within each
  program-household type, by gender and age.
• Total number of families.

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AHAR Reporting Requirements

• Most common HMIS data-quality issues
• Missing exit dates produces an over-count of
  persons served and exceedingly high bed
  utilization rates.
• Missing entry dates produces an under-count of
  persons served and very low utilization rates.
• Missing data high percentage of missing data on
  disability and veterans status, and zip code of
  last permanent address.
• Low provider coverage must extrapolate based on
  limited information.

Source Bureau of Labor Statistics
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AHAR Reporting Requirements

• CoC Application Data
• Accurate bed inventory information is
  criticalused to calculate adjustment factor, bed
  utilization rates, and understand possible biases
  in program participation.
• At present, CoC applications are the only source
  of unsheltered counts, and the reliability of
  street counts can vary.
• Until the program-specific data elements are
  incorporated, the subpopulation counts are an
  important source of information.

Source Bureau of Labor Statistics
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General AHAR Findings
HMIS February 1 April 30, 2005 CoC January
2005
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General AHAR Findings (contd)

• 704,000 persons used emergency shelters or
  transitional housing during 3 month period
• 65 of adult population men
• 34 persons in families with children
• 59 minority
• 75 central cities 25 suburban/rural
• 19 of adult homeless population vets

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AHAR Resources

• AHAR 1 Report
• http//www.huduser.org/publications/povsoc/annual_
  assess.html
• TA Resources
• www.HMIS.Info search on AHAR
• http//www.hud.gov/offices/cpd/homeless/hmis/

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What do I need to know at the CoC level about
HMIS and AHAR?
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HMIS Implementation Responsibility

• CoC is responsible for HMIS implementation and
  compliance with HMIS Standards.
• The HMIS administrating agency/grantee works at
  the behest of the CoC an MOU should define
  roles/responsibilities of each entity
• CoC establishes policies/protocols for
  implementation and reporting

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HUD Emphasis on HMIS

• HUD will continue emphasis on importance of
  collecting complete, high quality data.
• HUD will continue to collect information from
  CoCs in NOFA related to
• implementation of the data standards
• HMIS coverage
• data quality
• training activities and
• use of data, etc.

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HUD Emphasis on HMIS

• HUD encourages communities to use HMIS as a tool
  to measure the effectiveness of plans to decrease
  chronic homelessness.
• HUD has begun to notify CoCs receiving HUD funds
  that eventual participation in AHAR will be
  required and AHAR participation is reliant on
  high quality and representative HMIS data.

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CoC Compliance with HMIS Data Standards

• Data from 2006 CoC Applications

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Local NC Response

• CHIN will provide CoCs with
• Monthly data quality reports
• Monthly bed utilization reports
• Quarterly AHAR reports
• CoCs will provide CHIN with
• Copy of Housing Inventory Chart
• List of zip codes served
• Commitment to record shelter stays in the HMIS
• Commitment to review reports and strive for 75
  data completeness

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Forsyth CoC Beds in HMIS
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Gaston-Cleveland-Lincoln CoC Beds in HMIS
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Orange CoC Beds in HMIS
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Discussion Questions

• What is your CoCs policy regarding data entry
  timelines and minimal data collection
  requirements?
• What data quality issues do you face (or have
  faced in the past)? What strategies have you used
  to address data quality?
• What is the process for discussing ongoing HMIS
  and AHAR participation in your CoC?