What are the Benefits of Homeless Management Information Systems?

February 9, 2021

benefits of Homeless management information systems for homeless people

Homelessness affects hundreds of thousands of people each and every day in the United States. The Department for Housing and Urban Development (HUD) estimates that as many as 500,000 individuals experience homelessness each night. That is a staggering number of people in need of help.

Homelessness refers not only to those who are actually living on the streets but also to those whose living conditions fall below the standards for what is considered safe and secure. There are a host of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and non-profit organizations who work tirelessly to provide solutions for this vulnerable population. They have many tools at their disposal; one of which should always be a flexible and reliable Homeless Management Information System (HMIS).

Why were HMIS developed?

HMIS were developed in response to a Congressional mandate. The mandate ensured that homeless service organizations who received United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funds or organizations that were collaborating with federal partners would collect demographic information about homeless populations they planned to use those funds to help.

The goal of aggregating this information was to correctly understand the issues that the funding was intended to address.

Having this information improved efficiency and allowed for more robust reporting to stakeholders such as homeless service organizations, community leaders, clients, and even Congress.

Attacking the problem of homelessness requires a focus on the local level due to the unique differences of communities, populations, and municipalities across the country. HMIS seek to capitalize on the uniqueness of a community by being flexible enough to capture regional specific information and the ability to tailor the system to suit those specific needs.

What is the purpose of HMIS?

Homeless management information systems are the software that helps collect, organize, and utilize private, sensitive, and confidential information of local homeless populations. HMIS was developed as a result of a Congressional mandate that sought to establish a common set of guidelines for the type of information that organizations would gather. The purpose was to facilitate collaboration between other organizations and state and federal funding opportunities.

The information that is collected by an HMIS helps to provide an accurate count of the homeless population, track the patterns of services used, as well as the locations of populations and services. This data is used to evaluate the effectiveness of services and to analyze where funding would be most appropriate. This data is also very useful for HUD’s reporting to Congress.

HMIS and Continuum of Care

The Department of Housing and Urban Development mandated that each continuum of care operating in the United States should implement and maintain an HMIS that met its specific qualifications. A continuum of care (CoC) is a local or regional planning body that seeks to provide housing and shelter solutions to the area’s homeless individuals and families. These coordinating bodies are a result of HUD’s effort to streamline funding by having communities apply for support via the submission of a single application. This collaboration would in turn promote a more effective and strategic approach to helping the homeless population. Broadly, the purpose of a CoC can be defined as:

Promoting the eradication of homelessness
Provide funding to relocate homeless individuals
Help the homeless population access mainstream services
Promote self-sufficiency of the homeless population

Continuums of care provide several different types of services, including:

Outreach and intake for the most vulnerable: this service targets individuals who don’t wish to seek emergency shelter services by meeting them where they are to provide health care, contact information, and emergency onsite help.
Emergency services: these services can include hotel and motel vouchers, short stay apartments, or soup kitchens. These services are designed to help individuals immediately to keep them safe and secure.
Transitional services: These services are for individuals who do not have access to permanent housing or are seeking a stepping stone toward that end goal. These services exist to help support financial stability while working toward a permanent housing solution.
Supportive services: these services are tailored for individuals who are farther along the road toward self-sufficiency. Their focus is job and skills training, housing searches, substance abuse counseling, and family reunification.
Permanent housing: These services work to provide long-term, safe, and affordable housing for individuals and families. This is the ultimate end goal of the non-profits and NGOs that work with homeless populations.

An effective HMIS used by CoCs works to assess whether the collaborative effort is making progress toward their established goals. The mandate requiring all continuums of care to maintain an HMIS ensures that local providers are not only using funding appropriately but that they are rendering services most needed by the local homeless population.

Implementation of an HMIS that meets Department of Housing and Urban Development standards is a qualification for receiving funds from the Federal government. In this way, HMIS has a double benefit for social and casework professionals: it satisfies a funding requirement and also standardizes and streamlines the collection of information for the organization.

What are the components of HMIS?

According to the guidelines outlined by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, there are four essential specifications that must a part of any approved homeless management information system. While HUD wants to make the most of local, on-the-ground knowledge within communities, these four essential components ensure some degree of uniformity in the type of information that is collected.

The four essential components are:

Project descriptor elements: These data points are what tie individual client data to specific organizations and projects. Correctly categorizing client data is a primary concern as non-profit organizations work to maintain the privacy of their clients. This facilitates the tracking of funding to specific initiatives.
Universal Data Elements: Projects that accept Federal funding, or even those that are contributing to projects that accept Federal funds, are required to collect a universal set of elements. These elements make it easier to share information about clients and projects across different organizations and government agencies.
Program Specific Data Elements: These data elements paint a picture of the client and the type of services that are being provided to them. Additionally, outcomes and current status are recorded with these elements.
Adherence to professional and regulatory practices: Household and person identification along with project dates and enrollment information is collected and shared with HUD. It is critical that continuums of care ensure they are closely adhering to professional and regulatory guidelines so that the funding for their important work is not jeopardized.

What is HMIS in health care?

Homeless populations are among the most health care vulnerable individuals in society. Poverty, hunger, and dangerous living conditions are all serious threats to the well-being of the homeless. Homeless Management Information Systems can help to track the health care status of clients as they move in and out of shelters and programs.

The information that is gathered in an HMIS can be shared with other entities that seek to provide health care to the homeless population. As clients move in and out of the various services offered by a continuum of care, their status and progress can be monitored. Because of the standardization of the information as outlined by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, this information can efficiently follow the client to health care providers no matter where they are.

What is a homeless shelter?

Homeless shelters provide temporary shelter and residence for homeless individuals. These shelters are intended to provide safety from extreme weather and hazardous conditions. These shelters grew in prominence in the 1970s when the nation was experiencing a rise in housing costs and higher rates of unemployment.

Most shelters primarily provide services during the evenings with clients leaving in the morning. In the United States, homeless shelters are typically operated by non-profit organizations – most often religious groups. In addition, to shelter from the elements, homeless shelters provide a variety of other services including meals, substance abuse programs, and transitional housing.

The work that these shelters do is absolutely essential to society. They are there to help individuals when they are at the most vulnerable times of their life. Countless individuals have been able to get back on their feet and regain stability and self-sufficiency due to the emergency care that these shelters provide.

What are the benefits of HMIS?

In short, the homeless management information system helps share confidential client information in simple, effective manners making it easier for shelter providers to coordinate services. Clients end up being the primary beneficiaries. The benefits of health management information systems include, and certainly are not limited to:

Improved client care: The more time that health and social care professionals have to spend one-on-one with clients, the better the client’s care will be. A robust HMIS system can automate and economize the work of these professionals giving them more time to do the work that is truly important to them.
Reduction in errors: A great benefit of electronic records and information systems is the elimination of manual duplication and repetition. With fewer manual entries comes a drastic reduction in errors.
Instant access to client information: Being able to access information at the snap of a finger is a given in today’s wired economy. Instant access is a requirement for entry to the market place and health management information systems are no different.
Reduced operational overhead and increase efficiency: Having information standardized, organized, and accessible reduces the number of time organizations need to spend sifting through information and re-gathering work that has already been completed. This in turn reduces payroll costs creating operational efficiency.

How can Case Management Solutions help HMIS?

Affordable housing case management relies on a robust HMIS as the foundation for success. Case management solutions can streamline processes, identify and correct inefficiencies, and organize efforts to create a more focused approach to solving the epidemic of homelessness. Case management solutions support efficiency and automation through:

Online applications: Centralized storage of information is essential in today’s economy. The ability of any team member to access information any time, anywhere, is simply a prerequisite for doing business. Continuums of care who work with a large volume of clients can benefit greatly from storing applications online. The ability to manage the processing and completion of online applications turns a cumbersome task into an effortless process.
Resident screening: Obtaining Federal and state funds come with a lot of strings. One of those strings is the careful screening of residents. A modern case management solutions system can organize and track the screening process. And, just like online applications, these documents can be uploaded and stored in one place allowing for instant access anywhere.
Payment processing: There are entire software suites that are devoted simply to payment processing. The good news is that with robust case management software, HMIS users can have this function under the same umbrella as all of their team’s other essential functions. This eliminates the need for yet another software subscription, unnecessary team training, and additional login information. Instead of keeping track of yet another process, the professionals working to combat homelessness can focus on their ultimate goal.
Utility billing: Utilities are one of the primary costs associated with housing. Tracking utility bills for clients in one place makes sure that these bills aren’t forgotten about. Organized bill history also allows for budgeting and fostering self-sufficiency.
Staff training: Training never ends for professionals working in the non-profit and social work fields. An HMIS makes it easy for case managers to familiarize themselves with a continuum of care processes, clients, and standard operating procedures.
Monthly rent collection: No case management solutions software would be complete with a way to collect monthly rent online. PayPal and credit card payments are the industry standard. In fact, you’d be hard-pressed to find a segment of the American economy that doesn’t rely heavily on website based payments. Affordable housing solutions certainly rely heavily on online payments.

PlanStreet and case management for HMIS

PlanStreet provides a flexible, powerful, and proven software that can streamline the process of a continuum of care by automating and digitizing workflow. Arming industry professionals with this tool allows them to use their skills to combat the pervasive problem of homeless.

One of PlanStreet’s greatest assets is its flexibility to adapt not only to the specific requirements of an organization but also to the ever-changing federal and state regulations that govern the disbursement and use of government funds. Simply put, organizations can’t afford to not investigate the advantages PlanStreet’s offerings provide.