Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) Workflow

Please use the following instructions to document your work with Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) clients in the HMIS.  Other helpful information is available in the ShelterPoint Workflow.  

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Project Entry
• Case Manager and Case Plans
• Interim Reviews including Annuals
• Service Transactions
• Project Exit
• PSH Reports
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Project Entry

You will add clients to your project on the date they are determined eligible.  If you do not use referrals through Coordinated Entry, you will simply check in your client to your Shelters project.  

If you receive referrals through Coordinated Entry, you will enter your client into the project by accepting the referral in Shelters.   To accept the referral, there are two main steps: 

1.  In Clients:

• Review the Client’s record and determine eligibility. 
• Confirm that all the household members are associated with the Head of Household in ClientPoint on the Households tab.
  
  
  

  
   
  

2.  In Shelters, open the Project / Unit and you will see the referred client at the bottom of the Unit List in the Outstanding Referrals section.

• If you are accepting this referral, click on the Check-In icon to begin the enrollment. Checking the client into your project automatically closes the referral as “Needs Fully Met”.
• If you are declining this referral, click in the pencil icon to edit the Referral Outcome.
  • Complete the Referral Outcome (Declined)
  • The Reason (must be completed)
  • 
  • Complete this step by clicking on Save Referral Information.  

Important! 

• Please check in your client (or accept their referral) on the date they are determined eligible and remember to fill out all assessment questions.
  
• This check-in/entry date (also known as Project Start Date) will be the anniversary date for annual reviews. 
• Make sure the Housing Move-in Date is empty. Even if the client enters your project as housed, you should record the Housing Move-in Date on an Interim Review to make sure it reports correctly

Case Manager and Case Plans

It is always recommended to make yourself the Case Manager for your client. This way, other agencies will know to contact you if they have any questions. To add yourself as a Case Manager, click on the Case Manager tab in Clients and click on Add Case Manager.

You can also document your work with the client in the Case Plans tab. Information in this section is not shared with other agencies.  Learn more about this here: Case Plans Tab.

Interim Reviews including Annuals

Interim Reviews should be used to document any changes to a client's assessment answers since their initial project entry.  PSH projects must record an Interim Review when clients move in to housing, need an annual review, and have any changes to assessment information like income, non-cash benefits, health insurance, disabling conditions, etc.  Interim reviews are all added through Clients, regardless of whether or not your project is in Clients or Shelters.  Please review this article for more help creating an Interim Review.  

• To add a Housing Move In Date (HMID): To enter the housing move-in date, select Housing Move In Date as your Interim Review Type and click Save & Continue. Make sure to fill out the Housing Move-in Date (HMID) for all household members and update any other questions that need updates. Remember that the HMID should be the date that the client actually started living in the unit, even if that comes after the start date on the lease.
• To add an Annual Review: For annual reviews, elect Annual Assessment for an annual review. Remember that for annual reviews, your review date should be the same date as the anniversary date of the client's entry.
• To update a Client Assessment: Choose Update and navigate through the assessment questions to update the items that have changed.  

Important!  Review all of the questions in the interim assessment and update any information that has changed. Make sure you complete the assessment for every household member. Then Save & Exit.

Service Transactions

You can document service transactions to demonstrate the work you are doing with clients.  Full instructions on creating a rent or utility payment transaction are in the Rent Assistance Service Transactions guide. You can also see information on how to log other service types using the Service Type Table article.  Before you get started, remember:

• The client should have a project entry before you record any services.
• Include all household members from the entry on each service transaction.
• You should create the transaction from the profile of the head of household. This will automatically mark the head of household as the Primary Client for each transaction.
• The start date and time of every transaction must occur after the entry date and time. If an arrearage payment is recorded before the entry date and time, it will not be counted.
• The end date and time of every transaction must occur before the exit date and time. If a transaction is recorded after the exit date and time, it will not be counted.
• You may record other service transactions like Case Management. These will have a Start and End date of the day the service was provided, and funds do not need to be attached.

Project Exit

Clients should be checked out once they have left your program. This may be when they receive their last rent payment, or after the last service if you continue to provide case management.  Remember, the Project Exit must occur after the end date and time of the last service.  

To exit a client, click the bed icon to the left of the client you want to check out.

Make sure the Date Out is correct and that the Reason For Leaving and Destination are completed. Remember to select other household members if all are checking out at the same time.

If your project has an exit assessment, please make sure to fill this out before you click Save & Exit. Then you will see that the client is no longer in your Unit List. 

PSH Reports

You should run the following reports at least once per month to make sure that your data is accurate and up-to-date.

• RRH and PSH Enrollments and Move-In Dates - make sure all housed clients have a Housing Move-In Date (HMID), ensure client list is correct
• ESG CAPER or APR (WellSky) – look for errors on entry assessments in data quality sections 6a-6c, accurate prior living situations and exit destinations
• DQ for UDE PLUS (BusinessObjects) - look for missing information on entry assessment.  
• Client Served (WellSky) – make sure all services have a fund attached and see how many services have been provided
• Service Transaction History [Provider] w Detail - use this report to ensure all service transactions have all required elements complete (dates, units, notes, vendor, fund, etc.)
• Fund Usage Report (WellSky) - make sure spenddown is accurate
• Annual Reviews (BusinessObjects) - find out which clients need an annual review recorded
• Follow-ups (BusinessObjects) - identify clients who need to be contacted for a follow-up review
  

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Client was housed but lost the housing
   • Exit the client from your project. Make the destination the living situation they exited to.
   • Create a new entry for your client on the same day as their exit. Make sure their prior living situation is the same living situation as it was on the exit and make sure to clear their Housing Move-In Date (HMID).
   • This client will have a new annual review date. Annuals will be completed on the anniversary of the new project entry.
2. A household member moved out
   • Exit the individual from your project on the day they moved out
   • Add an interim review for the same date and update the household size and any changes to household income
3. A household member moved out but has moved back in
   • Exit all remaining household members
   • Create a new entry in your project with all household members who are now living together. Change the Housing Move-in Date to be this new entry date. Remember to update any household information (income, household size, etc) that has changed.
   • This household will have a new annual review date. Annuals will be completed on the anniversary of the new project entry.
4. A new household member moved in after the entry
   • See Client Joins Household after Entry Date
5. More FAQs at the bottom of this article: ShelterPoint Workflow