How HMIS Data is Used
There are many reasons that HMIS data quality is very important. Many of us are aware that HMIS information about individual clients can be used to make decisions about the best ways to help them, and that data about projects can be used to make programs better and to report to funders.
The data you enter into HMIS is also used to tell the public information about homelessness and poverty. The data does not show information about individual people. Instead, the information you put into client entries is added up and presented in dashboards on Tableau. These numbers are used in news stories, are presented to local government, and are also available to anyone in the public who is interested. We rely on HMIS users to put "good data in" so we can get "good data out" and make informed decisions.
Dashboard Descriptions
This dashboard gives detailed information about the number of homeless individuals in the county. People are counted in this dashboard if the Prior Living Situation on their most recent entry is a homeless situation, and if they are actively receiving services right now. They are counted as chronically homeless if their Length of Time Homeless questions indicate chronic homelessness. Other information, like veteran status and race/ethnicity, come from the client profile or entry assessment. This is why it is so important to verify your entry information is correct before you save an entry. Individuals are removed from this dashboard if you exit them to a housed situation, or after a period of no services in HMIS.
Homelessness Response System Inventory & Utilization in Lane County, OR
This dashboard gives detailed information about the capacity and utilization of shelter and housing projects in the county. Projects that use ShelterPoint are usually counted in these dashboards. It's important to make sure that your clients are checked in and out on time so that these counts are accurate. If you are the agency admin for one of these projects and your inventory count has changed, remember to let us know so we can update this information.
Our work is complicated, and there are so many different projects and agencies involved! This is a "cheat sheet" that explains what most of these acronyms mean.
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