Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) Key Documents

HMIS Data Standards Manual
The HMIS Data Standards Manual is intended to serve as a reference and provide basic guidance on HUD HMIS data elements for CoCs, HMIS Lead Agencies, system administrators and users.

HMIS Data Standards Dictionary
The Data Standards Dictionary provides the detailed specifications for each data element including the function and use of each element by each of the federal partners. It is a guide to be used by HMIS vendors as a means of providing consistency in the parlance used to define programming and is designed for HMIS vendors, HMIS lead agencies, and HMIS system administrators.

HMIS Standard Reporting Terminology Glossary
The Glossary was created by HMIS vendors for HMIS vendors.  It is intended to provide HMIS programmers with a foundation upon which they can best program HMIS-required reports.

Notice for Housing Inventory Count (HIC) and Point-in-Time (PIT) Data Collection for Continuum of Care (CoC) Program and the Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) Program

HMIS CoC APR and ESG CAPER HMIS Programming Specifications
These are the official specifications used to program the HMIS Report Generation Tool as well as both the ESG CAPER and CoC APR within HomelessData.com.

System Performance Measures – Programming Specifications
These are the official specifications used to program the System Performance Measures. Generally, the questions related to how the reports are calculated can be found here.

HUD HMIS Data Exchange Resources
HUD catalogues a variety of resources to support exchanging HMIS data between systems.  This same format which is being used by HomelessData.com is also used by the VA for SSVF grantees and by SAMHSA for Runaway and Homeless Youth projects.

HUD Guidance and Best Practices

Notice CPD-16-11: Prioritizing Persons Experiencing Chronic Homelessness and Other Vulnerable Homeless Persons in Permanent Supportive Housing
This Notice provides guidance to CoCs and recipients of CoC program funding for permanent supportive housing (PSH) regarding the order in which eligible households should be served in all CoC Program-funded PSH.

Strategies for System Performance Improvement
HUD’s System Performance Measures help communities understand how their system is functioning and if they have deployed the right combination of strategies and resources. This brief is part of a series of resources to help
Continuums of Care (CoC) improve their homelessness system and build the confidence to use local data in strategic decision-making.

HUD System Performance Measures Tools
The purpose of the System Performance Measures Tools page is to provide CoCs, HMIS administrators, and HMIS vendors the tools necessary to consistently calculate and analyze system performance meausres. The System Performance Measures HMIS Programming Specifications provides instructions for calculating system performance measures to ensure that the measures are consistently calculated across the country, regardless of HMIS software.

Continuum of Care Grantee Information

The About Grantees Page
This page provides quick access to contact information, reports, award, jurisdiction, and location data for organizations that receive HUD funding.

The CoC Award Summary Reports by Program Type
This page provides award data broken down by eligible program component types for the year selected. The reports, which can be run to show a specific CoC or State’s program components, also display the amount and percentage awarded for new projects and renewal projects.

Housing Inventory Chart and Point in Time Data Since 2007
CoC Housing Inventory Count Reports

Dashboards and Data Analysis

HUD System Performance Measures
This dashboard provides a lens into the performance of every CoC in the US and can be helpful for identifying areas of both strength and weakness within a community.

HUD Point in Time Counts
This dashboard shows year over year trends in homelessness for each region in the US.

Racial Disparity Analysis
This dashboard helps to highlight the disparities between the racial breakdowns within the homeless population and the general population by comparing PIT results with results from the US Census.