Chronic Homelessness Questions in HMIS - Conditional Logic
Does your project’s Entry Assessment include conditional logic?
Entry Assessment Name |
Conditional Logic |
HUD CoC & ESG Entry SO ES SH (FY 2026) |
YES |
HHS RHY Entry for SO and ES (FY 2026) |
YES |
HHS PATH Entry for Street Outreach (FY 2026) |
YES |
HUD CoC & ESG Entry All Other Projects (FY 2026) |
YES |
HHS RHY Entry for TH and HP (FY 2026) |
YES |
HHS PATH Entry for Services Only (FY 2026) |
YES |
VA SSVF Entry for HP and RRH (FY 2026) |
YES |
AcronymsCoC – Continuum of Care ES – Emergency Shelter ESG – Emergency Solutions Grant HP – Homeless Prevention HUD – Housing and Urban Development PATH - Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness RHY – Runaway and Homeless Youth RRH – Rapid Re-Housing SSVF – Supportive Services for Veteran Families SH – Safe Haven
|
If NO for conditional logic, you will always see the following questions (definitions for each question on page 6):
If YES for conditional logic, you will begin with the following two questions. These questions are the beginning of a sequence of questions that will appear, dependent upon the selections made.
How Does Conditional Logic Work?
Depending on what category your selection falls into for Current Residence/Living Situation, the following questions will be answered:
Options available for Current Residence/Living Situation, note the three types of SITUATIONS your answers could fall under.
Options available for Length of Stay in Previous Place
Example Images
Client Entering from Homeless Situation:
Client Entering from Institutional Situation, with a stay of MORE THAN 90 days:
Client Entering from Institutional Situation, with a stay of LESS THAN 90 days:
Client Entering from Transitional and Permanent Housing Situation, with length of stay MORE THAN 7 nights:
Client Entering from Transitional and Permanent Housing Situation, with length of stay LESS THAN 7 nights:
Answering Yes to the question ‘On the night before did you stay on the streets, ES or SH?’ will populate three additional questions:
Data Collection Instructions, from the HMIS Data Standards Manual
Intake staff should ask clients about their homeless history, including specific instances the client spent on the street, in an emergency shelter, or in a Safe Haven project. This may require defining or explaining each field to the client.
Although documentation is required by some funders for programs targeting chronic homeless persons, completing the data fields in HMIS does not require documentation -- a client’s responses are all that is required.
How do you determine the Approximate Date Started?
Number of Times homeless in the past three years?
Total number of months homeless in the past three years?