Diversion and HMIS Data Entry

This particular workflow applies primarily for the youth and family diversion teams at Catholic Charities and Salvation Army.

The goal of diversion is to rapidly resolve the client's housing crisis in order to divert them from entering the homeless services system. This could potentially include helping provide conflict resolution to the client and whomever they are currently residing with, or providing some funds to make it possible for that client to stay in their current housing situation.

Data Entry Into HMIS

When a client comes to an agency for assistance, the first thing that should be completed is the diversion assessment. This assessment is critical in helping to ensure the client is able to avoid entering into the homeless services system.

To track diversion results in HMIS, agencies funded to divert clients will have to complete the following assessments:

1. The HUD CoC & ESG Entry Assessment
2. The Diversion Assessment

In order to completely enter a client in accurately, you must do the following:

• Search for the client in HMIS (guide to searching is here)
  • If a client is not found, then create their record (guide to creating records here)
• Document the client's consent for themselves and their dependents (guide to doing so here)
  • Lock the client record if necessary (guide to locking here)
• Enter the client into your project
  • Depending on your agency, it is either:
    • The Salvation Army - EHARC, or
    • HPCC - Shelter Placement and Diversion Project

Example entry

• After entering the client (and their family, if applicable) into your project, you will see the assessment screen below:

• You will complete the information above as you normally would. This assessment (in this case, it is the HUD CoC and ESG Street Outreach, Emergency Shelter, Safe Haven assessment), holds all the information relating to our client and their current situation.
• The diversion assessment would then need to be completed as well
• The diversion assessment can be completed by switching assessments in the "Select an Assessment" section.

• This is the assessment where you will find all necessary diversion prompts and contacts.

Service Transactions

A service transaction should be created only for services provided to the diverted client that have a cost associated with it (ex. a bus ticket, rental assistance, or grocery gift cards).

The process on how to do so is below.