As of April 1st, 2019, these questions have gone into effect.
If you need to update your agency's intake forms, we have a recommended set of forms that align completely with HUD data standards and our assessment changes.
There will also be an additional question added that covers the client's sexual orientation.
Context
There are two primary reasons as to why these questions are going to be added to all assessments in HMIS starting on April 1st.
- Gives us a more sophisticated method for tracking client living situations, both current and historical
- Gives us necessary context to determine if a client is unsheltered. A client's unsheltered status has significance, particularly because a client's unsheltered status will operate as a tie-breaker for the new Coordinated Entry Prioritization changes rolling out in April.
This is a screen capture of the new prioritization rules
Questions
There are six questions in total. The questions themselves, how they are grouped and what the available responses will be are below:
- Current Residence/Living Situation (question already present in HMIS)
-
Place not meant for habitation Substance abuse treatment facility or detox center Residential project or halfway house with no homeless criteria Emergency shelter, including hotel or motel paid for with emergency shelter voucher Hotel or motel paid for without emergency shelter voucher Staying or living in a family member’s room, apartment or house Safe Haven Owned by client, no ongoing housing subsidy Staying or living in a family member’s room, apartment or house Interim Housing Owned by client, with ongoing housing subsidy Transitional housing for homeless persons (including homeless Youth) Foster care home or foster care group home Permanent housing for formerly homeless persons (such as: a CoC project) Client Doesn’t Know Hospital or other residential non-psychiatric medical facility Rental by client, no ongoing housing subsidy Client Refused Jail, prison or juvenile detention facility Rental by client, with VASH subsidy Long-term care facility or nursing home Rental by client, with GPD TIP subsidy Psychiatric hospital or other psychiatric facility Rental by client, with other ongoing housing subsidy
-
- Is this the type of place that you typically sleep?
- Yes
- No
- Client Refused
- Client Does Not Know
- If Yes and selected a situation that falls under Place not meant for habitation, please ask for the type of place they usually sleep and/or of the community in which the individual often engages.
- Homeless community (encampment) {Include location of currently known encampments}
- Park
- CTA
- Emergency Room
- Police Station
- Car
- Street
- Abandoned/Uninhabited Building
- Viaduct
- Other
- If No, where do you typically sleep?
- (Same answers from Current Residence/Living Situation)
- If selected a situation that falls under Place Not Meant for Habitation, please ask for the type of place they usually sleep and/or of the community in which the individual often engages.
- (Repeat of answers from Question 2)
- Please briefly describe the place that you stay. You are welcome to include an address for team members to use to contact you regarding the availability or permanent housing or other shelter resources.
- (The response to this question will be an open note)
- If selected a situation that falls under Place Not Meant for Habitation please ask if they currently stay in this setting with children.
- Yes
- No
Guidance
Many of these upcoming questions operate on a conditional basis. Depending on the client's current living situation (where they stayed the night before enrolling in a project), the user will further inquire on what the client's typical sleeping situation is.
Typically, in this sense, is defined as a client staying at the location indicated for an extended period of time with no significant breaks. A good measure of time at a given location may be three weeks or more.
Webinar
This webinar was recorded on April 2nd, 2019.
Placement in the Assessment
These additional questions will be nestled with the questions relating to the client's housing situation. A preview is below: