Starting October 1, 2025, the updated HUD HMIS Data Standards will bring significant changes not just to how data is collected, but also to how it’s reported across federal systems. These updates affect key reports such as the CoC Annual Performance Report (APR), ESG Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER), the PATH Annual Report, and others used by federal partners to evaluate program performance and funding impact.
These reporting changes may not be immediately visible in day-to-day data entry, but they have a direct impact on how your work is reflected in dashboards, performance reviews, and funding decisions. Fields that were once standard, like Gender, are being removed, while new fields like Sex are being introduced to align with federal definitions and executive guidance. Understanding these shifts will help ensure your data entry supports accurate reporting, avoids validation errors, and keeps your program in compliance.
Table of Contents
Reporting Timelines
Sage Reporting System
- Starting October 1, Sage will only accept the FY 2026 versions of the following reports:
- CoC Annual Performance Report (APR)
- ESG Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER)
- Coordinated Entry APR
Make sure your data entry reflects the new standards before submitting these reports to avoid validation errors.
PATH Annual Report
- The PATH Annual Report is expected to be due in mid-December 2025.
- This report will reflect the updated data elements, including the removal of Gender and the addition of Sex.
RHY Reporting
- Runaway and Homeless Youth (RHY) programs will begin using the FY 2026 Hashed CSV format starting in October 2025.
VA Reporting
- VA programs will use the FY 2024 CSV format for the October 2025 annual report.
- They will transition to the FY 2026 CSV format for the November upload.
CoC APR and ESG CAPER
With the implementation of the 2026 HUD HMIS Data Standards, several changes have been made to the CoC Annual Performance Report (APR) and ESG Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER). These updates reflect the retirement of certain data elements and the introduction of new ones, and they directly impact how client data is summarized and submitted.
What’s Been Removed
To align with the retirement of Gender, Sexual Orientation, and Translation Assistance Needed, HUD has removed the following tables from APR and CAPER reporting:
- Q10a – Gender
- Q10d – Gender by Age Ranges (CAPER only)
- Q24c – Sexual Orientation of Adults in PSH (APR only)
- Q25c – Gender – Veterans
- Q26c – Gender of Chronically Homeless Persons
- Q27c – Gender – Youth
- Q24d – Translation Assistance Needed (APR and CAPER)
These tables will no longer appear in SAGE, HMIS dashboards, or HMIS exports. Data previously collected under these categories will not be included in future reporting.
What’s Been Added or Updated
Several tables have been revised to reflect new data elements and updated reporting logic:
-
Q6a – Personally Identifiable Information (PII):
- The Gender row has been removed.
-
Q6f – Inactive Records – Contact:
- Emergency Shelter Night-by-Night projects are no longer counted as Contacts.
- PATH-funded SSO projects are now included.
- Wording updated to:
“Contact (Adults and Heads of Household in Street Outreach or PATH-funded SSO)”
-
Q24e – Sex:
- A new table has been added to report on the Sex data element.
- This table replaces Gender in demographic reporting and will be used across all project types.
PATH Reporting
A few changes have been made to the PATH Annual Report. These updates reflect the retirement of specific data elements and the introduction of new ones, directly impacting how client demographics are summarized and submitted for PATH-funded projects.
What’s Been Removed
-
Q26a – Gender:
This table has been removed following the retirement of the Gender data element. Gender will no longer be included in PATH reporting or visible in the HMIS PATH dashboard.
What’s Been Added or Updated
-
Q26l – Sex:
A new table has been added to report on the Sex data element. This aligns PATH reporting with updated federal definitions and ensures consistency with other reports. -
Race and Ethnicity Terminology Updated:
The wording for race/ethnicity has been revised from “Hispanic/Latina/e/o” to “Hispanic/Latina/o”. This change reflects updated language guidance and will appear in PATH and other federal reports using standardized demographic fields.
HUD CSV (including VA, RHY Hashed)
The 2026 Data Standards also bring updates to the HUD CSV file formats used for federal reporting. These changes affect how data is structured and validated for programs like VA, RHY (HASHED), and others that rely on CSV-based submissions.
-
Expanded Character Set:
The allowable character set has been expanded to support UTF-8 encoding, which improves compatibility and ensures special characters are handled correctly across systems. -
SourceType and SourceID Clarifications:
HUD has clarified how SourceType and SourceID should be used in CSV files. These fields help identify the origin of client records and ensure consistency across uploads. -
File-Level Updates:
Changes have been made to the Client, Enrollment, and Service CSV files to reflect:- Retired data elements (e.g., Gender, Sexual Orientation, Translation Assistance Needed)
- New data elements (e.g., Sex)
- Updated picklist values (e.g., Race/Ethnicity wording)
Webinar Recording
9/25/2025
10/6/2025