The PATH Report is a critical tool for agencies funded under the Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH) program. It provides a comprehensive view of outreach, engagement, enrollment, services, and referrals for PATH clients. This report is used for federal compliance, internal monitoring, and data quality improvement.
Under Global Visibility, unlocked client records created or updated after go-live can appear in your PATH Report even if another agency entered the data. This means your report may include shared data across providers. While this improves coordination, it also requires careful review to ensure accuracy and privacy.
Before You Run the PATH Report
- Check required PATH data elements:
- PATH Date of Engagement
- PATH Status Determined
- Enrolled in PATH = Yes
- Services and referrals linked to the correct enrollment
- Validate Entry/Exit dates: Ensure project start and exit dates align with actual service timelines.
- Review consent and visibility: Clients with “No Sharing” consent will not appear in the report.
Running the PATH Report in HMIS
The PATH Report uses live data, meaning any corrections you make will appear immediately after re-running the report.
First, navigate to the PATH Report
- From the left navigation menu, click Reports.
- Locate PATH Report in the list.
Next, set the Report Prompts
- Date Range: Enter the reporting period (typically the grant year or required federal reporting window).
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Program Selection: Choose only PATH-funded projects. Do not include non-PATH projects.
Next, Build the Report
- Click Build Report to start the build process.
- The report will move to Run History with a status of “Running.”
- Wait until the status changes to Complete.
Understanding the Data
The PATH Report is divided into multiple sections, each providing specific insights. Below is a detailed explanation of what each section shows and how to interpret it:
- Client Demographics: Summarizes age, sex, race/ethnicity, and veteran status for clients included in the PATH universe. Look for high numbers of “Unknown” or “Refused,” which indicate intake gaps.
- Living Situation at Project Start: Shows where clients were living before PATH entry. Ensure these values align with PATH project type (e.g., Street Outreach should show unsheltered living situations).
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Engagement and Status Determined: Lists counts for Date of Engagement and PATH Status Determined. Engagement should occur after project start and before exit. Missing these values will cause clients to be excluded from engagement metrics.
- Enrollment (Enrolled in PATH = Yes): Indicates which clients are officially enrolled in PATH. If this flag is missing, services and referrals will not count.
- Services and Referrals: Displays totals for PATH-specific services and referrals linked to the enrollment. If services or referrals are missing, check linkage and dates.
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Data Quality Indicators: Highlights missing or invalid values for required PATH elements. Use drill-downs to identify clients and correct data in HMIS.
Common Concerns & Fixes
| Concerns | Why It Happens | How to Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Missing Date of Engagement | The Date of Engagement was never recorded or entered after the client’s exit date, which prevents the client from counting toward engagement metrics. | Open the client’s enrollment, enter the correct Date of Engagement (between project start and exit), save your changes, and re-run the report to confirm the correction. |
| Missing PATH Status Determined | The PATH Status Determined field was not completed during the assessment, so the client does not appear in status counts. | Complete the PATH assessment and set the effective date correctly. Save and re-run the report to verify the update. |
| Enrolled in PATH Not Set to Yes | The enrollment flag is blank or set to “No,” which means services and referrals will not count in the report. | Update the PATH assessment to set “Enrolled in PATH” to Yes. Confirm that services and referrals occur after enrollment and re-run the report. |
| Services Not Counting | Services were entered but not linked to the correct PATH enrollment, or the service dates fall outside the report date range. | Edit each service record to link it to the correct PATH enrollment and verify the service date. Save and re-run the report. |
| Referrals Not Counting | Referrals were logged on the client profile instead of the enrollment, or referral dates are outside the reporting window. | Open the referral record, link it to the correct PATH enrollment, and confirm the date is within the report range. Save and re-run the report. |
| Dates Outside Reporting Window | Engagement, services, or referrals were entered with incorrect dates, causing them to fall outside the report range. | Validate and correct all dates for enrollment, engagement, services, and referrals. Save and re-run the report. |
| Consent and Visibility Issues | Clients with “No Sharing” consent do not appear in the report, or records remain locked under historical visibility rules. | Confirm consent status and visibility settings. Clients with “No Sharing” consent must be tracked offline. |
| Provider Context or EDA Misuse | The report was run under the wrong provider context or EDA was used incorrectly, causing missing or extra data. | Reenter the enrollment and assessment data outside of EDA mode. Re-run the report with correct prompts. |
For any questions, please reach out to Helpdesk@allchicago.org