Homeless Management Information System

What is HMIS?

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires each Continuum of Care (CoC) and its McKinney-Vento grantees to use a Homeless Management Information System (HMIS). Each HMIS is required by HUD to produce an unduplicated count of individuals and families experiencing homelessness, and collect and report data according to HUD HMIS data standards. These data are collected and reported out of HMIS-compliant systems, which are used locally to collect client-level data on client characteristics, services received, and program outcomes. HUD uses aggregate data from these systems nationally to report on the extent and nature of homelessness over time.

The NYC Department of Social Services (DSS) manages the HMIS on behalf of the NYC CoC and complies with HUD's data collection, management, and reporting standards.

What Makes NYC's HMIS Different?

The NYC CoC HMIS is unique in that it is a Data Warehouse allowing providers to select their own HMIS-complaint vendor to collect data. All providers are then responsible for uploading their data monthly (by the 10th business day) into the Warehouse and producing HUD required reports (such as the Annual Perfomance Report or APR) from the Warehouse.

Providers can either contract with an HMIS compliant software vendor (see list below) or develop their own database that can produce HUD's HMIS CSV (Comma Separated Values) specified file set. Providers use their “source systems” to produce their CSVs and then login to the NYC HMIS Data Warehouse to upload their CSV file sets to the NYC HMIS Warehouse.

Accepted HMIS-compliant vendors include:

• Adsystech – Adaptive Enterprise Case Management
• Bitfocus – Clarity Human Services HMIS
• CaseWorthy – HMIS
  
• Eccovia Solutions – ClientTrack
• Foothold Technology – AWARDS
• Bonterra – Bonterra Case Management (Social Solutions/Apricot)
• WellSky (Mediware) – ServicePoint
  

Who Should Participate?

The goal of the NYC CoC is to have 100% participation of all homeless service projects within NYC, regardless of funding source.

Projects receiving the following funding are required to participate in HMIS:

• U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD):
  • HUD: McKinney-Vento
  • Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA)
  • Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG)
• U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA):
  • Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF)
  • Grant and Per Diem (GPD) projects
  • Healthcare for Homeless Veterans (HCHV)
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS):
  • Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH)
  • Runaway and Homeless Youth (RHY)

*Victim Service Providers (VSPs) with a target population of survivors of domestic violence (75%+ of clients/households) are prohibited from uploading client-level data to HMIS. However, CoC-funded VSPs are required to use an HMIS comparable database that conforms to the HMIS Data Standards and is capable of producing all HMIS reports.

NOTE: The NYC HMIS Warehouse is migrating to a new data environment in 2023. Contact the HMIS team for more information at DSSHMIS@dss.nyc.gov.