HMIS Help Desk FAQ'S

QUESTION: How do you check your Program Exits Destination for a certain time period?

ANSWER: To check or review exit outcomes for a program and time period, you can use the Sage APR function under the REPORTING menu. CLICK HERE to review the proper steps.

QUESTION: How do you fix the chronic status of a client?

ANSWER: For each head of the household, you need to locate the HUD Universal Assessment for the original PSH entry date. The primary issue with the MISSING chronic status field is the missing data on the "Approximate Date Homelessness Started" field.  This is primarily due to a change in requirements by HUD and the transition from the HMIS Legacy system.  The fix is relatively easy. CLICK HERE for two pics that show the problem and resolution.

The first pic shows a typical case that has NO information under the "Approximate Date Homelessness Started" and a "NO" under the Chronic status (boxed in RED).  The length of the homelessness field displays "1 year or longer".  Due to the problem with the transition and changes in data fields, the newer field "Data Homelessness started" was not correctly updated.  To change from NO to YES in the chronic field, you need to select a date that is at least 12 months PRIOR to the intake date.  This will update the chronic from NO to YES.  You should only do this if the client was recorded as homeless for 12 months or longer prior to entry.

This should take care of most of the missing data under the chronic field.  Remember, the chronic definition requires three key requirements:  1) Yes to disabled condition, 2) Prior unsheltered location or emergency sheltered living situation, and 3) Homeless tenure of 1 year or longer, or 4 times in 3 years that equal 12 months or longer.

QUESTION: How do you add a family member to a current program enrollment when the family member is already in the HMIS database?

ANSWER:   Find your client and ensure the correct family ID number is displayed. (To verify, place your cursor over the “I” located in the upper left corner under the client's name. Follow the next steps:

• Go to Case Management and select Family and Contacts
• Select Family
• Click the Gear and select edit family members
• Click +Add Family Member located in the upper right corner
• Find the family member, make sure to complete Relationship and Gender.  Note that Relationship typically defaults to self (HoH).  You will need to change this to "child" or "spouse" or whatever is needed.  The household cannot have two HoH or you will get an error.
• Click Done

QUESTION: How do I change a client from "NOT SHARING" to "SHARING" at a later point in time after the initial intake has been finished?

ANSWER: This is a task that must be performed by your Agency Administrator.  The Agency Administrator should click the "Case Management" icon on top. Then select "Admin Forms" from the left menu bar.  There are two choices:  1) Change consent for client demographics, and 2) Change consent sharing for program enrollment.  You can open one or both and make the change at the bottom and click  SAVE.  When making edits, it is always recommended to check if the change was accepted by the system.

QUESTION: How can I change or update the enrollment date?

ANSWER: You need to be in the Case Manager role then complete the following sequence: CM  locate the correct enrollment > Gear > Member Enrollment > +Add/Edit Members > Click on the blue check > Edit the Begin Date > Save