Transforming Metrics for Success
COVERING LA IN HMIS
Administering a Homeless Management Information
System (HMIS) that enables communities to collect and
manage data for their homeless programs is a principle
HUD requirement. To meet this requirement, LAHSA has
led a successful campaign to encourage and support
homeless service providers in the implementation of HMIS
throughout the Los Angeles Continuum of Care.
LAHSA’s ultimate goal is to implement a HMIS inclusive
of all homeless programs regardless if they are LAHSA-
funded or not. While the agency’s implementation progress
has been steady overall for the past year, there’s still a
lot more work to be done, especially around emergency
shelter and permanent supportive housing programs.
As of June 2011, LAHSA has achieved the following:
• 56
percent bed coverage for Emergency Family, Single
and Youth Shelters. This represents a 1 percent increase
from FY 2010.
• 69
percent bed coverage for Transitional Family, Single
and Youth Programs. This represents a 19 percent
increase from FY 2010.
• 31
percent bed coverage for Permanent Supportive
Housing Programs. This represents a 3 percent increase
from FY 2010.
The chart below provides the percentage and number of
beds implemented and not implemented in HMIS for FY
2011.
The following chart provides a comparison of the percent-
age of beds implemented in HMIS for FY 2010 and FY 2011*.
*
The percentages and number of beds presented account for annual
fluctuations in total number of beds for each program type.
HMIS IMPLEMENTATION AS OF JUNE 2011
1,964
100%
75%
50%
25%
0%
Emergency
Shelter
Transitional
Housing
Permanent
Supportive
Housing
44%
56%
31%
69%
69%
31%
2,302 11,859
2,532
5,087
5,254
Number of CoC Beds
not using HMIS
Number of CoC Beds
using HMIS
HMIS IMPLEMENTATION COMPARISON FOR 2010-2011
6000
Emergency Shelter
2,160
55%
NUMBER OF COC BEDS IN HMIS
5000
4000
3000
2000
1000
0
Transitional Housing
Permanent
Supportive Housing
2,532
56%
4,037
50%
5,087
69%
4,759
28%
5,254
31%
PROGRAM TYPE
CoC Beds in HMIS as of June 2010 CoC Beds in HMIS as of June 2011
IMPROVING DATA QUALITY
With funding from the Homelessness Prevention and
Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP), LAHSA’s HMIS team
was able to develop and expand a comprehensive HPRP
data quality process this past year. The process involved
rigorous weekly monitoring of HUD-required data ele-
ments for HPRP activities. This ensured that the informa-
tion collected not only met, but exceeded acceptable
quality standards, and that the program’s performance
could be tracked as accurately as possible.
Furthermore, thanks to the extensive technical capacity
gained through HPRP, LAHSA has been able to perform
more in-depth data validation and monitoring across all
other program types. The HMIS team has set an ambi-
tious goal to submit the LA Continuum of Care’s home-
less data for inclusion in HUD’s 2011 Annual Homeless
Assessment Report to Congress. This submission will be
a first for Los Angeles.
11
Kitchen area of unit at ACOF’s Osborne Place, Pacoima.
