What Funding Requires the use of HMIS

Some grant funding requires agencies receiving the funding to enter data into HMIS. The following HUD and Federal Partner funding streams require the use of HMIS:

•          Continuum of Care (CoC)
•          Emergency Solutions Grant, formerly the Emergency Shelter Grant (ESG)
•          Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF)
•          Runaway and Homeless Youth (RHY)
•          Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH)

There are also local funders that require agencies receiving the funding to enter data into HMIS. The following local funding streams require the use of HMIS:

•          North Dakota Homeless Grant (NDHG)

There are some funding streams that strongly encourage, but do not require, the use of HMIS. The following funding streams encourage the use of HMIS:

•          Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS (HOPWA)
•          Department of Housing and Urban Development Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH)

While HUD and the Federal Partners require the use of HMIS by their grantees, they do not have direct access to any CoCs HMIS. For reporting purposes, all data submitted to HUD and the Federal Partners are done so in aggregate and through exports from the HMIS.

*** Some agencies choose to enter data into HMIS voluntarily, regardless of any funding they do (or do not) receive. This is because HMIS is the most robust data set for a community specifically as it relates to individuals and families at-risk of and experiencing homelessness. The more participation a CoC has in HMIS, the more complete picture they have to tell their homelessness story and make data-informed decisions based on that story. ***