Universal Data Elements (UDEs)
Collection of Universal Data Elements (UDEs) is required for all projects, regardless of funding source.
HMIS data is used for producing unduplicated estimates of the number of people experiencing homelessness, identifying basic demographic characteristics, and analyzing for patterns of service use. The collection of personal information is critical to distinguish unique individuals from one another to make counts as accurate as possible.
| CLIENT IDENTIFIER DATA
One Value per Client Record Collected once per client, regardless of project stays. Incorrect or outdated data must be corrected in the original record.
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DATA
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WHY WE COLLECT IT
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| Name
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To support the unique identification of each person served. |
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| Social Security Number (SSN)
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Significantly supports the unique identification of each person served. An important objective for ending homelessness is to increase access and utilization of mainstream programs by persons who are experiencing homelessness or are at-risk of homelessness. SSN is a required data element for many mainstream programs; projects may need the SSN to help their clients access mainstream services.
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| Date Of Birth
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To calculate the age of persons served at time of project start or at any point during project enrollment and to support the unique identification of each person served. |
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| Race
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To indicate clients' self-identification of one or more of five different racial categories. |
Supports system planning, local, and national understanding of who is experiencing homelessness. |
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| Ethnicity
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To indicate clients' self-identification as Hispanic or Latino. |
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| Gender
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To indicate clients' self-identification as male, female, transgender female, transgender male, or gender non- conforming. |
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| Veteran Status
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To indicate whether clients are veterans of the United States armed forces. Allows for an accurate count of how many veterans experience homelessness. Useful for screening for possible housing and service interventions and for understanding veterans service needs. |
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| PROJECT STAY
DATA
One or More Value(s) Per Project Stay for a Client or Household |
DATA |
WHY WE COLLECT IT |
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| Disabling Condition
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To indicate whether or not clients have a disabling condition. Used with other information to identify whether a client meets the criteria for chronic homelessness. |
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| Project Start Date
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All projects need this data element for reporting time spent participating in the project. |
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| Housing Move-In Date
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To document the date that a household admitted into a Permanent Housing project moves into housing. Critical to point-in-time and housing inventory counts as it differentiates households which are enrolled but are still literally homeless from households which have already moved into permanent housing. |
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| Project Exit Date
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All projects need this data element for reporting time spent participating in the project. |
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| Destination
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To identify where a client will stay just after exiting a project for purposes of outcome measurement. |
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| Relationship To Head Of Household
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To identify one person to whom all other household members can be linked to at the time they enter a project. Facilitates the identification and enumeration of households and enables reporting on household composition. |
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| Client Location
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To link client data to the relevant CoC to ensure accurate counts of persons served. |
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| Prior Living Situation
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To identify the type of living situation and length of time in that situation just prior to project start for all adults and heads of households. Used with other information to identify if a client appears to meet the criteria for chronic homelessness at various points of enrollment. |
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