About the Maricopa HMIS Project

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Background In response to requirements from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that communities produce an unduplicated client count of persons who are homeless, the Maricopa Regional Continuum of Care on Homelessness 2001 application for HUD McKinney Act funds included a request for funding for the Community Information & Referral, Inc. (CIR) to implement a Homeless Management Information System (HMIS). The HMIS will be used by homeless programs in Maricopa County to capture, maintain and report information. HUD awarded the funding to CIR in the fall of 2001 to implement the HMIS. The Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG), which provides staff support to the Maricopa Regional Continuum of Care on Homelessness, contracted for assistance with a community planning effort to work with homeless providers in the geographic area of Maricopa County to identify the community wants and needs for such a system. Management consultants Cannon & Gill, Inc. assisted with the planning process and the selection of the HMIS software package from December 2001 to June 2002. CIR estimates a three to four-year phase in of all of the homeless providers in the Maricopa County geographic area. CIR estimates that 27 homeless providers will begin using the HMIS in a phase-in implementation over the first year (by December 2003)./p> Description The purpose of this project is to purchase off-the-shelf software and implement a system to capture and report data on persons who are homeless in the geographic area of Maricopa County, Arizona in order to meet the requirements of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). A planning committee comprised of homeless providers, the Community Information & Referral, Inc. (CIR), which is the local agency which will be the administrator of the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), and other interested parties from the City of Phoenix, Maricopa County, Arizona Department of Economic Security and Arizona Department of Health Services met and identified key features that should be included in this system. The planning committee identified high level requirements for the HMIS that shall include the following key operational areas: Homeless information about real-time bed and service availability among homeless providers and referral capabilities. Providers should be able to use the software to “reserve” beds in their own facilities. Referrals between providers will require the receiving provider to accept the referral. On-line client intake with data recorded at the time of intake which can be used to reduce duplicate data entry and to produce an unduplicated client count. This feature also allows a provider to search the system to determine if the client already is currently or was in the past receiving services from that provider. If the client agrees to information sharing, this may also allow a provider to search the database for other services previously or currently provided to the client to improve coordination of services. On-line case management - within an agency and, subject to agency and client agreement, across agencies. This feature should allow data about service needs, services provided, and goal achievement, and team members to be automated for reporting purposes. System wide information and reporting which will allow non-client identifiable information to be reported for a variety of purposes and to a variety of community identified information users. This may include ad hoc reports, standard reports and queries that will provide information about persons who are homeless and the services and beds received and client “turnaway” information. All of these operational levels assume: Appropriate client confidentiality according to laws and regulations Agencies continue to use their own requirements for acceptance into service Agency information is confidential Detailed protocols and agreements on access to data and information sharing are executed among participating providers. Data from the providers will be stored in a central database and must be available to the individual providers for information and reports about their own programs. In addition, the information in the central database will be used to produce community-wide de-identified information about homeless populations in the geographic area to HUD, local policy makers, funding sources, and other interested parties. The system will also produce management reports for participant homeless provider agencies. The current level of automation among the providers varies significantly. Some providers have manual operations while other providers have their own custom or packaged automated systems for information and referral, client intake, case management, or reporting. Consequently, some providers will use the HMIS system as the front-end system, while other providers may wish to interface their existing systems to the HMIS. The HMIS must accommodate the four key operational areas identified above, is and will remain compliant with the requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and other relevant state and federal laws related to client confidentiality, particularly of persons who have substance abuse, mental health, domestic violence and HIV/AIDS related issues. Providers The total population of Maricopa County is approximately 3 million people residing in a 9,222 square mile area. There are approximately 70 homeless providers in this geographic area providing services and 8,416 beds to the estimated 11,000 – 14,000 persons who are homeless. The 8,416 beds are designated as follows: 2,082 are Emergency Shelter Beds; 3,433 are Transitional Housing Beds; and 2,901 are Permanent Supportive Housing Beds. In addition, the community is discussing the potential to use the HMIS that is developed and implemented in the Maricopa geographic area to also serve the other two Homeless Continuums in Arizona. This potentially would include the 23 providers, 2,066 beds, and 5,028 people who are estimated to be homeless in the Pima County Continuum and an estimated 20 - 25 providers, 200 - 300 beds, and 500 people who are homeless in the Balance of State / Rural Continuum. The community has not yet reached agreement on including one or both of these other geographic areas in the HMIS; however, this remains a possibility. Implementation for the Participating Homeless Providers will be performed in a phased manner: Emergency Shelters Transitional Housing Providers Permanent Support Housing Providers Food Banks and Other Faith-Based Providers The current Participating Providers are: A & A Cottages, Inc. A New Leaf Area Agency on Aging, Region One, Inc. Arizona Behavioral Health Corporation (ABC) Arizona Housing Inc. Catholic Charities Community Services Central Arizona Shelter Services (CASS) Childhelp City of Phoenix Human Services Department (Watkins Overflow Shelter) Community Bridges Florence Crittenton HomeBase Youth Services Homeward Bound House of Refuge, Inc. Labor's Community Service Agency Lodestar Day Resource Center Native American Connections, Inc. New Arizona Family, Inc. NOVA Safe Haven Phoenix Dream Center Phoenix Rescue Mission Phoenix Shanti Group Recover Innovations of Arizona, Inc. Salvation Army Save The Family Foundation of Arizona Society of Saint Vincent de Paul Diocese of Phoenix Southwest Behavioral Health Tumbleweed Center for Youth Development United Methodist Outreach Ministries (UMOM) URBAN OUTREACH US Vets Valley of the Sun United Way Homeless Outreach Project Women In New Recovery (WINR) General contact information about the participating providers is available here. Benefits The expected benefits of the HMIS are: For the Client -- Improved coordination of care and services; improved knowledge about services and beds available; potential linkage to other service delivery systems in the future; reduced duplication of information gathering/sharing if elements such as common / central intake and shared case management are operationalized; potential direct access to information in the future if kiosk or similar option is added; protection of client confidentiality. For the Provider Who Participates in the HMIS -- Automated reporting; reduction in number of reports produced; improved internal and external data; improved ability to serve clients; automated information for management and case managers (i.e., automated case management function when operationalized); improved client tracking; potential to streamline referral processes; potential for strengthened partnerships through participation; meet HUD reporting requirements For the Continuum of Care -- Improved information about system and system needs for funding, decision-making and policy; improve information for the Maricopa Continuum of Care Exhibit 1 application to HUD and other funding applications; improved ability to identify and quantify gaps in the system; credibility; potential for strengthened partnership among components of the community system For HUD and Other Funders -- Improved information about system and system needs for funding, decision-making and policy For the General Community -- Better information about people who are experiencing homelessness, the causes and the trends and future needs will help the general community to better plan for affordable housing and support for people who are at-risk of becoming or returning to homelessness; better information about housing and support needs will enable interested parties to better market these needs to potential funders and policymakers. How to Participate/Contribute If You are a Homeless Provider If you are a homeless provider and have questions about participating in HMIS, please contact the HMIS Project Director: Robert Duvall Community Information & Referral 602-263-8845 x 102 / 602-577-0501 (cell) rduvall@cir.org If You Wish to Contribute If you wish to contribute funds or other resources to the Maricopa HMIS Project, please contact: Roberto Armijo President and CEO Community Information & Referral 2200 N Central Ave Ste 601 Phoenix, AZ 85004 602-263-8845 x 111 rarmijo@cir.org

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