Homeless Management Information System

The first of its kind in Canada!

To fulfill Strategy 4 of Calgary's 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness, to "improve our data and systems knowledge," we must have one locally developed and administered system focused on ending homelessness. Thus, the CHF has been working with our community since February 2010 to develop a Homeless Management Information System (HMIS).

What is it and what is the value?

The HMIS will be an electronic system that collects consistent information about Calgary's homeless population throughout the system of care. It is absolutely essential to the effective implementation of any 10 year plan to end homelessness.

It allows us to:

  • collect system-wide, standardized data for accurate, real-time reporting on the total number of homeless in Calgary, the length and causes of their homelessness, and their demographic characteristics and needs;
  • better understand people's longitudinal homeless experiences by tracking the services they receive throughout the duration of their homeless episode(s);
  • enable agencies to better meet clients' needs by improving service co-ordination, determining client outcomes, providing more informed program referrals and reducing their administrative burden;
  • improve research for evidence based decision making, such as program design and policy proposals; and
  • help shorten the length of time people are homeless and direct them through the system of care more efficiently and with more understanding.

We continue to collaborate with homeless serving agencies, funders, public systems and clients regarding:

  • software implementation
  • capacity building
  • ethics and privacy protocols
  • shared data sets and standards

The CHF has engaged key stakeholders in a process to develop a Calgary-specific, collaborative HMIS.  This approach is based on over 20 years of learning and best practices from the US and Canada that point to the critical role of community buy-in and local leadership as pre-requisites for success. For US-based information on HMIS, please visit http://www.hmis.info/.

Progress:

January 2012 - present: Phase 2 implementation continues

November 2011: Agency Administrator and staff training for Phase 2 agencies begins

May 2011: Phase 1 HMIS launch and continuing implementation

February 2011: Agency Administrator and Staff Training for Phase 1 agencies begins

January 2011: ServicePoint configured for Canadian Use - updated FAQ

December 2010: HMIS System Administrator training

November 2010: Contract Signed with Bowman Systems ServicePoint

October 2010: Contract negotiations

September 2010: HMIS software Bowman Systems ServicePoint Selected

August 2010: HMIS vendor demonstrations 

July 2010:  HMIS & System Planning Workshop - view presentation

February 2010: The CHF, with an advisory committee, selected Canavan Associates as the HMIS facilitator - HMIS Progress Update as of February 16, 2010 

Questions?   

For more information, please contact Chantal Hansen, the CHF's HMIS Manager, at chansen(at)calgaryhomeless.com.