As stated in previous HMIS Newsletters (Click Here to view past newsletters), the MD BoS HMIS is under review and many areas are being identified to be corrected and improved. Updates made by the MD BoS HMIS Team are in an effort to:
- Bring MD BoS HMIS into compliance with HMIS Data Standards
- Increase HMIS data quality
- Collect data for agency & CoC report(s)
The MD BoS HMIS Team will continue to communicate (via HMIS Newsletters, website, and on the HMIS Home page under 'System News', etc.) to MD BoS HMIS End Users & CoC Stakeholders changes that may be noticed.
All of us working the homeless field understand it is the person experiencing homelessness, not the data, that is the primary focus of the CoC's homeless response system; however, data is a vitally important tool to be used by projects, agencies, and the CoC as a whole to show the picture of homelessness, and responses to it, in a community, agency, and project.
While HMIS data entry is not necessarily complicated, it is precise. To ensure that all data entered into MD BoS HMIS data creates an accurate picture of how individuals move through the homeless system and to visualize system performance, both at the project & system level, it is imperative that the correct data entry workflows are being used.
Correcting all the various items in MD BoS HMIS is a major undertaking & we appreciate your partnership and patience!
As changes take place, should you find any unexpected complications/errors - please notify the MD BoS HMIS Team via the Help Desk so that we can work with you to resolve the issue as soon as possible!