NYC CoC HMIS Policies and Procedures Version 5 Updates

NYC CCoC HMIS Policies and Procedures (P&P) Version 5 Effective April 1, 2018 Presented by: Charlie Winkler (NYC DSS and Co-Chair, Data Management Committee) and William Lang (Geel Community Services, ACL Coalition Representative, and Co- Chair, Data Management Committee) Friday, February 16, 2018

Table of Contents Introduction/Background I. Updating the HMIS P&P I. Objective/Goal Approach/Process Editors Themes II. Notable Updates/Revisions III. Q&A IV. Conclusion V. Request for Motion to Approve Updated HMIS P&P Version 5 VI.

Introduction/Background HMIS P&P serves as the governing document around Provider, Vendor, and Collaborative Applicant s use and administration of HMIS in NYC Annual adoption required Signed Participation Agreements required annually Review and edits to keep up-to-date about 4 years overdue Re-constituted CoC Data Management Committee (DMC) viewed a review and update as its first charge

Updating the HMIS P&P: Objective/Goal Updating the HMIS P&P to serve as the foundation of HMIS governance Step 1 With Step 1 complete, enables the CoC, with assistance of DMC to begin Step 2: a return to focusing on Assisting projects in improving data quality, accuracy, and completeness Working in conjunction with PQI and Evaluation committees to better hone in on project and system performance Improving the HMIS system itself (how it captures and reflects our data, maximizing its usage across non-CoC projects and other government agencies, improve its robustness, and strategies to overcome its limitations) to maximize our ability to submit superior federal reports (AHAR, NOFA, System Performance Measures, HIC-PIT) and support 200 CoC projects Better management/oversight and customer service from vendor

Updating the HMIS P&P: Approach/Process DMC began reviewing, got bogged down after 2 months of combing through document page-by-page Co-Chairs chose to create sub-group to expedite review process Time and capacity constraints prevented a major overhaul Updates/Edits Incorporates review last year by Abt Associates as part of their HMIS Assessment Reflect DHS-HRA integration Changes in personnel of DSS CoC Unit Capture current technology systems and standards Incorporate correct terminology Reflect the way business is currently conducted with an eye toward best practices in how business should be conducted in future

Updating the HMIS P&P: Editors Charlie Winkler, NYC DSS, co-chair DMC William Lang, Geel CS, co-chair DMC Stacie Carr, NYC DSS, Acting HMIS Director Howard Charton, Breaking Ground Aaron Phillips, BRC Sarah Abramson, ICL The Data Management Committee

Updating the HMIS P&P: Themes Policies and procedures that never occurred and that would most likely never occur were removed. Practices that should be taking place, but that are not, have been retained with the recognition that they are starting to be/will need to be addressed/incorporated. Policies and procedures that were grammatically incorrect, redundant, and/or confusing were eliminated or modified for clarity. In some cases statements that locked/obligated the DMC, the HMIS Lead, the CoC Steering Committee, the CoC Co- Chairs, and/or NYC DSS in to a policy or procedure that it was not currently undertaking or not addressing in the time period stated, were modified. In these instances, the edits often kept the responsibility intact, but loosened the timeframe (e.g. semi-annual vs. quarterly)

Updating the HMIS P&P: Notable Updates/Revisions Terminology changes HMIS Lead System Administrator HMIS Director DHS DSS Contributing Data Warehouse User DHS Research and Data Analytics unit DSS Federal Homeless Policy and Reporting (FHPR) unit Elimination of schematic diagrams at beginning of document only created confusion and did not add any value Cheet Sheet for Non-Awards users on how to handle uploading issues is included in Appendix A. In sections on Data Warehouse, and Grievances, distinctions made between what applies to CHOs and what only applies to DSS HMIS Team Several items that were not changed were however logged as needing further review, discussion, and vetting because they leave sole discretion to the CoC or HMIS Lead. DSS, CoC Co-Chairs, may want and/or need to weigh-in. Other items that were also left as-is do need to be further contemplated and researched in order to lead to a more robust and logical conclusion, and take in to account resource and capacity constraints of DSS HMIS Team and CoC Steering Committee and structure

Q & A

Conclusion The sub-group of the DMC that undertook this review, and the DMC as a body feel that this document incorporates in practice and spirit the acknowledgement that the HMIS component of our CoC, and everything associated with it, needs to be tightened up, streamlined, and be held more accountable. Along those lines, the DMC has concluded that this updated HMIS Policies and Procedures document will enable the CoC to continue to do business more effectively, points the continuum in the right direction, and will serve it well for the next year or until such time as a more thorough review can be undertaken. Once adopted, the document, and its associated Participation Agreements, also known as the Appendices, will be posted on the CCoC website following final approval of CoC Steering Committee. Providers are expected to sign the Participation Agreements Appendices B-G an annual requirement, and return them to DSS by Friday March 16th. Please send them to Charlie Winkler at winklerc@dss.nyc.gov

Motion Request We, the co-chairs of the NYC CCoC Data Management Committee, would like to make the following motion: That the NYC CCoC adopt the updated version of the HMIS Policies and Procedures, Version 5, to take effect April 1, 2018.