Homeless Management Information System

We want to collect information from all homeless service providers throughout Wake County. 

• If you receive U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funding, you are required to use HMIS. 
• If you offer services of any kind to individuals and families who are or may become homeless, we encourage you to participate even if  you do not receive government funding. 
• The more organizations participate and share their data, the better understanding of homelessness we will all have. This helps all of us evaluate programs, garner more funding, and strengthens our collective efforts to prevent and end homelessness.

• Participating agencies collect and input standardized client-level and demographic data into the system.  
• Services and target achievements are entered to capture client-level activities depending on the agency, program, or program type. 
• The data is compiled into reports that allow us to understand the demographic, geographic, or cultural scope of homelessness and the needs.

• For Clients: Reduces the wait time for services
• For Funders: Evaluates return on investment
• For Providers: Measures and evaluates program effectiveness and reports to Board and Funders
• For HUD and other similar entities: Provides an understanding of homelessness and service use patterns

Having access to the HMIS represents a strategic advantage for service providers. The HMIS software we use allows multi-level client data sharing between organizations, as well as client case coordination and electronic referrals. Our locally developed information-sharing model can prevent service duplications and enable collaboration between various homeless service providers while limiting access to sensitive data.

Client privacy is very important to us.

In addition to the standard data collection and reporting functionalities, the HMIS software includes a comprehensive case management module, bed management, performance measurement tools, ad-hoc reporting, software customization options, etc.

Lastly, providers already in HMIS are better positioned to apply for future funding opportunities, as many national and local funders now require HMIS participation.