Overview
Minnesota’s Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) is a database utilized by agencies serving those experiencing homelessness or at risk of becoming homeless. The services provided by these agencies cover a wide range of interventions, including emergency shelter, transitional housing, permanent supportive housing, homelessness prevention, street outreach for unsheltered persons, and more. The participation of these direct-service agencies in a single database enables local, state, and federal entities to better understand client characteristics and needs, to evaluate the effectiveness of different interventions, and to strengthen efforts to end homelessness by informing policy-making.
HMIS is used to:
Report to funders. Program-level reporting via HMIS is required by several federal and state funders.
Assess community-wide and statewide responses to homelessness. Individual program data is aggregated to identify trends such as: changes in the number and characteristics of people experiencing homelessness; the length of time people spend homeless in a given community; and returns to homelessness after exiting a program.
Facilitate service delivery. Coordinated Entry referrals are primarily made in HMIS and Coordinated Entry priority lists are maintained in HMIS. In Hennepin County, HMIS is also used to facilitate access to single adult shelters.
Support research and advocacy efforts. In recent years, HMIS data has been used to assess youth homelessness, evaluate pilot programs, and identify and address racial disparities.
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