About HMIS
HAND oversees and manages our community’s Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), ensuring we have accurate information on who is homeless in our community, what their needs are, and what is working to address those needs.
The Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) is a web-based database used by service organizations to collect and record information on the people they serve. This information is collected for people who are homeless and at-risk of homelessness.
The use of the HMIS is federally mandated by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for many programs that receive HUD funding. Likewise, the Veterans Administration, the Michigan State Housing Development Authority, the State of Michigan Department of Human Services, and the City of Detroit require the use of HMIS for certain programs.
The list of Data Sharing Partners can be found in the ROI Participating Agency Addendum or on this website at https://www.handetroit.org/hmis-participating-agencies.
HMIS Onboarding Requirements
If you are an agency looking to come on board to begin using the HMIS, please review this Introductory Video, along with our Detroit HMIS Onboarding Checklist and HMIS Fee Schedule. Once you have done that and are certain you want to move forward, please complete the Partnership Interest Form which will provide us with some initial details regarding your partnership interest.
If you have been approved to move forward or are an existing HMIS partner agency with a new program coming online, please complete the full Agency Application form which will provide us with the details needed to set up your program bin.
HMIS User Licensing Requirements
A User License is required for all who are given access to the HMIS regardless of role or purpose. To obtain a User License, the user must present a fully executed User Agreement and Code of Ethics document, which governs the individual’s participation in the system and successfully complete a series of trainings. User’s are also required to complete the HAND HMIS Policy & Procedure training, and certain additional HAND specific training requirements based on job role/function.
All training requirements and instructions on the steps and documents required are outlined in the HAND HMIS User License Worksheet.
In order to keep a license active, each user is also required to complete a series of recertification courses each year. For more information on these requirements, please contact us through the HMIS Support Portal.
HAND Helpdesk Platform
HAND utilizes a HMIS Support Portal, to help us respond to your HMIS issues more efficiently. In addition to utilizing streamlined forms when submitting Help Desk tickets, the platform also includes knowledge base functionality which provides a collection of articles written by the HAND HMIS staff about common HMIS related issues. Checking the knowledgebase before submitting a ticket can help you solve some issues on your own without having to wait for a response from the HMIS staff.
If you are seeking data and reporting from the HMIS system, please review the Report Request Form.