Emergency Housing Vouchers: Public Housing Authority Workflow

This article expands upon the data entry and reporting workflow described in the article Track Emergency Housing Voucher Distribution, providing additional guidance for Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) that have opted into using Minnesota's HMIS to record information for recipients of Emergency Housing Vouchers (EHVs).

Access to Minnesota's HMIS

If your agency is not yet set up in Minnesota's HMIS, you will need to first request to join as a new agency. If you are already set up in HMIS and need a new project provider, please fill out a Provider Request Form.

Data Entry

Prior to enrolling a client in your EHV project, you will need to satisfy certain Coordinated Entry data entry requirements. The Coordinated Entry page of the HMIS MN website features data entry resources, including a comprehensive guide for housing providers and a Frequently Asked Questions document.

Once a Coordinated Entry referral has been successful, you will complete the core data entry steps for clients served by your EHV project, including creating project entries, recording interim updates, and exiting clients when they cease being served by your agency. These steps are described in the "General Data Entry" section of the General HMIS Instructions; that document provides a number of other useful tips and tricks, so be sure to bookmark it!

When creating new project entries, select "Basic" for the entry type. Selecting the correct entry type will ensure that the Minnesota Universal B assessment displays properly. The Minnesota Universal B assessment collects the HUD and MN Universal Data Elements.

Data Collection Forms

The forms to use when collecting data at project start, an interim point, or at project exit, can all be found in the " Universal Assessment" section on the Forms and Instructions page of the HMIS MN website. There are different forms for use when working with multi-person households and single individuals.

Reporting

If you are looking for a report that shows who is being served by your EHV project, the MIN-01-SAG-030 - MN Core Homeless Programs report is an excellent choice. That general purpose report includes client counts, demographics, and income information, among other details.

Additional Questions

Have a question that was not answered here? Please contact our Helpdesk at mnhmis@icalliances.org for assistance!