Collecting Race & Ethnicity Data
Race and Ethnicity data plays an important role in helping communities understand who is experiencing homelessness and how outcomes may differ for people of different races or ethnicities. Please check out this helpful resource: Client-Centered Approach to Recognizing Race and Ethnicity Identities in Data Collection for more information on data collection processes and best practices related to Race and Ethnicity. This document can also be found in the FY 2024 HMIS Data Standards Manual.
Race and Ethnicity
Response Category Descriptions for Race and Ethnicity
| American Indian, Alaska Native, or Indigenous | A person who identifies with any of the original peoples of North, Central, and South America. |
| Asian or Asian American | A person who identifies with one or more nationalities or ethnic groups originating in East Asia, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent. |
| Black, African American, or African | A person who identifies with one or more nationalities or ethnic groups originating in any of the Black racial groups of Africa, including Afro-Caribbean. |
| Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander | A person having origins in any of the indigenous peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or another Pacific Island. |
| White | A person who identifies with one or more nationalities or ethnic groups originating in Europe. |
| Middle Eastern or North African | A person who identifies with one or more nationalities or ethnic groups with origins in the Middle East and North Africa. |
| Hispanic/Latina/e/o | A person who identifies with one or more nationalities or ethnic groups originating in Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Central and South American, and other Spanish cultures. |
| Client doesn't know | "Client doesn't know" should only be selected when a client does not know their race(s)/ethnicity from among the seven listed options. "Client doesn't know" should not be used in conjunction with any other response. |
| Client prefers not to answer | "Client prefers not to answer" should only be selected when a client chooses not to identify their race(s)/ethnicity from among the seven listed options. "Client prefers not to answer" should not be used in conjunction with any other response. |
| Data not collected | Use this response if the staff does not ask the client to provide their race/ethnicity |
| Additional Race and Ethnicity Detail | Provide additional specificity the client would like to share about their race or ethnicity |
Data Collection Instructions for Race and Ethnicity
Race and ethnicity is now one combined data field. Allow clients to identify as many racial categories as apply (up to five). Staff observations should never be used to collect information on race. When enrolling a client who already has a record in the HMIS, verify that race and ethnicity information is complete and accurate and correct it if it is not.
It is important to ask about all household members’ race and ethnicity because it is impossible to tell just based on a person’s appearance or name. If the client does not know his or her race and ethnicity or refuses to disclose it, use ‘Client doesn’t know’ or ‘Client prefers not to answer,’ rather than making an appearance or name-based assumption.
For more information on this data element, reference the HUD Data Standards.