Did You Know that HMIS Data Stays Local?

Did you know that personal information about clients in HMIS is never shared with the federal government?

As your HMIS lead, it is our responsibility to keep client data safe and secure. Each year, we help Continuums of Care (CoCs) review and submit summary reports about their region's homeless response system with the Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD).

However, it has always been true that HMIS reporting to HUD is aggregated data only (i.e. things like the total number of individuals and families served and other system-level data). Names, social security numbers, birthdates have never been shared with the federal government. We are proud to be the custodians of HMIS data and thank you for your trust.

You can learn more about ways HMIS data is used and not used here: 02. Data Sharing & Privacy in HMIS - ICA Minnesota's HMIS Knowledge Base