Winter is Coming; the LSA is HERE!
Today's the day! The official launch of the LSA season.
We gave notice of the big changes underway with HUD's Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR) a few weeks back. The big project for us this time of year has a new face: the AHAR’s primary data source is now the Longitudinal System Analysis (LSA). ICA has been hard at work behind the scenes preparing for this mandated reporting project. Now it's your turn!
What?
Read all about it here and watch for more information on the LSA page soon.
When?
The LSA (AHAR 2.0) season runs from October through December. While there are some unknowns in the changed project timeline for us as we adapt to a new report and process, there's no change for our agencies and users.
So Really, When?
Here's the data quality timeline:
What Should I Do?
Watch for and heed all communications from your ICA Regional System Administrator (RSA)! You will receive an email titled LSA Data Quality Review that's tailored to your agency (yes, just for you!) from your RSA with instructions on everything you need to do. It will contain specific corrections for clients in your program(s) over, potentially, the last 3 years. It will contain a link to this LSA 2018 Data Corrections Guide.
What Type of Data Quality Will It Address?
Data Quality elements for the 2018 LSA
The good news is all these data elements should be familiar. It contains HUD Universal Data Elements and information about your project set up in HMIS.
I've never been involved in AHAR before. Will my agency's projects be included?
Quite possibly! There's an expanded set of project types included. For the first time, this will include client information for Rapid Re-housing, Street Outreach, Safe Haven, in addition to Emergency Shelter, Transitional Housing, and Permanent Supportive Housing.A few other permanent housing types are included for bed inventory and project set up only.
When’s That Deadline Again?
Early Bird deadline for our super star, proactive agencies is October 31st! Our absolute deadline is Wednesday, November 21st. We will not have data quality extensions this year. Know that we will likely have a verification period as HUD engages in early December; in these cases, we’ll reach out for clarification but will not ask for corrections in HMIS.Thanks in advance for your attention and participation. We appreciate all you do!