In order to gain a deeper appreciation for the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) in Baltimore, I've managed to join their listserve in the past week. This has given me access to a lot of information regarding their membership, and their strategy from an acquire store, analyze, distribute, measure perspective.
From a demographic standpoint, some of the information is downright shocking. For example, of the 6000+ homeless individuals last counted, more than 1038 are in fact children.
Here are a few points which I believe have been integral to the HMIS functioning across 30+ separate agencies.
1) Standardization: The Baltimore County Universal Intake Form provides one set of questions that all agencies utilize to input new clients into the system. This is then shared across a central database and is accessible to all other agencies in the network
2) Information sharing protocol: There are currently no barriers to sharing information. Agencies are not protective over their information and recognize that the more that is shared with clients, the better the impact of the HMIS
3) Participatory communication: External tools such as the HMIS website and the listerve serve as portals for stakeholders such as agencies and potentially interested parties (such as myself) to appreciate the strength of the HMIS. This in turn allows for the expansion to neighboring agencies but also serves to keep existing stakeholders involved in continually evolving HMIS.
From a demographic standpoint, some of the information is downright shocking. For example, of the 6000+ homeless individuals last counted, more than 1038 are in fact children.
Here are a few points which I believe have been integral to the HMIS functioning across 30+ separate agencies.
1) Standardization: The Baltimore County Universal Intake Form provides one set of questions that all agencies utilize to input new clients into the system. This is then shared across a central database and is accessible to all other agencies in the network
2) Information sharing protocol: There are currently no barriers to sharing information. Agencies are not protective over their information and recognize that the more that is shared with clients, the better the impact of the HMIS
3) Participatory communication: External tools such as the HMIS website and the listerve serve as portals for stakeholders such as agencies and potentially interested parties (such as myself) to appreciate the strength of the HMIS. This in turn allows for the expansion to neighboring agencies but also serves to keep existing stakeholders involved in continually evolving HMIS.
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