Street Outreach: Basic Overview
Basic Components of a Street Outreach HMIS Record
Project Start Date
For Street Outreach projects, the project start date is the date of first contact with the client. Street outreach projects may record a project entry with limited information about the client, but over time, the data must be edited for accuracy and completeness of client data as they engage the client and learn more detail.
Current Living Situations
A street outreach project is expected to record a current living situation in HMIS anytime a client is met in person, including when project start date or an engagement date is recorded on the same day. This is defined as an interaction between a worker and a client designed to engage the client. A current living situation may occur in a street outreach setting or in a service setting such as an emergency shelter or drop-in center.
Date of Engagement
The point at which an interactive client relationship results in a deliberate client assessment or the beginning of a case plan. This date may be on or after the project entry date and must be prior to project exit.
Project Exit Date
The date that the client is no longer considered to be participating in the project, such as: client enters another project type, client enters housing, client is engaged with another outreach project, client is deceased, or client has not had a recorded contact in the past 90 days.
Annual Assessments
All clients with a project start date over 365 days are required to have an annual assessment completed within 30 calendar days of that project start date.
Recording Entry/Interim/Exit vs. Recording Current Living Situation ("contacts")
Entry, interim and exit assessments are all recorded within the Entry/Exit tab of the client HMIS record. Entry, interim and exit assessments are all designed to capture specific details about the client’s current situation at the time of project start date, date of engagement, any time there is a change to the client’s situation, and project exit date.
Clients may not share all information needed at the time of project entry. Caseworkers are expected to try to collect as much information as possible to build a client record at entry. Example: A client refuses to share their name and asks to be called “MP”. The caseworker would list the client’s name as “MP” in HMIS and add any alias with any additional details to uniquely identify this client for the future – such as “teen in Cardinals hat near the Poplar Street Bridge”. Information that is not collected, refused by the client, or the client does not know is required to be recorded. Overtime, the client may share this missing information. Information obtained overtime, which was true at the time of entry, (such as name, date of birth, gender, etc.) will need to be added by using Back Date Mode for the date of project start and updating the in the missing information on the client profile &/or the project entry assessment.
Current Living Situation updates are recorded
each time a caseworker engages, in person, with a client. Current Living Situation updates are recorded on the Client Profile, except when the contact is made at entry, when updating information using an interim assessment or at exit. During the recording of an entry, update or exit, the date of CLS update is recorded within the entry, interim or exit record.
Funder Specific Details
While there are several components of street outreach that are standardized across street outreach projects, there are some “funder specific” requirements for specific street outreach projects.
PATH Funded Projects
Date of PATH Status Determination
The point at which the PATH-funded worker can determine if a person is eligible for the PATH program. Also referred to as “Enrollment”.
PATH Street Outreach vs. PATH Supportive Services
- PATH Street Outreach will exclusively work with clients living in a place not meant for human habitation (i.e. street, abandoned buildings, vehicles, public places)
- PATH Supportive Services will exclusively work with clients living in a place meant for human habitation (i.e. shelter, doubled-up, or at-risk of homelessness)
PATH projects are required to enter PATH services
PATH projects are required to enter PATH referrals
Clients appropriate for services
- Clients living in a place not meant for human habitation
- Clients living in a place meant for human habitation
- To be PATH eligible, client MUST be experiencing homelessness AND have a serious mental illness
Exit clients when:
- Clients attain stable permanent housing
- Clients transition into mainstream resources
- Clients leave the program
- Clients have not been contacted in 90 days
RHY Funded Projects
RHY projects have additional RHY specific data field, such as: sexual orientation, pregnancy status & exploitation questions
Clients appropriate for services include:
- youth under age 22 who are street homeless
- youth under age 22 staying in shelters or transitional housing
- youth under age 22 staying in unstable housing situations (“couch surfers”)
Exit clients when:
- youth are over age 21
- youth secure stable housing/shelter situations
- youth have not been contacted in 90 days.
ESG Funded Projects
Clients appropriate for services:
- clients who are STREET HOMELESS (living on the street, in vacant buildings, cars, parks)
Exit clients when:
- Clients move off the street to shelters, transitional housing, other temporary housing (such as “couch surfing”) or any permanent housing
- Clients have not been contacted in 90 days
Saint Louis City street outreach projects are also required to track mainstream referrals
MoHIP Funded Projects
MoHIP projects have additional MHDC specific data field for the Head of Household, such as: MoHIP region
MoHIP Street Outreach vs. MoHIP Outreach Services
- MoHIP Street Outreach will work exclusively with clients who are STREET HOMELESS (living on the street, in vacant buildings, cars, parks) within their MHDC funded region. Exit clients when they move off the street &/or have not been contacted in 90 days.
- MoHIP Outreach Services will work exclusively with clients who are SHELTERED HOMELESS (living in emergency shelters, safe havens, or transitional housing) within their MHDC funded region. Exit clients when they are stabilized in temporary housing situations, permanently housed, &/or have not been contacted in 90 days