CMIS FAQs

CMIS FAQs

WHAT IS CMIS?

The Community Management Information System (CMIS) is the Delaware Continuum of Care (CoC)’s Homeless Management Information System (HMIS). HMIS is federally mandated by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), as a means to have a standardized and centralized way to collect data about the provision of housing and services to people and families experiencing homelessness.

CMIS is a database that collects client- and program-level information from homeless assistance providers to describe Delaware’s state of homelessness in detail. CMIS is the answer to the CoC’s goal of collaborating between homeless assistance providers with the shared goal of ending homelessness in our community, as client data is shared between providers through CMIS.

As the CMIS Lead Agency, Housing Alliance Delaware (HAD) is responsible for the local administration of this data system on behalf of the Delaware Continuum of Care. This includes providing training and technical assistance to participating housing assistance providers. CMIS Data is utilized for reports and analyses submitted to local and national entities.

 

WHO ENTERS DATA INTO CMIS?

Homeless assistance providers who receive public funding are required to participate in their local HMIS. In Delaware, major funders such as the CoC, New Castle County, the City of Wilmington, Delaware State Housing Authority, and Veteran Affairs require CMIS participation for their local, state, or federal funding sources.

Several homeless assistance providers who do not receive public funding opt to utilize CMIS to collect their programs’ data and/or to collaborate with the CoC. Approximately 150 end users within 35 homeless assistance providers are currently entering data into CMIS.

Any organization who has programs dedicated to the homeless population is welcome to reach out for potential onboarding to CMIS.

            Common project types that enter data into CMIS includes:

·        Emergency Shelter, including hotel/motel stays through vouchers and/or donations

·        Transitional Housing

·        Housing Navigation

·        Homelessness Prevention – financial assistance for back rent, utilities, etc.

·        Day Shelters/Drop-In Community Centers

·        Community/Street Outreach

·        Permanent Housing (dedicated to the formerly homeless)


WHAT ARE SOME BENEFITS OF ENTERING PROGRAM DATA INTO CMIS?

·        Answering client data into CMIS can help your clients access resources through the CoC and Centralized Intake.

·        CMIS can be customized to meet the needs of any program, including through data collection assessments and advanced reporting.

·        All CMIS participating programs can share client data across agencies, increasing service coordination.

·        CMIS data collection and reporting allows agencies to easily apply for public funding.

·        Increased CMIS participation/coverage allows for the CoC to have a more comprehensive picture of homelessness statewide, beneficial for analyses and reporting.

·        Increased CMIS participation/coverage positively affects the CoC’s ability to apply for funding on behalf of the state.

·        Increased CMIS participation/coverage reduces data-related silos in our state.


WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS OF CMIS-PARTICIPATING AGENCIES?

As the CMIS Lead, Housing Alliance Delaware requires that all CMIS participating agencies:

·        Follow HUD HMIS requirements, which includes annual documentation, adhering to HUD data entry requirements, and adhering to necessary data privacy and data security protocol.

·        Participate in CoC federal reporting events, such as the annual Housing Inventory Count and Point in Time Count.

·        Enter complete, accurate, consistent, and timely data in CMIS on a regular basis.

·        Provide updates about programs operating, which includes the start and end of programs in CMIS as well as changes in capacity/availability.

·        Regularly review and clean up data, to ensure data quality in CMIS.


ARE THERE FEES INVOLVED WITH CMIS?

There is an annual fee for each license purchased in CMIS from our HMIS vendor. This license allows CMIS access to one (1) end user. The annual fee per CMIS license is $300.00, which covers access through August of the contract year.

CMIS fees allow for HAD’s CMIS program to continue providing the services that they oversee and maintain – which includes training, technical assistance, reporting, and more.


I’M INTERESTED IN JOINING CMIS! WHAT DO I DO NEXT?

Visit Housing Alliance Delaware’s website and view the CMIS program’s page (http://housingalliancede.org/cmis). CMIS documentation is available, including the most recent version of the CMIS Policies & Procedures Manual.

When ready to discuss onboarding further, contact us at the CMIS Support Desk (cmis@housingalliancede.org). Amelia Ramsaran, HAD’s CMIS Program Manager, will schedule a time to meet with you to answer any questions you may have and determine next steps.



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