FY26 HMIS Data Standards

FY26 HMIS Data Standards

UPDATES

8/21/25: Housing Alliance Delaware has been informed by WellSky that HUD has requested additional edits to be made for the FY26 Data Standards. The FY26 Data Standards Manual and Dictionary have not been released by HUD yet, and HMIS vendors are working fast to adhere to these last-minute changes. FY26 Data Standard changes are still expected to go live on October 1, 2025.

The information that you see on this article may not be complete or entirely accurate in terms of what changes will be seen in CMIS. Housing Alliance Delaware will be sure to provide more information as it becomes available to CoCs across the country.

What are HMIS Data Standards?

Data Standards refer to the data collection requirements for HMIS, as designated by HUD and federal partners (RHY, PATH, VA). 
  1. These requirements are typically reviewed every two (2) years.
HMIS Data Standards are released by HUD through two documents:
  1. HMIS Data Dictionary: used by HMIS vendors and HMIS Lead Agencies
    1. Technical document to outline each data element’s requirements, structure, and system logic.
  2. HMIS Data Standards Manual: used by HMIS Lead Agencies, CoCs, and End Users
    1. “Plain text” document to aid the understanding of data collection and reporting requirements.
 As the CMIS Lead Agency, HAD shares updates to Universal Data Elements (applicable to all programs) and Project-Specific Data Elements (dependent on funding source) that affect the work of CMIS-participating agencies.
 Additional data collection may be required by a CoC, for local use – HAD provides any updates relating to this at the same time.

Overview: FY26 HMIS Data Standards

New data standards have been announced for FY26, which begins October 1, 2025. 
  1. Date that HUD released FY26 Data Standards Manual: N/A
HUD states that this is considered a “minor” update to the Data Standards.
  1. Heads Up: HUD has also announced there will be “major” updates for FY27.
HAD will work (with WellSky) to have CMIS updated to FY26 standards as close to 10/1/25 as possible.
  1. HAD caveat: staff capacity (updates must be manually made to each project in CMIS)
  2. Vendor caveat: WellSky delays and logic “mistakes” for previous data standards updates.
  3. Local caveat: VA SSVF end-of-year reporting must be available to applicable providers in FY25 format.

Summary of Changes in FY26 HMIS Data Standards

This article does not cover all language/wording changes. To view all changes, consult the FY26 HMIS Data Standards Manual (which will be linked when made available).
Reporting will also be updated to match the changes outlined below.

Use the Table of Contents on this article to skip to the specific data element you would like to review.
Unfortunately, screenshots of the changes are not available at this time. Screenshots may be added at a later time, once WellSky makes them available.

Project Types
  1. Close out of ESG-CV projects
Universal Data Elements
  1. New – Sex
  2. Update (local) – Gender
  3. Update (local) – Prior Living Situation County/Location
Program-Specific Data Elements
  1. Retire – Sexual Orientation (RHY, CoC PSH)
  2. Update – Family Critical Issues (RHY)
  3. Update – Services Provided (VA SSVF)
  4. New – Date of Financial Assistance (VA)
  5. Update – SSVF HP Targeting Criteria (VA SSVF)
  6. New – Mental Health Consultation (VA SSVF)

PROJECT TYPES

HUD: ESG-CV

HUD will no longer be granting ESG-CV funding and is “retiring” the funding source in CMIS.
If your agency has any active projects funded by ESG-CV grants, now is the time to:
  1. Exit all clients, if funding has been exhausted.
  2. Notify HAD when all clients have been exited from the project in CMIS to “close” the project(s).

UNIVERSAL DATA ELEMENTS

The follow data elements are applicable to all project types in CMIS.

Gender

The Delaware CoC requires collecting client Gender information.
  1. This data element is important for Centralized Intake, service coordination, data analysis, reporting, and dashboards.
The Gender data element will remain in CMIS as-is.

Gender will not be reported on in canned reports (Data Quality Framework, APR, CAPER, SSVF Export) but will be available through BusinessObjects and ReportWriter.

As defined in previous HMIS Data Standards Manuals: “to indicate client’s self-identification with one or more of the gender categories”.

Sex

Data collection for this new data element for all clients active as of 10/1/25 and after.
  1. Coordinated Entry (Centralized Intake) is the only exception – CI will not collect client Sex data
The Sex data element will be reported on in canned reports (Data Quality Framework, APR, CAPER, SSVF Export).

There will be no mapping between Sex and Gender – therefore, this question will be blank for all clients once introduced in CMIS.

Options to respond to question (one value can be selected):
  1. Female
  2. Male
  3. Client doesn’t know
  4. Client prefers not to answer
  5. Data not collected

Prior Living Situation County/Location

This locally-used data element has been available in HUD and RHY entry assessments in CMIS but has not been in VA entry assessments. This data element will be added to VA entry assessments in FY26.

Prior Living Situation County/Location refers to which part of Delaware (or out of state) that the client was staying in immediately prior to Project Entry.

This data element is required in CMIS, meaning that answer cannot be left blank.

Options to respond to question:
  1. City of Wilmington
  2. New Castle County – applies to all areas in NCC that are not in the City of Wilmington
  3. Kent County
  4. Sussex County
  5. Out of State

PROGRAM-SPECIFIC DATA ELEMENTS

The follow data elements are applicable to specific project types in CMIS. Affected Project Types are listed under each data element.

Translation Assistance Needed

APPLIES TO: CoC, ESG, others

The following fields associated with Translation Assistance have been retired:
Translation Assistance Needed
Preferred Language
Required response when selecting Different Preferred Language
If Different Preferred Language, please specify

These fields have no data collection requirements and will not be included on 2026 assessments. They will continue to be available in the Assessment Admin if users would like to include them in custom assessments.  

Sexual Orientation

 APPLIES TO: RHY, CoC PSH

 HUD and federal partners have retired Sexual Orientation as a Program-Specific Data Element.

 The data element will be removed from CMIS around 10/1/25.

 The data element will no longer appear on reports (APR, HMIS Hashed CSV).

Family Critical Issues

APPLIES TO: RHY

In the drop-down for the following set of questions, options of “Client doesn’t know” and “Client prefers not to answer” will be available:
  1. Unemployment – Family member
  2. Mental Health Disorder – Family member
  3. Physical Disability – Family member
  4. Alcohol or Substance Use Disorder – Family member
  5. Insufficient Income or support youth – Family member
  6. Incarcerated Parent of Youth – Family member

Services Provided - SSVF

 APPLIES TO: VA SSVF

  In the drop-down options, “Healthcare Navigation” will become available.


Financial Assistance - SSVF

APPLIES TO: VA SSVF
 
A new field for “Start Date of Financial Assistance” will become available, once “SSVF Financial Assistance Type” is selected.
  1. This date reflects the date that the financial assistance begins.
  2. Can match the “Date Provided” (date that the financial assistance was identified).
  3. This field will be required. Assessment cannot be saved if this is left blank.

HP Targeting Criteria

APPLIES TO: VA SSVF
 Some wording updates were made to questions available.


CURRENT LANGUAGE

UPDATED LANGUAGE
Household size of 5 or more requiring at least 3 bedrooms (due to age/gender mix).
Household size of 5 or more requiring at least 3 bedrooms (due to household composition).
Household includes one or more members of an overrepresented population in the homelessness system when compared to the general population.
Households which may include one or more members meeting other criteria for targeting prevention determined by the CoC.

 These updates do not require any change to existing or new data.


Mental Health Consultation

APPLIES TO: VA SSVF

Adding of a new Program-Specific Data Element called “Mental Health Consultation”.

Will contain the following drop-down options:
  1. Mental health consultation completed
  2. Mental health consultation being coordinated/arranged with VA provider
  3. Mental health consultation being coordinated/arranged with another provider
  4. Offer declined
Will be collected for the Head of Household or Veteran.

Will be collected at Project Entry.

    • Related Articles

    • Interactive FY24 HMIS Data Standards Tool

      While Housing Alliance Delaware spends time throughout the year to share information about what is expected nationally for HMIS (in Delaware, CMIS), we find value in providing you access to the documents and additional materials that provide this ...

    • FY 2024 HMIS Data Standards

      HMIS data standards have been established by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to allow for standardized data ...

    • Data Quality Framework

      INTRODUCTION The Data Quality Framework (DQF) is a canned report available in CMIS. The Data Quality Framework provides details on HUD-required data elements and those clients whose data relating to those data elements are flagged as data quality ...

    • FY25 CMIS Documentation

      Please see the attached documents to this article, to have access to and reference the most recent version of CMIS documentation made available by Housing Alliance Delaware, CMIS Lead Agency. Newer versions of the listed documents may be uploaded to ...

    • 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 ...