HMIS Newsletter: August 2025

Table of Contents

• Announcements
• Federal Data Standards: 2026 Data Standards Update 
• Housing Authority Assessment
• Data Quality Dashboard
• Report spotlight 
• Upcoming events 

Announcements

User Inactivity Threshold Policy Update

The  user inactivity threshold policy is changing from 180 days to 90 days. This means that you must log into your account at least once every 90 days. If your account is inactive for more than 90 days, it will be inactivated. If your account is inactivated, please reach out to your HMIS Lead, Loren White at loren.white@santacruzcountyca.gov, to request reactivation.

Results from last month's poll: 

Which Character Would Make Adulting Way More Manageable? 

Federal Data Standards: 2026 Data Standards Update 

HUD Data Standards: Quick Overview 

Every two years, the government updates its rules for collecting information about people who are experiencing homelessness. These rules are called "HUD Data Standards." The new set of rules will take effect on October 1, 2025, marking the start of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026.

Why do the Data Standards change every two years?

• To Work Together Better: Different government groups want to collect information the same way. This helps them get a clearer picture of homelessness across the country.
• To Follow New Laws: Sometimes, the government changes the information it collects. The new Data Standards make sure everyone has a shared understanding of the new requirements. 
• To Make It Easier: The government wants to make it easier to collect this information. They are also making sure the information they ask for is useful for helping people.

Want more info?

Check out Bitfocus's Help Center article on the 2026 Data Standards

New Housing Authority Assessment 

We are excited to announce a new Housing Authority Program Assessment (Assessment) in HMIS! The new assessment tracks participants’ receipt of housing subsidies administered by the Housing Authority of the County of Santa Cruz (Housing Authority) including Section 8 Vouchers, the Shelter Plus Care program, and special population vouchers such as VASH, DMV, and Stability. Because the information will be used to coordinate and identify services and information to help participants attain and maintain housing, HMIS users are requested to complete an Assessment for all participants utilizing a Housing Authority subsidy program.

The Housing Authority Assessment can be found on participants’ HMIS profile page under the global assessment tab. To facilitate communication and coordination, HMIS users should include their information in the “Reporting Staff Information” section of the Assessment. Use the drop-down under “Housing Authority Program Information” to select the specific program that the participant is enrolled. If you are unsure which program the participant is enrolled, please select “Section 8” from the dropdown and include any available information on the participant’s subsidy type in the “Updates & Notes” section. Include the date the voucher was activated at the participant’s housing unit for the “Housing Subsidy Start Date.”

The originator of a participant’s Housing Authority Assessment should update the participant’s assessments any time there is new or updated information. A new
assessment should be created when there are changes to a participant’s existing assessment, but the person making the updates is different from the HMIS user who created the assessment.

Please contact Loren White at loren.white@santacruzcountyca.gov  if you have any questions about the Housing Authority Assessment. For technical difficulties please reach out to Bitfocus at santacruz@bitfocus.com 

Data Quality Dashboard and Report Content 

Please see below for the agency-level data quality dashboard and report content updates. This is updated monthly- check it out here.

Report Spotlight: HUDX-225 (Data Quality Review)

Report Purpose:

To review and monitor the quality of data entered into HMIS. This report, created by HUD, is a tool for agencies to identify and correct errors in client data. The HUDX-225 report is useful for HMIS end users because it helps agencies quickly identify and fix data entry errors. By highlighting missing or incomplete information, noting delays in data entry, and highlighting where corrections can be made at the profile or enrollment level, it ensures the data used for reporting and decision-making is accurate and reliable.

Location & Details:

The report is found in the HUD section of the Report Library. There is also an Admin version available in the Administrator section.

Pro Tip:

Need to see which clients or enrollments are being counted in the report? Most reports in the report library can be run in a "web version" and you can click the data to drill down to the client-level records.

What's Included:

The report includes program client counts, client profile and enrollment completeness, and data entry timeliness.  

Want more details?

Check out Bitfocus's Help Center article on HUDX-225

Upcoming Events

Housing for Health - HMIS Office Hours | 9/22/25 @ 1-2:30 PM (Register here)

Housing for Health and Bitfocus host office hours every fourth Monday of each month (in lieu of HMIS Workgroup meetings). Drop-in for as long or as short as you’d like to ask any and all questions related to the HMIS. All users are welcome. Please join us within the first 15 minutes or we will assume nobody will be joining us for Office Hours.

Want more details?

Check out our full events calendar.

Questions?

Your HMIS Administrators are happy to help.

Phone: 831-713-2288

Email: santacruz@bitfocus.com