The information included in this article includes:

  1. The purpose of running an APR
  2. Running the report
    • Filtering options
    • Report outputs
  3. Accessing the report
  4. Reviewing your data
    • Data accuracy
    • Data quality
    • Correcting errors


Purpose

HUD regulations require all CoC recipients of HUD funding to submit an Annual Performance Report (APR) every operating year. Data collection for the APR is aligned with the most recent version of the HMIS Data Standards.


As a Unified Funding Agency (UFA), Strategies to End Homelessness submits our community's APRs. All agencies should review their data regularly so any potential problems can be identified and fixed prior to STEH submitting APRs.

Running the Report

To run the APR, click on the launcher and select 'Reports'. 




Click on 'HUD Reports' and click 'Run' for [HUDX-227] Annual Performance Report. (You also have the option of scheduling it to run at a later time. Just click 'Schedule' for options.) 


Filtering Options

  •  CoC Filter Category: select 'Agencies in CoC'
  •  CoC: select 'Cincinnati/Hamilton County CoC' 
  •  Program Type(s): Select the program type(s) for the program(s) you are reporting on or choose 'All' for more than one program type or if you aren't sure which program type to choose.
  •  Program Status:  Choose 'Active Programs' if the project(s) you are reporting on are active. If a project has closed within the report range choose 'All'.
  •  Program(s): This list displays options based on the choices made in Program Type and  Program Status. Choose the program(s) you wish to include in your report.



  • Apply the Client Location Filter: IF your program operates outside of Cincinnati/Hamilton County CoC AND you only want this APR to include clients located within Cincinnati/Hamilton County choose 'Yes' to apply the filter. Otherwise, choose no.

  • Funding Criteria: Clients can be flagged with a specific funding source through custom services. If you have a custom funding source service available, you can use this filter to filter your report results. Choose 'Not based on funding' source if you do not have a custom funding source service available.
    • Funding Status: Choose between active and inactive funding sources.
    • Funding(s): Choose the funding sources to include in the report.


  • Report Date Range: Enter the date range for the report.
  • Report Output Format: Choose how you would like to get the report. (Keep reading for more information on the output format options.)
  • Drill-down Output Format: Drill-down functionality is only available if you choose Web Page as your report output. Keep reading to learn more about the available output options.
  • Click submit




Report Outputs 

Choose your Report Output Format: Web Page, PDF, Excel, CSV-Details, or CSV-Upload.

  • Web Page
    • Displays in table format.
    • Viewable as long as the processed report is in the queue; if the report is not in the queue the user will have to re-run the report to view it. 
    • Users can't download or save the report.
    • You can only have a single report of the same report type. If you run a second version the same report with different criteria it will overwrite the first report.
    • Offers drill-down functionality to review client details.
      • Web page drilldown option:
        • Click into any number in the report to get a second web page with a list of clients counted in that measure including relevant client details.

          

  • CSV drill-down option:
    • Click into any number in the report to get a CSV download with a list of clients counted in that measure including relevant client details.
    • You can open the CSV spreadsheet in MS Excel to work with the data.
    • You can save the file to share or work with later.
    • Please note: These drill-down reports will contain clients' personally identifiable information and must be stored or shared securely and consistent with the Cincinnati/Hamilton County HMIS Security and Privacy Plan.


  • PDF
  • Can be downloaded and stored electronically
  • Printer-friendly
  • Doesn't have drill-down or detail functionality
  • Comments can't be added
  • Excel
  • Spreadsheets can be downloaded, saved, and shared
  • Easy to edit and add comments
  • Doesn't have drill-down or detail functionality
  • Every question is exported to a separate tab 
  • CSV-Upload
  • Exports the report tables so they can be uploaded to SAGE, the HUD data repository
  • Table shells included in the export contain de-identified client-level data, i.e. no PII is included in the export
  • Exported as a zip file which contains each question as a separate table
  • Can be reviewed and edited in Excel
  • CSV-Details 
    • Exports the report data with client detail so the data can be reviewed, sorted, filtered, etc.
    • Exported as a zip file that contains several tables that split the data by Client Universe (Youth, All Clients, Adults) and specific table questions (Q22e, Q22c, Q9a-Q9b, Q6f, Q6d) for measures that pull from system-wide data vs. program-specific data.
    • This can be helpful when trying to identify data problems but does require knowledge of Excel to navigate.
    • Please note: The CSV-Details report contains clients' personally identifiable information and must be stored or shared securely and consistent with the Cincinnati/Hamilton County HMIS Security and Privacy Plan.



Accessing the Report

After you click 'Submit' a box will popup on your screen letting you know the report is running. You can close this message and continue working in Clarity while the report is being generated.






The Report Queue Manager is located in the top right corner of your screen which shows the number of reports you currently have ready for download/review.  




Another box pops up when the report is ready to open. Either click 'Open' on the popup box or click on the Queue Manager to open your report.



You can close this box and keep working; the report will remain available in the report Queue Manager for about 8-10 hours.




Review the Report 

Although there are specific tables dedicated to helping you identify common data quality errors, missing or incorrect data can impact every measure of the report and are not always caught in the data quality tables. Reviewing all of your data is important to ensure accurate data is reported. 

Reviewing Data for Accuracy

Begin with a high-level overview to make sure the data look accurate. Then identify a couple of measures to dig into for accuracy.


  • Table Q4a. Ensure your project was set-up correctly in HMIS.
  • Table Q5a. Confirm the number of clients is correct for each client universe.
  • Table Q7a. Confirm the number of persons served for each household type.
  • Table Q7b. Confirm the point in time count for the last Wednesday of the reporting period.
  • Table Q8a. Confirm the number of households served.
  • Table Q8b. Confirm the number of households active on the last Wednesday of the reporting period.
  • Tables Q9a. - Q9b. Confirmed by Night-by-Night Emergency Shelters and Street Outreach programs only.
  • Tables Q10. - Q10c. Confirm gender breakdown for the reporting period.
  • Tables Q11. - Q12b. Confirm age, race, and ethnicity breakdown.
  • Tables Q13a1. - Q13c2. Confirm disabling conditions at project start, project exit and for leavers and stayers
  • Tables Q14a. - Q14b. Confirm domestic violence details.
  • Tables Q15. Confirm clients prior living situation.
  • Tables Q16. - Q21. Confirm income, non-cash benefits, and insurance breakdowns for clients active within the reporting period. Pay particular attention to data reported from Annual Updates or Latest Status Assessment as there are some concerns with the data migrated prior to January 1st, 2019.
  • Tables Q22a1.- Q22e. Confirm the length of time measures breakdowns.
  • Tables Q23c. Confirm exit destination.
  • Tables Q25a. - Q25i. Confirm veterans details.
  • Tables Q26a. - Q26H. Confirm details for chronically homeless clients.
  • Tables Q27a. - Q27i. Confirm details for youth.


Tables Q6a. - Q6F: Data Quality Errors

HUD has identified common errors that occur in HMIS and included error report tables to help agencies maintain more accurate data.  These error notifications are standardized by HUD and included in all HMIS systems. An error can be generated if data is missing or contradictory to other data entered for the client (for example, if a client is not listed as a veteran but is listed as receiving veterans benefits). 


On occasion, when the client did not provide the information, the error will stand. You can't correct the error if you don't have the data. However, you should click through each error to assess if you can correct the data.


Fixing the Errors

  • Run the report with an output of web page. 
  • Choose your drill-down option (web page if you can work on the data errors immediately, CSV you want to save the errors and review them later). 
  • Click on a data quality or other measure to open details on clients whose records generated the error/measure.
  • Use the Unique ID or client name to search for the client, then verify the information, making any necessary corrections. 



Pictured is an example of the 'Relationship to Head of Household (3.15)' error detail. 



Contact Us


If you need help or wish to offer suggestions or feedback, please contact the Cincinnati/Hamilton County HMIS Support Team at HMISsupport@end-homelessness.org or by calling 513-263-2790 9:00 am - 3:00 pm Monday through Friday excluding holidays. 


Note: When contacting HMIS Support about a particular client, please do not send personally identifiable information such as full name, social security number, medical records, or any other information used to determine a person's identity. Instead, send the client's Clarity Unique Identifier found on the client's Clarity profile, first name and last 4 digits of SSN, or Vesta Public ID.