About the Report
The [CIN-01] Verification of Homelessness Report provides a detailed history of a client's homelessness as recorded by data entered in HMIS and may be used to document a client's eligibility for programs and services. The Cincinnati/Hamilton County CoC bases eligibility on HUD's definition of homelessness and related record-keeping requirements which is available here.
Note: It's important to remember that different funders have different criteria for eligibility. Different or additional documentation may be necessary depending on the funder or the client's situation.
This article includes:
- Where to Find the Report
- Reading the Report
- Documentation Validity Timeframes
- Uploading and Attaching the Report to a Client Record
Where to Find the Report
Access the report from the client profile page. Search for the client and click on the report (printer) icon in the top right corner of the screen.
Select 'RUN'.
Choose the date range and the preferred output format and select 'Submit.'
For more information regarding the report parameters and output options, please see this article: Helpdesk : STEH "Common Report Parameters" (freshdesk.com)
Reading the Report
The report has two sections. The top includes documented and/or self reported information reported in the report date range detailed below.
The first table is divided into six columns:
- Year & Month displays the time frame for the report
- Documented Street is when the client was verified to be living in a place not fit for human habitation. This could be determined by the PIT (Point in Time) count or Outreach Encounters by street outreach teams.
- Documented Shelter is when the client was documented as being in a shelter -- for example, an emergency shelter or night-by-night shelter.
- Self-reported Street/Shelter indicates the client is giving the information on their own, without agency confirmation. This information is collected on program enrollment screens in the Prior Living Situation section.
- Documented break means a break in homelessness--for example, the client was in PSH, and has documentation showing that fact.
- Self-reported/Potential break is when the client reports they are not homeless, but lacks any documentation.
The second table ('Report Detail View') shows first and last night's enrollment for the column(s) that are filled in. In this example, March-November is filled in for Self-Reported Street/Shelter, so those dates are listed. The other columns are 'Unknown' (blank in the table) with their dates.
Drilling down (only available in the Webpage output format) opens another tab detailing the first and last nights of contact for the data chosen.
Documentation Validity Timeframes
Records in HMIS are ideal and are the expectation by running the [CIN-01] Verification of Homelessness Report to be used as third-party source documentation for documenting homeless status. This report shows Street Outreach contact and/or Emergency Shelter dates.
Documentation of a shelter stay must be dated within 7 days prior to housing project enrollment and within 14 days prior to housing move-in date.
Documentation of a street outreach encounter must be dated within 30 days prior to housing project enrollment and housing move-in date.
| Project Enrollment | Housing Move In | |
Shelter Stay | 7 days | 14 days |
| Outreach Encounter | 30 days | 30 days |
TIP: How to calculate days using an Excel Spreadsheet
- For the number of days between two known dates use the formula =DAYS(end_date_cell, start_date_cell)
- For the number of days from today use the formula =DATEDIF(date_cell,TODAY(),"d")
Uploading and Attaching the File to the Client Record
You may want to attach the report to the client's record to keep a consistent record through time. To attach either the PDF or Excel file, click on the 'File' tab from the profile page. It's important to remember that data can change, so if this report is being used to support program eligibility it's best to save the report in a separate location as a backup.
- Click 'Add File'.
- Select 'Homeless Certification'.
- Click 'Select File'.
- Choose the file to attach and click 'Open'.
- Click 'Save Changes'.
You've successfully attached the file when you see the file type and description. You can add more files to the profile, however, Clarity limits each individual file size to 4MB.
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 9:00am - 3:00pm Monday-Friday (excluding holidays).
When contacting HMIS Support, please do not include any Personal Identifiable Information (PII) such as names, social security numbers, birth dates, etc. Please use the Clarity Unique Identifier found on the Clarity client profile page.