Understanding the [HUDX-225] HMIS Data Quality Report

The [HUDX-225] HMIS Data Quality Report is a HUD report found in the Clarity Report Library that reviews data quality across a number of HMIS data elements. All Clarity HMIS Users have access to this report, but can only view the data of their assigned agency and user access rights. This article was written for the purpose of helping to interpret the data found in this report. Click here to view a sample of this report.


For information regarding the report parameters, please see this article: Common Report Parameters : (freshdesk.com)

There are seven sections which are explained and detailed below:

  1. Q1 Report Validation Table
  2. Q2 Personally Identifiable Information
  3. Q3 Universal Data Elements
  4. Q4 Income and Housing Data Quality
  5. Q5 Chronic Homeless
  6. Q6 Timeliness
  7. Q7 Inactive Records: Street Outreach and Emergency Shelter


Numbers in parentheses after each element (i.e. Name (3.1)) correspond to HUD data standard elements. A complete list of data elements can be found here: HMIS Data Standards - HUD Exchange

When viewing the report in web format, there is drilldown functionality. By selecting any of the count numbers, you can view the list of clients populated in that field (including Unique Identifier, Client Name, SSN, Date of Birth, Program, Start Date, End Date, and Assigned Staff).

 

Q1 Report Validation Table

The Q1 Report Validation table provides the total unduplicated counts for clients in each category. Unduplicated means that if a client has two enrollments within the time reporting period, only the most recent/latest enrollment is considered in this report. These counts are used for calculating error rates in the rest of the report.

Report Field

Description

Total Number of persons served

Count of persons (all members of each household) with an active project enrollment during the reporting period.

Number of adults (aged 18 or over)

Count of persons 18+ years old with an active enrollment during the reporting period.

Number of children (under age 18)

Count of persons < 18 years old with an active enrollment during the reporting period.

Number of persons with unknown age

Count of persons with missing DOB, incorrect DOB data quality field selection, or other incorrect DOB data that caused the system to be unable to calculate client age.

Number of leavers

Count of persons who exited the project on or before the reporting period end date.

Number of adult leavers

Count of persons 18+ years old who exited the project on or before the reporting period end date.

Number of adult and head of household leavers

Count of persons < 18 years old who exited the project on or before the reporting period end date.

Number of stayers

Count of persons whose project exit date is null or greater that the reporting period end date.

Number of adult stayers

Count of persons 18+ years old whose project exit date is null or greater that the reporting period end date.

Number of veterans

Count of persons who served during the reporting period (Veteran Status = Yes on the client profile)

Number of chronically homeless persons

Count of adults and HoH who meet HUD’s definition of chronic homelessness based of the Disabling Condition 3.08 field and the fields in the Prior Living Situation sections.

Number of youth under age 25

Count of persons aged 12-24 years old active during the reporting period where no other household member is above 24 years old.

Number of parenting youth under age 25 with children 

Count of persons < 25 years old with household members aged < 18 who are designated as HoH’s child in the project enrollment

Number of adult heads of households

Count of persons 18+ years old who are designated as HoH in the project enrollment

Number of child and unknown-age heads of households

Count of persons < 18+ years old or whose age is unknown who are designated as HoH in the project enrollment

Heads of households and adults stayers in the project 365 days or longer

Count of persons aged 18 + years old with an enrollment start date over a year ago (365 days) and designated as HoH in the project enrollment.

 

Q2 Personally Identifiable Information (PII)

The Q2 Person Personally Identifiable Information table shows counts of records where the named field contains “Client doesn't know” or “Client prefers not to answer,” where data is missing, or where data does not comply with specific rules. Although records can meet criteria allowing them to be counted in more than one column, they are only counted in the column for the first match.

  • The % of Error Rate is calculated using the total number of persons served as the denominator (field 1 from Q1 Report Validation Table)

Data Element

Client Doesn’t Know / Prefers Not to Answer

Information Missing

Data Issues

Name (3.1)

[Quality of Name] field contains “Client Doesn’t Know” or “Client Prefers Not to Answer ”

[First Name] or [Last Name] is missing

[Quality of Name] field contains “Partial, street name, or code name”

Social Security Number (3.2)

[Quality of SSN] field contains “Client Doesn’t Know” or “Client Prefers Not to Answer”

[Social Security Number] is missing

[Quality of SSN] field contains “apprx or partial SSN reported” or the SSN violates SSA rules for a valid SSN, or has repetitive or sequential numbers for all 9 digits.

Date of Birth (3.3)

[Quality of DOB] field contains “Client Doesn’t Know” or “Client Prefers Not to Answer”

[Date of Birth] is missing

[Quality of DOB] field contains “apprx or partial DOB reported” or is enter as prior to 01/01/1915, after the date the client record was created, equal to or after the project entry date.

Race (3.4)

[Quality of Race] field contains “Client Doesn’t Know” or “Client Prefers Not to Answer”

[Race] is missing

n/a

Ethnicity (3.5)

[Quality of Ethnicity] field contains “Client Doesn’t Know” or “Client Prefers Not to Answer”

[Ethnicity] is missing

n/a

Gender (3.6)

[Quality of Gender] field contains “Client Doesn’t Know” or “Client Prefers Not to Answer”

[Gender] is missing

n/a

 

Q3 Universal Data Elements

The Q3 Universal Data Elements table shows counts of records where the named field contains “Client doesn't know” or “Client Prefers Not to Answer,” where data is missing, or where data does not comply with specific rules. Unlike the Q2 table, the error counts in the Q3 table are not separated by type and are combined into one count.

Data Element

Error Count

Veteran Status (3.07)

Count of (1) adults where [veteran status] is “client doesn’t know,” ”client Prefers Not to Answer,” or missing, or (2) [veteran status] is “Yes” but client age is < 18 years old.

Project Start Date (3.10)

Count of overlapping enrollment by client in the same project, indicated by [program entry date] occurring before the [program exit date] for an earlier project entry.

Relationship to Head of Household (3.15)

Count of enrollments where (1) [relationship to head of household] is missing the project enrollment, (2) on one in the household has been identified as the HoH in the enrollment, or (3) more than one client in the household is identified as HoH in the enrollment.

Client Location (3.16)

Count of households where (1) HoH is missing [client location] code in the enrollment, or (2) code does not match HUD defined codes.

Note: this field is auto populated for all records entered manually.

Disabling Condition (3.08)

Count of enrollments where (1) [disabling condition] is “client doesn’t know,” “client Prefers Not to Answer,” or missing, (2) [disabling condition] is “no,” but at least one of the disable conditions is marked “Yes;”

Developmental Disability, HIV-AIDS, or “Long Term..” was selected for any of the other options.

 

Q4 Income and Housing Data Quality

The Q4 Income and Housing Quality table shows counts of records where the named field contains “Client doesn't know” or “Client Prefers Not to Answer,” where data is missing, and/or where a response to whether client has income is inconsistent with income source information.

The error counts in the Q4 table are not separated by error type but are combined into one count.

  • The % of Error Rates are calculated using the following fields from the Q1 Report Validation Table as the denominators, depending on the error count:
    • Number of Leavers (Destination)
    • Number of Adult HoH + Number of Child and Unknown Age HoH (Income and Sources at Entry)
    • HoH and adult stayers in the project more than 365 days (Income and Sources at Annual Assessment)
    • Number of adult and HoH leavers (Income and Sources at Exit)

Data Element

Error Count

Destination

Count of leavers where [destination] is “client doesn’t know,” ”client Prefers Not to Answer,” or missing.

Income and Sources at Entry

Count of number of adults and HoH where [Income from any source] at project entry is (1) “Client doesn’t know,” “ client Prefers Not to Answer,” or missing, (2) “No” is selected but one or more income sources are selected, or (3) “Yes” is selected but no income sources are selected.

Income and Sources at Annual Assessment

Count of number of adults and HoH where [Income from any source] at Annual Assessment is (1) “Client doesn’t know,” “ client Prefers Not to Answer,” or missing, (2) “No” is selected but one or more income sources are selected, or (3) “Yes” is selected but no income sources are selected.

No Annual Assessment has been completed within the appropriate timeframe - or within the report date range.

Income and Sources at Exit

Count of number of adults and HoH where [Income from any source] at project exit is (1) “Client doesn’t know,” “ client Prefers Not to Answer,” or missing, (2) “No” is selected but one or more income sources are selected, or (3) “Yes” is selected but no income sources are selected.

Non-cash Benefits at Entry

Count of number of adults and HoH where [Non-cash Benefits] at project entry is (1) “Client doesn’t know,” “ client Prefers Not to Answer,” or missing, (2) “No” is selected but one or more income sources are selected, or (3) “Yes” is selected but no income sources are selected.

Non-cash Benefits at Annual Assessment

Count of number of adults and HoH where [Non-cash Benefits] at Annual Assessment is (1) “Client doesn’t know,” “ client Prefers Not to Answer,” or missing, (2) “No” is selected but one or more income sources are selected, or (3) “Yes” is selected but no income sources are selected.

No Annual Assessment has been completed within the appropriate timeframe - or within the report date range. 

Non-cash Benefits at Exit

Count of number of adults and HoH where [Non-cash Benefits] at project exit is (1) “Client doesn’t know,” “ client Prefers Not to Answer,” or missing, (2) “No” is selected but one or more income sources are selected, or (3) “Yes” is selected but no income sources are selected.

 

Q5 Chronic Homeless

The fields in elements 3.917 A and 3.917 B Prior Living Situation are the building blocks of determining if someone has been homeless for enough time to be reported as chronically homeless. If data is missing in any field in [prior living situation], the HMIS is not able to accurately report chronic homelessness. This question applies to adults and HoH active in the date range who started in the project any time after 10/1/2016, which was when element 3.917 was restructured to improve data entry.

Count of Total Records* calculates the number of adults and HoH active during reporting period in:

  • Emergency Shelter (ES), Safe Haven (SH), Street Outreach
  • Transitional Housing (TH)
  • All types of Permanent Housing (PH)
    1. PH – Permanent Supportive Housing (disability required for entry)
    2. PH – Housing Only
    3. PH – Housing with Services (no disability required for entry)
    4. PH – Rapid Re-housing

Report Field

Count of Total Records

Missing time in institution (3.917.2)

Missing time in housing (3.917.2)

Apprx date started (3.917.3)
 MISSING

Number of times (3.917.4)
 CDK, CR, or Missing

Number of months (3.917.5)
 CDK, CR, or Missing

ES, SH, SO

Count of adults and HoH active in ES, SH, or SO

Count of adults and HoH where [Type of Residence] is one of the following:

(1) Foster care home of faster care group home, (2) Hospital or other non-psychiatric residential facility, (3) Jail, prison, or juvenile detention center, (4) long term care facility or nursing home, (5) substance abuse treatment facility or detox center AND [Length of Stay in Prior Living Situation] is CDK, CR, or Missing.

Count of adults and HoH where [Type of Residence] is one of the following:
 (1) Any “Owned by client…” option, (2) Permanent housing or formerly homeless persons, (3) Any “Rental by client…” option, (4) staying or living in a friend/family members room, apartment, or house, (5) transitional housing for homeless persons AND [Length of Stay in Prior Living Situation] is CDK, CR, or Missing.

Count of adults and HoH where [Type of Residence] is one of the following: (1) Place not meant for habitation, (2) Emergency Shelter including hotel/motel paid for with voucher. (3) Safe Haven, (4) Interim Housing AND [Apprx date homelessness started] is CDK, CR, or Missing.

Count of adults and HoH where [Type of Residence] is one of the following: (1) Place not meant for habitation, (2) Emergency Shelter including hotel/motel paid for with voucher. (3) Safe Haven, (4) Interim Housing AND [Number of times the client has been on the streets, in ES, or Safe Haven in the past three years] is CDK, CR, or Missing.

Count of adults and HoH where [Type of Residence] is one of the following:(1) Place not meant for habitation, (2) Emergency Shelter including hotel/motel paid for with voucher. (3) Safe Haven, (4) Interim Housing AND [Total number of months homeless on the streets, in ES, or Safe Haven in the past three years] is CDK, CR, or Missing.

TH

Count of adults and HoH active in TH

PH (all)

Count of adults and HoH active in all PH types

 

 

Q6 Timeliness

The Q6 Timeliness table shows the difference in days between when the record was added to Clarity and the Start or Exit date selected. Timely data entry is critical to ensuring data accuracy and completeness. This section identifies how quickly project starts and project exits are entered into the HMIS after they occur.

Time for Record Entry

Number of Project Start Records

Number of Project Exit Records

0 days

Count of records where [Date created] (5.01) is the same as [Project Start Date] (3.10)

Count of records where [Date created] (5.01) is the same as [Project Exit Date] (3.11)

1-3 days

Count of records where [Date created] (5.01) is within 1-3 days of [Project Start Date] (3.10)

Count of records where [Date created] (5.01) is within 1-3 days of [Project Exit Date] (3.11)

4-6 days

Count of records where [Date created] (5.01) is within 4-6 days of [Project Start Date] (3.10)

Count of records where [Date created] (5.01) is within 4-6 days of [Project Exit Date] (3.11)

7-10 days

Count of records where [Date created] (5.01) is within 7-10 days of [Project Start Date] (3.10)

Count of records where [Date created] (5.01) is within 7-10 days of [Project Exit Date] (3.11)

11+ days

Count of records where [Date created] (5.01) is 11 or more days after [Project Start Date] (3.10)

Count of records where [Date created] (5.01) is 11 or more days after [Project Exit Date] (3.11)

 

 

Q7 Inactive Records: Street Outreach & Emergency Shelter

Data quality includes maintaining accuracy in the number of active records in a system.

For projects where clients often leave or disappear without an exit (street outreach and night-by-night shelters), the records often remain open and hamper the project and community’s ability to generate accurate performance measurement.

This section sets a 90-day limit on inactive records and reports how many records within the report range are inactive (i.e. should have been exited but were not) based on contact with the client for outreach or bed nights for shelter.

  • Column 2 - # of Records - contains all clients active according to start and exit dates, regardless of project type.

Data Element

# of Records

# of Inactive Records

Contact (Adults and HoH in Street Outreach or ES-NBN)

Number of clients where [project start date] 3.01 is less than [report end date] (90 days) and [project exit date] 3.11 is null or [project exit date] is greater than [report end date]

Number of clients with no [current living situation] (4.12) recorded within 90 days of the [project start date] (3.10) or the previous [current living situation], whichever is greater.

Bed Night (All clients in ES-NBN)

Number of clients where the latest [bed night] (4.14) was more than 90 days prior to the [report end date]