HMIS Project Exit Destination (3.12)
Exit destination is an important data element that is collected on the program exit screen. Exit destination is one factor used by HUD and other funders to determine how successful individual programs and our community are at addressing homelessness and housing instability. This article will help you understand the impact of exit destination data entry, when to choose specific destinations, and how to enter exit destinations.
Impact of Exit Destinations
In the project exit screen, the data element Destination (3.12) is collected to document where a client will be staying after being exited from a project for tracking purposes and outcome measurements. This data is required and collected for ALL program participants.
Select the ‘Destination’ that most closely matches where the client will be staying after exiting the project. A complete list of destination types can be found in Appendix A of the HMIS Data Standards Manual HMIS Data Standards - HUD Exchange (pages 161-164)
Residential Projects
For residential projects that expect a client to move out upon exit (Emergency Shelter, Transitional Housing, Safe Haven, project-based Permanent Supportive Housing), record where the client is expected to move immediately after leaving. For projects where a client is not expected to relocate upon exit (Homelessness Prevention, Rapid Re-Housing, Transition in Place, or Supportive Services projects), record where the client is expected to stay after they complete or stop participation in project activities. This may be the same place that they were staying during their project enrollment or prior to starting in the project.
Rental Housing with a Subsidy
If a client moves into rental housing with a subsidy to help them maintain their housing, select “Rental by client, with ongoing subsidy” which will then display a dependent field to provide additional detail about the type of subsidized housing situation the client is living in.
A housing subsidy may be tenant-, project-, or sponsor-based and provides ongoing assistance to reduce rent burden. This includes housing subsidies provided through HUD-funded subsidies (e.g., public housing, Housing Choice Voucher or “Section 8”) or other housing subsidies (e.g., state rental assistance voucher).
If a client moves into the housing of family or friends, select the response that includes the expected tenure of the destination (permanent or temporary). There is no specific timeframe used to differentiate between 'permanent' or 'temporary'. Rather, the determination should be made based on whether the situation reflects family reunification or whether the family member or friend has placed any limitation that indicates the stay is intended to be temporary (e.g., a specific time limit). Specific programs and funders may have guidance regarding timeframes, please consult your specific program documentation for additional
No Exit Interview Completed / Other / Client Doesn’t Know / Client Prefers not to Answer / Data Not Collected
These destination options should rarely be selected. These options are considered errors and negative performance outcomes by HUD.
NbN shelters may have high rates of missing Destination data. Often, in this type of shelter, a client is auto-exited after a period of time of not coming into the shelter. HUD and other federal partners strongly encourage shelters, even large-scale shelters, to consider themselves to be a part of the community's system working to end homelessness. Any steps these projects can take to establish relationships with clients, focus on moving clients into more permanent housing situations, or collaborate with service projects that do so, will improve a system's functioning, data quality, and participant outcomes.
In case CHO staff receive corrected information about a client's exit destination from the client (because the original entry was incorrect), destination responses may be corrected in HMIS. The data can be corrected on the project exit screen. The enrollment does not need to be re-opened to make this correction.
Exit Destination Performance Outcomes
HUD considers certain exit destinations as either positive, negative, or neutral. Neutral exit destinations are not considered when reporting destination outcomes.
Homeless Destinations | Explanation | Performance Outcomes | |
Place Not Meant for Habitation | Living anywhere outside or any place not meant for human habitation (e.g. a vehicle, abandoned building, bus/train/subway/airport station, campsite). | Negative Performance Outcome | |
Emergency shelter, including hotel or motel paid for with emergency shelter voucher, Host Home shelter | A facility,where the primary purpose of which is to provide temporary shelter for individuals and families experiencing homelessness. This could be a hotel or motel paid for with an emergency shelter voucher, non-profit organization, or Federal/State/Local agency. Includes Domestic Violence shelter, Basic Center shelters/host home for youth, and Missions. | Negative Performance Outcome (unless SO project) | |
Safe Haven | A form of supportive housing that serves hard-to-reach persons experiencing homelessness with severe mental illness and/or substance use disorders who are on the street and have been unable or unwilling to participate in supportive services. | Negative Performance Outcome (unless SO project) | |
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Institutional Destinations | Explanation | Performance Outcomes | |
Foster Care Home or Foster Care Group Home | A youth (18-24 years old) or child (<18 years old) foster care home or foster care group home. | Neutral Performance Outcome (unless SO Project) | |
Hospital or other residential non-psychiatric medical facility | Any medical center or residential care involving a medical need (hospital, rehabilitation center) that is not for psychiatric services. | Neutral Performance Outcome | |
Jail, prison or juvenile detention facility | A local jail, prison (state or federal) or juvenile detention facility. Does not include community supervision or probation. | Negative Performance Outcome | |
Long-term care facility or nursing home. | A long-term care facility or nursing home. | Neutral Performance Outcome (unless SO Project) | |
Psychiatric hospital or other psychiatric facility | A psychiatric facility, psychiatric hospital, or psychiatric unit of a local hospital. | Negative Performance Outcome (unless SO project) | |
Substance Abuse Treatment facility or Detox center | A substance use treatment program, detox program, or other substance use residential facility. | Negative Performance Outcome (unless SO project) | |
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Temporary Destinations | Explanation | Performance Outcomes | |
Transitional Housing for homeless persons (including youth) | A Transitional Housing program has an Occupancy Agreement that is renewable for up to 24 months. Includes Youth SHP, and Youth transitional housing programs. Does not include an exit to substance use treatment facility. | Negative Performance Outcome (unless SO project) | |
Residential project or halfway house with no homeless criteria | A sober living or other residential project with no lease or rights of tenancy, with or without time limits. | Negative Performance Outcome (unless SO project) | |
Hotel or motel paid for without emergency shelter voucher | A hotel or motel where the client or other private entity pays for their stay. | Negative Performance Outcome (unless SO project) | |
Host Home (non-crisis) | An arrangement to stay in a third party’s home, no homeless criteria required. Often a program for clients aging out of the foster care system. | Negative Performance Outcome (unless SO, ES, TH project) | |
Staying or Living with Family – Temporary Tenure | A family member’s room, apartment, or house where a client will stay for only a short time according to self-report or agency staff report. Use “temporary” if there is a time limit or if the agency staff has knowledge that the destination is meant to be very short term. | Negative Performance Outcome (unless SO project) | |
Staying or Living with Friends – Temporary Tenure (e.g. room, apartment or house) | A friend’s room, apartment, or house where a client will stay for only a short time according to self-report or agency staff report. Use “temporary” if there is a time limit or if the agency staff has knowledge that the destination is meant to be very short term. | Negative Performance Outcome (unless SO project) | |
Moved from one HOPWA funded project to HOPWA TH | Limited to use by HOPWA-funded Projects (HOPWA – Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS or HIV; TH – Transitional Housing) | Negative Performance Outcome (unless SO project) | |
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Permanent Destinations | Explanation | Performance Outcomes | |
Staying or Living with Family – Permanent Tenure | A room, apartment or house occupied by a family member where the intention is to keep living there. Use “permanent” if the client has NOT been given a specific time limit for when they must leave. Includes clients moving into housing with a relative while a student. | Positive Performance Outcome | |
Staying or Living with Friends – Permanent Tenure | The client has moved into a room, apartment or house occupied by a friend and is intending on living there. Use “permanent” if the client has NOT been given a specific time limit in which they needs to leave. | Positive Performance Outcome | |
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Moved from one HOPWA funded project to HOPWA PH | Limited to use by HOPWA-funded Projects (HOPWA – Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS or HIV; TH – Transitional Housing) | Positive Performance Outcome |
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Rental by client, no ongoing housing subsidy | A rental that the client will pay for on their own (without a subsidy or financial assistance of any kind) | Positive Performance Outcome |
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Rental by client, with ongoing housing subsidy | Any subsidized rental housing. | Positive Performance Outcome |
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Owned by client, with ongoing housing subsidy | The client owns the unit they are living in and has an ongoing housing subsidy (mortgage payment support) attached to it. Includes USDA Rural Development | Positive Performance Outcome |
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Loan/Recovery Act Supports. |
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Owned by client, no ongoing housing subsidy | The client owns the unit they are living in and does not have an ongoing housing subsidy attached to it. | Positive Performance Outcome |
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Other Destinations | Explanation | Performance Outcomes |
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No exit interview completed | The client left the program before an exit conversation. This will be considered missing data for data quality and reporting purposes. | Negative Performance Outcome |
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Other | Some place other than what is available in any of the above fields. Considered null/missing. Any response of "Other" in Destination will not count in any HMIS-based reporting as a positive outcome. | Negative Performance Outcome |
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Deceased | The client died while in the program. Considered a complete response for data quality and reporting purposes. | Neutral Performance Outcome |
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Worker unable to determine | Limited to use by PATH funded projects | Negative Performance Outcome |
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Client doesn’t know | The client doesn’t know where they are going upon exit. Considered null/missing. | Negative Performance Outcome |
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Client prefers not to answer | The client refused to tell program staff where they were going. Considered null/missing. | Negative Performance Outcome |
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Data not collected | Data was not collected before the client exited. Considered null/missing. | Negative Performance Outcome |
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