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Data Quality: What Are The Timeliness Standards For Entering Data into HMIS?
Timeliness is the length of time that elapses between the participant data collection and HMIS data entry stages. The sooner data is entered into HMIS, the sooner it is available for reporting purposes, prioritization purposes, data analysis purposes, and making data-informed decisions. The Alaska CoCs encourage all AKHMIS-participating organizations/providers to aspire to 100% of data being entered into AKHMIS (Alaska Homeless Management Information System) in a timely manner. However, the Alaska CoCs recognize that this may not be realistic or even possible in all cases, and therefore have created minimum requirements for data timeliness based on AKHMIS project type (see table below).
Most projects have a standard of five (5) days (meaning data should be entered into HMIS within five (5) days of when the event occurred/when data was collected).
There are two exceptions to this rule: Street Outreach projects with a 24-hour timeliness standard for Entry and Contacts, and “auto-exits” due to lack of activity from Street Outreach and Emergency Shelter projects (see table below for details).
| HMIS Project Type |
Client Event |
Timeliness Standard (Length of Time to Data Entry in AKHMIS) |
| Coordinated Entry |
Entry |
Live time or within 5 days of contact |
| Exit |
Live time or within 5 days of contact (backdated to date of last contact) |
|
| Homelessness Prevention |
Entry, Exit |
Live time or within 5 days of contact |
| Emergency Shelter - Utilizing an entry/exit workflow |
Entry |
Live time or within 5 days of shelter stay |
| Exit |
Live time or within 5 days of project exit (backdated to date of last shelter night stay, the morning of the day the client did not return) |
|
| Emergency Shelter - Utilizing shelter stay connected to an entry/exit workflow (“paired” workflow) |
Entry |
Live time or within 5 days of shelter stay |
| Exit |
Live time or within 5 days of project exit (backdated to date of last shelter night stay, the morning of the day the client did not return) |
|
| Emergency Shelter - Utilizing shelter stay disconnected from an entry/exit workflow (“unpaired” workflow) |
Shelter Stay |
Live time or within 5 days of departure (backdated to date of last shelter stay, the morning of the day the client did not return) |
| Entry |
Live time or within 5 days of the client’s first shelter night stay |
|
| Exit (formal project exit) |
Live time or within 5 days of project exit |
|
| Auto-Exit (no-contact exit) |
After 14 days without a shelter stay, project exit needs to be recorded within 5 days (backdated to date of last shelter night stay, the morning of the day the client did not return) |
|
| Permanent Supportive Housing |
Entry, Exit |
Live time or within 5 days of contact |
| Rapid Re-housing – Services Only or Housing with or without services |
Entry, Exit |
Live time or within 5 days of contact |
| Street Outreach |
Contacts, Entry |
Live time or within 24 hours of contact |
| Exit (formal project exit) |
Live time or within 24 hours of project exit |
|
| Auto-Exit (no-contact exit) |
After 90 days of no contact, project exit needs to be recorded within 5 days (backdated to date of last contact) |
|
| Supportive Services Only (excludes Coordinated Entry) |
Entry, Exit |
Live time or within 5 days of contact |
| Transitional Housing |
Entry, Exit |
Live time or within 5 days of contact |
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