HMIS 101: What is Chronic Homelessness?

Eligibility for some housing programs requires that a person be experiencing chronic homelessness. HMIS data helps calculate a person’s chronic homeless status.

HUD uses specific data elements about a person to determine if they are experiencing chronic homelessness. To meet the federal definition of chronic homelessness, a person must have a disabling condition that affects their ability to live independently, and a person’s homeless experience must be 12 or more months of continuous homelessness in the past 3 years or 4 or more separate episodes of homelessness, where the total number of months must total 12 or more in the past 3 years.

Types of Living Situations

To find out if a person is experiencing chronic homelessness, you will need to know what the four different types of living situations are, and what counts as a break in a person’s timeline of homelessness. A person is experiencing a Homeless Situation if they are staying in a place not meant for habitation, emergency shelter, or a Safe Haven.

Places not meant for habitation include encampments and sleeping in vehicles or abandoned buildings.

Emergency shelters include congregate emergency shelters, or hotels rooms paid for by a charity organization or government entity. There are no Safe Havens in Alaska, so only clients from out of state would have a history of staying in a Safe Haven.

A person is in an Institutional Situation if they are in foster care, jail or prison, a hospital, or a rehabilitation facility.

A person is in a Temporary Housing Situation if they are staying in a hotel room they are paying for themselves, or couch-surfing with friends or family. Please note, if someone is staying in the home of friends or family, they are not experiencing homelessness per the federal definition.

A person is in a Permanent Housing Situation if they are staying in a rental with or without a housing subsidy, or if they own their own place.

Episodes of Homelessness

An episode of homelessness occurs when a person is in a Homeless Situation. Multiple episodes of homelessness occur when a person is in a Homeless Situation, has a break in the Homeless Situation, then returns to a Homeless Situation again. The break in between Homeless Situations creates separate episodes of homelessness.

Breaks in Homelessness

If a person was in a Homeless Situation, then stayed in a Temporary or Permanent Housing Situation for 7 nights or longer, then returned to another Homeless Situation, they had a break in their homelessness when they were in the Temporary or Permanent Housing Situation for 7 nights or longer. Seven nights or more in a Temporary Housing or Permanent Housing Situation is a break in homelessness.

If a person was in a Homeless Situation, then stayed in a Temporary or Permanent Housing Situation for less than 7 nights, then returned to another Homeless Situation, they did not have a break in their homelessness when they were in the Temporary or Permanent Situation for less than 7 nights. Less than 7 nights in a Temporary Housing or Permanent Housing Situation is not a break in homelessness.

If a person was in a Homeless Situation, then they were in an Institutional Situation (such as incarceration) for 90 days or longer, then returned to another Homeless Situation, they had a break in their homelessness when they were in the Institutional Situation for 90 days or longer. Ninety days or more in an Institutional Situation is a break in homelessness.

If a person was in a Homeless Situation, then stayed in an Institutional Situation (such as a hospital) for less than 90 days, then returned to another Homeless Situation, they did not have a break in their homelessness when they were in the Institutional Situation for less than 90 days. Less than 90 days in an Institutional Situation is not a break in homelessness.

Additional Information

Navigate to the following video to learn how to determine a person’s chronic homeless status:  Data Collection: How to Collect Prior Living Situation Information

Learn more about the HUD definition of Chronic Homelessness here: https://www.hudexchange.info/homelessness-assistance/coc-esg-virtual-binders/coc-esg-homeless-eligibility/definition-of-chronic-homelessness/