HMIS 101: Longitudinal Systems Analysis (LSA) Report

Background

A critical aspect of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, as amended, is a focus on viewing the local homeless response as a coordinated system of homeless assistance options as opposed to homeless assistance programs and funding sources that operate independently in a community. The Longitudinal Systems Analysis (LSA) report provides HUD and Continuums of Care (CoCs) with critical information about how people experiencing homelessness use their system of care.

Each client enrolled in the period will be listed along with many data elements denoting their demographics (Age, Gender, Race) and information collected about their project stay such as Household Type, Health Conditions and Prior Residence. Complete and accurate HUD Universal Data Elements, Common Data Elements and Program Specific Data Elements are critical to accurately reporting how people experiencing homelessness are using the systems of care in Alaska.

Client Information for the following Project Types is included in the LSA:

• Emergency Shelter [ES] – Entry/Exit (E/E)
• Emergency Shelter [ES] – Night-by-Night (NbN)
• Transitional Housing [TH] 
• Rapid Rehousing With or Without Services [RRH]
• Permanent Supportive Housing [PSH]

The Longitudinal Systems Analysis (LSA) is a federal report submitted to HUD that informs the Annual Homelessness Assessment Report to Congress (for more, see this page on the HUD Exchange). 

Data Quality

Data Completeness, Accuracy, Timeliness, and Consistency affect both the LSA and the SPM reports. Accurate client-level data must be gathered about each client served in the data analysis period, for each data element relevant to the respective measure. The data must also be entered into the HMIS correctly and timely. Correct entry and exit dates, destination, income and sources, and residential/housing move-in dates are some of the most crucial data elements for these reports. Client identifier information used for deduplicating clients across project enrollments is also important for a provider to review. Without accurate deduplication results, the measures may not reflect the reality of system use. When considering data quality to improve the accuracy of the report, prioritize review of these data elements for the data analysis period.

ICA system administrators work on identifying data errors throughout the year that affect the LSA and SPM. As issues are identified, they will reach out to providers and organizations to correct their projects’ data. Please be timely in making those corrections.

If you have questions on how to run reports or make corrections, contact the AKHMIS Help Desk for assistance - we are happy to help!