Supportive housing units and rental assistance programs funded by Minnesota Housing that are designated to serve long-term homeless (LTH) or high priority homeless (HPH) households must use Minnesota’s Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) to collect and report participant information. 

Funding sources for multifamily capital projects may include low income housing tax credits (LIHTC), Housing Infrastructure Bonds (HIB) and a variety of deferred loan sources. The funding source for rental assistance is the state of Minnesota’s Housing Trust Fund (HTF). Minnesota Housing does not fund supportive services, which may have separate HMIS reporting requirements. 

HMIS meets a federal mandate and seeks to collect information from all homeless service providers throughout the state. The data collected in HMIS is used to evaluate progress in ending homelessness, help the state plan to meet the needs of people experiencing homelessness and demonstrate program effectiveness. 

HMIS Implementation Checklist 
Preparation:
1.		Determine which partner organization will be responsible for HMIS data entry and reporting. Minnesota Housing recommends that the service provider collect and enter the data into HMIS. The responsibility of submitting reports to Minnesota Housing should be determined based on the individual project needs for oversight and evaluation. Owners and partnering service organizations should have formal agreements outlining HMIS responsibilities (i.e., how participant data will be collected, who will enter data, who will run and submit reports, and how costs will be paid). This may be detailed in the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), if applicable. The template MOU form can be found on our website at www.mnhousing.gov.
2.	Determine your project occupancy date (when participants will move into housing) or grant start date. Staff should be ready to use HMIS by the time the project starts leasing or using HTF rental assistance. Minnesota Housing will contact the HMIS provider prior to start up to check on readiness.
3.		Complete the attached contact information sheet and submit to Minnesota Housing prior to loan closing, mortgage credit (Mortgage Credit Committee is a Minnesota Housing internal decision-making committee), carryover for tax credit only or grant agreement execution. Any changes to contact information after the project has started also must be submitted to Minnesota Housing in writing, including change of staff person, email changes, etc.  

HMIS Setup and Training:
1.		All agencies will need to contact the Institute for Community Alliances (ICA) and complete a Project Request Form (PRF) to set up a new provider ID for Minnesota Housing designated HPH units or the HTF Rental Assistance program. Contact ICA at least 90 days prior to project occupancy date or program start date to ensure adequate time for set up (contact information is provided in #2 below). 
a.	The provider ID must have Minnesota Housing in the project naming convention, which must appear as “MNHSG”
b.	All funding sources that require HMIS reporting will need separate set-ups with ICA, which means if there is rental assistance or service funding associated with the HPH/LTH units or HTF rental assistance requiring HMIS entry and reporting, complete a separate PRF and provider set up for each source. 
2.		If the entity responsible for HMIS entry for the project is not already using HMIS for another program or purpose, they will need to contact ICA at mnhmis@icalliances.org (the HMIS administrator) to set up a provider agreement and determine the designated staff (HMIS user) who will be trained and hold the user license(s) for your agency. Fees include a one-time set-up fee ($100) and an annual user license fee ($225). These fees are allowable administrative expenses for the development or program.
3.		New users must complete new user training, available online at hmismn.org. The training can take up to five to seven (5-7) hours to complete and may take place over the course of several days. Training must be completed prior to project occupancy or grant start date, and as close to the start date as possible so that the user is well prepared to begin entering client data into HMIS. 

Data Entry and Reporting: 
Enter all required data from the following forms into HMIS within two weeks after the LTH or HPH tenant moves into housing, and update necessary information prior to scheduled reporting. These forms can be found on HMIS Minnesota’s “Forms and Instructions” webpage under MN HSG – Minnesota Housing LTH. 
•	LTH Entry form for Single or for Household
•	LTH Interim form for Single or for Household
•	LTH Exit form for Single or for Households
NOTE: The data entry and reports are exactly the same for LTH or HPH units and rental assistance programs.

1.		Follow the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act (Chapter 13 of Minnesota Statutes) and the client notification and consent practices specific to HMIS.  

2.		Submit reports to Minnesota Housing by the due date, generally 30 days after the end of the report period. Minnesota Housing will send reminder notices and instructions when HMIS reports are due. 

3.		Once you enter the required data for each household during a report period, run data check reports to test for accuracy and completeness. Make any needed corrections and then run the required reports. When you are satisfied the data in the reports is correct, save and email copies to Minnesota Housing at mhfa.lth-hmis@state.mn.us. 

4.		Any changes to contact information after the project is open also must be submitted to Minnesota Housing in writing, including change of staff person, email changes, etc.  

Questions: If you have questions about HMIS, contact the HMIS help desk at mnhmis@icalliances.org. 

Data entry requirements, forms and instructions for using HMIS for Minnesota Housing LTH or HPH can be found at www.hmismn.org. 

Instructions: Complete this form and submit it to Minnesota Housing. For capital funded projects, the form must be uploaded to the Portal prior to closing. For Housing Trust Fund Rental Assistance, submission instructions are provided with the Grant Agreement due diligence materials.  

Have this form available for reference when completing ICA’s Provider Request Form (PRF).   
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Project Information	
Project Name	     	
Project Address	     	
Owner/RA Grantee Organization	     	
Owner/RA Grantee Contact Name	     	
Phone	     	
Email	     	
Projected occupancy or start date for LTH or HPH households	     	Total # of Minnesota Housing designated HPH Units	     	
For capital funded properties, what type of housing subsidy(s) will be used for the HPH units?
NOTE: Include HUD COC RA or leasing, HUD PBRA, DHS Housing Support, NAHASDA, or any type of operating subsidy that makes the HPH unit affordable for the population (such as Minnesota Housing Supportive Housing rent limits or LIHTC 30% limits, etc.)	Fund Source:      
# of Units:      	Fund Source:      
# of Units:      	
	Fund Source:      
# of Units:      	Fund Source:      
# of Units:      	
Is disability an eligibility requirement for the HPH units?	 Yes      No	# of Units      	
What is the target population for the HPH units or HTF rental assistance? (check all that apply)
 Single adults  Families Unaccompanied Youth  Youth-led families with children 	

Service Provider Information	
Primary Service Provider Organization	     	
Primary Service Provider 
Contact Name	     	
Phone	     	
Email	     	

Property Management Information (if applicable)	
Primary Property 
Management Agent	     	
Primary Property 
Management Contact Name	     	
Phone	     	
Email	     	

HMIS Reporting Information	
Agency Reporting into HMIS 	     	
Reporting Contact Name	     	
Phone	     	
Email	     	
Anticipated contact date for training and HMIS set-up 
(at least 90 days prior to leasing)	     	Currently Using HMIS?	 Yes      No	

Questions: Contact mhfa.lth-hmis@state.mn.us