How Many California Continuums of Care Recently Changed Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) Software Vendors?
-11 or 27% of 41 recently changed HMIS software vendors-
Joe Colletti, PhD
October 2018
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has recently provided a Data Strategy for CoCs to best use HMIS to accomplish the ultimate goal of ending homelessness in their jurisdictions. The strategy emphasizes data quality and accuracy, system-level data analysis, and project-level data analysis. HUD has also produced new reports and tools to help CoCs fulfill the strategy.
As a result, the software that HMIS vendors provide should be aligned with the strategy to end local homelessness for each of the CoCs that they serve. Helping ensure that CoCs are compliant with HUD’s standards for data collection, management, and reporting standards is important. Helping CoCs to collect complete and accurate data, to seamlessly share data in real time, to develop the capacity to analyze data at system and project levels, and to evaluate their efforts, including real-time bed availability assessment and assignment, is imperative.
As noted in table 1, 11 or 27% of the 41 California continuums of care changed HMIS software vendors. The change from one year to another is highlighted in bold.
Table 1. California continuums of care and HMIS software vendors: 2015 – 2018
| Continuum of Care | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
| San Jose/Santa Clara City & County CoC | Bitfocus, Inc | Bitfocus, Inc |
Bitfocus, Inc | Bitfocus, Inc |
| San Francisco CoC | Social Solutions | Social Solutions | Bitfocus, Inc | Bitfocus, Inc |
| Oakland, Berkeley/Alameda County CoC | Mediware* | Mediware | Mediware | Bitfocus, Inc |
| Sacramento City & County CoC | Bitfocus, Inc | Bitfocus, Inc |
Bitfocus, Inc | Bitfocus, Inc |
| Santa Rosa, Petaluma/Sonoma County CoC | Social Solutions | Social Solutions | Social Solutions | Social Solutions |
| Richmond/Contra Costa County CoC |
Mediware* |
Mediware | Bitfocus, Inc | Bitfocus, Inc |
| Salinas/Monterey, San Benito Counties CoC | Community Technology Alliance | Community Technology Alliance | Mediware | Mediware |
| Marin County CoC | Caseworthy | Caseworthy | Bitfocus, Inc | Bitfocus, Inc |
| Watsonville/Santa Cruz City & County CoC |
Mediware* |
Mediware | Mediware | Bitfocus, Inc |
| Mendocino County CoC | Eccovia Solutions** | Eccovia Solutions | Eccovia Solutions | Eccovia Solutions |
| Turlock, Modesto/Stanislaus County CoC | Eccovia Solutions** | Eccovia Solutions | Eccovia Solutions | Eccovia Solutions |
| Stockton/San Joaquin County CoC | Bitfocus, Inc | Bitfocus, Inc |
Bitfocus, Inc | Bitfocus, Inc |
| Daly City/San Mateo County CoC | Bitfocus, Inc | Bitfocus, Inc |
Bitfocus, Inc | Bitfocus, Inc |
| Visalia/Kings, Tulare Counties CoC | Eccovia Solutions** | Eccovia Solutions | Eccovia Solutions | Eccovia Solutions |
| Fresno City & County/Madera County CoC | Mediware* | Mediware | Mediware | Mediware |
| Roseville, Rocklin/Placer, Nevada Counties | Mediware* | Mediware | Mediware | Mediware |
| Redding/Shasta County CoC | Bell Data Systems | Bell Data Systems | Mediware | Mediware |
| Napa City & County CoC | Bitfocus, Inc | Bitfocus, Inc |
Bitfocus, Inc | Bitfocus, Inc |
| Vallejo/Solano County CoC | Mediware* | Mediware | Mediware | Mediware |
| Chico, Paradise/Butte County CoC | Bitfocus, Inc | Bitfocus, Inc |
Bitfocus, Inc | Bitfocus, Inc |
| Merced City & County CoC | Mediware* | Mediware | Mediware | Mediware |
| Davis, Woodland/Yolo County CoC | Bitfocus, Inc | Bitfocus, Inc |
Bitfocus, Inc | Bitfocus, Inc |
| Humboldt County CoC | Mediware* | Mediware | Mediware | Mediware |
| Yuba City/Sutter County CoC | Bell Data Systems | Bell Data Systems | Bell Data Systems | Bell Data Systems |
| El Dorado County CoC | Bell Data Systems | Bell Data Systems | Bell Data Systems | Bell Data Systems |
| Tuolumne, Amador, Calaveras, Mariposa Counties CoC | Bell Data Systems | Bell Data Systems | Bell Data Systems | Bell Data Systems |
| Tehama County CoC | Bitfocus, Inc | Bitfocus, Inc |
Bitfocus, Inc | Bitfocus, Inc |
| Alpine, Inyo, Mono Counties CoC* | Bell Data Systems | Did not submit | Did not submit | Bell Data Systems |
| Los Angeles City & County CoC | Adsystech Inc | Adsystech Inc | Bitfocus, Inc | Bitfocus, Inc |
| San Diego City and County CoC | Mediware* | Mediware | Mediware | Mediware |
| Santa Ana, Anaheim/Orange County CoC | Adsystech Inc | Adsystech Inc | Adsystech Inc | Bitfocus, Inc |
| Santa Maria/Santa Barbara County CoC | Mediware* | Mediware | Mediware | Mediware |
| Bakersfield/Kern County CoC | Eccovia Solutions** | Eccovia Solutions | Eccovia Solutions | Eccovia Solutions |
| Long Beach CoC | Mediware* | Mediware | Mediware | Mediware |
| Pasadena CoC | Adsystech Inc | Adsystech Inc | Bitfocus, Inc | Bitfocus, Inc |
| Riverside City & County CoC | Eccovia Solutions** | Eccovia Solutions | Eccovia Solutions | Eccovia Solutions |
| San Bernardino City & County CoC | Eccovia Solutions** | Eccovia Solutions | Eccovia Solutions | Eccovia Solutions |
| Oxnard, San Buenaventura/Ventura County CoC | Mediware* | Mediware | Mediware | Mediware |
| Glendale CoC | Adsystech Inc | Adsystech Inc | Bitfocus, Inc | Bitfocus, Inc |
| Imperial County CoC | Mediware* | Mediware | Mediware | Mediware |
| San Luis Obispo County CoC | Bell Data Systems | Bell Data Systems | Bell Data Systems | Bell Data Systems |
*Bowman became Mediware and recently became WellSky
**Client Track became Eccovia
HUD has been working to standardize communication between HMIS vendors, CoC HMIS lead agencies, and system administrators. The purpose of the 2017 HMIS Data Dictionary is to help HMIS vendors and HMIS lead agencies identify the data elements required by HUD and to help with understanding the function and specific use of each element. The 2018 HMIS Data Standards Manual aims to help CoCs, HMIS Lead Agencies, HMIS System Administrators, and HMIS Users “understand the data elements that are required in an HMIS to meet participation and reporting requirements established by HUD and the federal partners.”
As a result, HUD states that HMIS software
- “must be able to collect all the data elements defined within these HMIS Data Standards, support the system logic identified in the HMIS Data Dictionary, and ensure that the visibility of data elements is appropriate to the Project Type and Federal Partner Funding Sources for any given project.”
HUD notes that
- “There are many software products on the market that communities across the county have chosen to use as their HMIS. Each product has unique features and was built to meet the different data collection needs of each community.”
and that
- “Each software vendor should provide the guidance, support, and documentation necessary for the CoC to understand the system they are using.”
HUD also notes that
- “Communities may elect to add data elements or maintain historical data element collection beyond what is specified in the Data Standards as long as it does not impact the ability of the CoC to accurately collect and report on the required data elements. In these cases, HMIS Leads should work directly with their HMIS vendors to meet their individual needs.”
Thus, each HMIS software vendor should be providing each CoC served with a customizable software system that helps CoCs fulfill the data strategy by effectively providing housing and services systemically. Each CoC should ensure that they have what is needed from their HMIS software vendor to do so and receive any technical assistance necessary.