The NJ HMIS staff is always looking for ways to better provide you with updated information on HMIS statewide issues and events. Attached you will find a link to our New Jersey HMIS Collaborative Newsletter. We plan to publish the newsletter quarterly and invite you to read our first issue: NJHMIS Newsletter.pdf 

The New Jersey Statewide Homeless Management Information (HMIS) Collaborative is a unique technology partnership between state agencies and local communities.  It includes the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency (HMFA), the New Jersey Department of Human Services (DHS), the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) and 20 Continuum of Care (CoC) local homeless planning communities.  Participating CoC’s in New Jersey include:  Atlantic, Burlington, Cape May, Camden, Cumberland, Essex, Gloucester, Hudson, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Salem, Somerset, Sussex, Union, and Warren counties.

The NJ HMIS Collaborative was established in 2003 to collect data on homelessness throughout the participating counties to guide local and state planning efforts to reduce and end homelessness.  Further, the New Jersey HMIS Statewide Collaborative assists participating CoC’s and their provider agencies to meet U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) HMIS requirements needed to receive HUD McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance funding.

Funding for the Collaborative comes from the HUD McKinney-Vento Supportive Housing Program, HMFA, DCA and DHS, CoC’s and user organization participation fees.  HMFA is the administrative entity for the Collaborative, contracting with the selected HMIS software vendor – Foothold Technology, administering HUD Collaborative HMIS grants, and providing technical assistance, training to CoC’s, state agencies, and user organizations. 

The NJ HMIS Collaborative is a nationally recognized model for a statewide HMIS project that includes strong participation from State agencies, local government and provider organizations.

1. Collection of data and information on the number of homeless persons, their characteristics, and the services utilized to better understand the extent and nature of homelessness.  This information is essential to strengthen the CoC needs assessment process required of all local jurisdictions.  
2. To enable state and local government to assess mainstream housing and social service systems with respect to evaluation of their effectiveness, resource utilization and tracking the impact of changes to these systems. 

In order to implement it’s goal of collecting unduplicated client data at the local level, HUD is requiring the implementation of a HMIS that meets HUD’s established data and technical standards.  HUD Homeless Assistance funding for current and future project awards requires that CoCs address HMIS compliance in their Exhibit One and Project applications.  Programs that receive funding through McKinney-Vento that produce an APR must collect program level data elements using standard response categories set forth in the HMIS Data and Technical Standards.  All McKinney-Vento funded programs are expected to participate including:

• SHP
• S+C
• Section 8 Mod Rehab
• ESG
• HOPWA funded homeless programs

HUD has prioritized programs for inclusion in the HMIS as follows:

1)  Emergency shelters, transitional housing, and outreach programs

2)  Permanent supportive housing funded by McKinney Vento

3)  Homeless prevention programs, supportive services only (SHP), and non-federally funded permanent housing programs