HMIS Access Policies

The HMIS Lead, in conjunction with the CoC Board of Directors, is responsible for determining who may access the HMIS.

Access will be granted to the following organizations and/or projects:

  • Receives funding through the Continuum of Care funding competition.
  • Receives funding directly from the federal, state, or local government for homeless specific projects.
    • This includes, but is not limited to, CDBG, ESG, RHY, VA, or EAF funding designated for the assistance of homeless persons.
  • Project data is necessary to complete the Housing Inventory Chart, Point in Time Count, Longitudinal Systems Analysis, and HUD Performance Measures.
  • Other organizations may receive HMIS access on a case by case basis if the data is necessary to establish a pattern of homelessness and prioritize clients for services and housing. The Continuum of Care Director and HMIS Project Administrator, in conjunction with the CoC Board of Directors, is responsible for determining if access is appropriate and the level of access.

Special Requirement for New Organizations

If an organization has never entered data in the HMIS the following additional requirements apply:

  • Non-governmental organizations must provide Proof of Tax Exempt Status in the form of a letter from the IRS or other appropriate documentation (e.g., The Official Catholic Directory).
    • Other organizations may receive access on a case by case basis if they are contracted with an eligible organization to provide housing or services to an eligible population (e.g., Managed Care Organizations).
  • Non-governmental organizations must provide proof of a Board of Directors or other appropriate oversight committee and a copy of their bylaws.
  • The organization must serve individuals/households who meet the HUD definition of homelessness and must provide at least one personal reference. The reference must be someone who has knowledge of their work and is in a position of leadership at an existing organization with HMIS access.

Levels of HMIS Access

The HMIS Lead is responsible for determining the appropriate level of access for each user based on their project type, experience, and funding source requirements.

The levels of access are as follows:

  • Full Access: All client-based data entered by any Louisville CoC agency (population restrictions can apply) will be visible to the new agency; data entered by new agency would be visible to all other CoC Agencies.
  • Limited access based on project/funding/population type: data visibility would be limited to varying degrees depending on circumstance.  Example: a runaway homeless youth project would not be allowed to share their data with other Louisville CoC agencies because clients are minors.
  • Project only access: Data visibility would be limited to just one project.  Data from other agencies would not be visible and the data collected by the new agency would not be visible to other agencies.  

Cost of an HMIS License

The Coalition for the Homeless, as the designated HMIS Lead, is responsible for procuring HMIS licenses on behalf of the Continuum of Care.

Full price for an HMIS License is $532.

Half price for an HMIS License is $266.

HMIS licenses will be provided at the following rates:

  • Half Price: Funding source requires HMIS data entry, either by regulation or contract provision.
  • One Free License: Organization needs HMIS access for a special project of interest to the CoC (e.g. 100 Day Challenge) or for HUD reporting AND HMIS entry is not required by a funding source. These organizations may purchase additional licenses at half price.
  • Full price: All other organizations.

The cost of a license must be paid in full before HMIS access is granted.

Licenses are billed annually on July 1. Any licenses sold after July 1 will have the cost prorated. No refunds will be granted after a license fee is paid.

The HMIS Lead reserves the right to charge an additional fee if the organization is requesting customized training, project set up, or reporting that requires a significant commitment of time and resources from the HMIS Lead. This cost will be negotiated on a case by case basis in advance of any specialized work being completed.

Requesting HMIS Access

The process for requesting HMIS access is as follows:

  • Submit a request for training to hmis@louhomeless.org. Please use the subject line “Training Requested”. Specify the names of the trainees, the agency, and the projects they need access to.
  • Download the KYHMIS Policies and Procedures Manual. Please print out the last page of this document.  Initial the designated area followed by your signature, your printed name and the date. Scan/email/fax/mail the last page of the form. Email to: hmis@louhomeless.org. Fax to:  502-636-9950.  Mail to:
    Coalition for the Homeless
    1300 South 4th Street
    Suite: 250
    Louisville, KY 40208
    ATTN: HMIS Admin
  • Additional training requirements are posted on the Coalition for the Homeless website at https://louhomeless.org/hmis-training/

New HMIS Provide/Project Creation Requests

  1. New agencies joining HMIS or currently active agencies adding a project will need to complete the New Provider Form. Agencies receiving funding will need to make sure that they complete the form with the grant number associated with the project. The agency can name the project in HMIS so that they can find the project easily (the name must conform to a naming convention). This form should be returned to the Louisville HMIS System Admin at hmis@louhomeless.org along with the subject line specifying “New HMIS ProjectRequested“.

2. New agencies joining HMIS may request a meeting with the HMIS Admin for adding additional questions to their HMIS assessment questions.

3. Before a New Agency can be entered into the HMIS system the agency must have at least one employee that has completed the HMIS training. Again, contact the Louisville HMIS System Admin (hmis@louhomeless.org) for details and questions. Once the user has completed all training the new project and agency will be placed into HMIS.

4. Payment for any new HMIS licenses are due prior to the license being activated. Cost of the license will be pro-rated. Checks can be mailed to:
Coalition for the Homeless
ATTN: William King
1300 S. 4th St
Suite 250
Louisville, KY 40208

New Provider/Project Form

Provider Information Page Form Oct 2021Download

Standards for Use

The HMIS Lead recognizes that a number of end users at authorized organizations also work in a volunteer capacity with other organizations providing services to homeless persons. Each HMIS license is restricted for use to the projects operated by the purchasing organization. If an end user wishes to use their HMIS license to contribute data to other projects outside of the purchasing organization they must obtain the permission of the HMIS Lead and the Executive Director or equivalent at the purchasing organization.

The HMIS Lead is responsible for monitoring user activity and reserves the right to deactivate accounts if an end user has not accessed the HMIS system in 12 months. Deactivated accounts may be reinstated by contacting the HMIS Project Administrator. An organization will not be charged for any licenses associated with deactivated accounts at the time of annual billing.