HMIS stands for “Homeless Management Information System.” It is a database that allows organizations that provide services to people experiencing homelessness to collect client information electronically and easily produce required reports.

The mission of Minnesota’s HMIS is to provide standardized and timely information to improve access to housing and services, and strengthen our efforts to end homelessness.

The HMIS system is used to:

• Collect individual client information (gender, age, ethnicity, etc.)
• Collect household information (housing status, services provided, income, etc.)
• Allow providers to selectively share client data with other service providers
• Produce reports required by the U.S.Dept. of Housing & Urban Development and several Minnesota state funding programs

Our statewide goal is to eventually provide as comprehensive a picture of homelessness as possible, by incorporating information from all emergency shelters, transitional housing, and permanent supportive housing providers, as well as other points of contact for people experiencing homelessness, such as outreach programs, drop-in centers, and prevention programs.