Minnesota's HMIS

Housing Inventory Count (HIC)

The Housing Inventory Count

What is the Housing Inventory Count?

The Housing Inventory Count, or “HIC”, is an annual count of all homeless-dedicated beds available on a single night. The HIC takes place nationwide, and is required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Together, the HIC and the Point-in-Time Count enable communities to identify potential gaps in service delivery and inform decisions around policies and funding.

The following project types are included in the HIC:

  • Emergency Shelter

  • Transitional Housing

  • Safe Haven (None in Minnesota)

  • Permanent Supportive Housing - Disability Required

  • Permanent Housing with Services - No Disability Required

  • Permanent Housing - Housing Only

  • Rapid Re Housing

Want more information about the HIC? Click here for additional details!

Who Contributes to the HIC?

Every agency with homeless-dedicated beds, whether they participate in HMIS or not.

What Happens During the HIC?

Agencies review the latest bed and unit inventory details ICA has on file, reporting any changes so accurate totals can be shared with HUD. ICA maintains records of all homeless-dedicated beds in Minnesota, whether an agency participates in HMIS or not.

  1. Check out ICA’s instructional HIC materials, including the HIC Project Data Collection Guide.

  2. Review your agency's homeless-dedicated bed and unit inventories. Please note that a form should be submitted for all inventory rows, even when there is no change to report.

    • Prior to the PIT night (and all year long), you may submit inventory changes using the HMIS Project Change Request Form by opening the Active Residential HMIS Projects tab on the ClientTrack Projects page. After identifying your project on the list, click on the row to open a detailed view, which will have a purple Submit a Request button to launch the HMIS Project Change Request Form.
      Agencies that share changes prior to the PIT night will still need to review their bed and unit details to ensure their accuracy, and to secure the opportunity to submit additional updates where needed.

    • Some programs have their beds and units spread out over multiple inventory rows, typically as a result of receiving funding from multiple sources. ICA staff is ready to work through those complexities with you as needed!

Have a program that began operating on or before 01/28/2026? If that program has yet to be set up in HMIS - including programs that are not required to participate in HMIS and those that are fully funded but still under development - please submit a Project Request Form (PRF) form.

Timeline

The 2026 Housing Inventory Count runs from January 28 - March 13:

January 28 - February 20
Agencies perform their bed and unit inventory reviews. It is recommended that preliminary checks take place as soon as possible to give agency staff a clearer understanding of the task at hand and allow for time to be blocked off for a thorough review.

February 23 - March 13
CoC Coordinators and ICA staff look over reported inventory updates and reach out to agencies where clarification is needed.

Resources for Count Participants

Inventory Review Instructions

Click here to view important information for agencies participating in the Housing Inventory Count. If this is your first HIC, check out this short instructional video!

(Will be populated with project data the week of January 26, 2026)