The 2026 HMIS Data Standards Changes Are Coming!

The HMIS data standards, which specify what data the federal government requires an HMIS to collect, are updated by HUD periodically. With the last set of revisions being released in 2023, it’s time for another round of changes to come to Minnesota’s HMIS.

What is changing?
The size and complexity of the data standards changes varies from year to year. This time around, the number of updates is small but significant: Most notably, HUD is retiring the Gender data element and introducing one titled “Sex”.

How do the changes impact me?
In addition to the retirement of Gender, which will impact all users, if your program receives federal funding you may see new questions or drop-down menu options appear when entering data for your clients.

Where can I find more information?
Because HUD has not yet published a revised copy of its data standards manual, the best places to learn about the upcoming changes are our HMIS software vendor’s website and ICA’s release notes.

Keep an eye on ICA’s newsletter emails for additional details about the 2026 HMIS Data Standards Changes as we get closer to their October 1 release date. And as always, please reach out to the Helpdesk at mnhmis@icalliances.org if you have any questions or concerns!