As we approach the end of the year, I would like to wish our community a safe and joyous holiday season spent with loved ones. I would also like to take a moment and reflect on the lives that we have lost on the streets of San Diego throughout the year for National Homeless Persons' Memorial Day, held December 21st. It is held on this date as it marks the first day of winter and it is also the longest night of the year. Every life lost on the streets is one life too many, and here at the RTFH we are hopeful that many of the projects that we will be taking on in 2019 will aid us in journey to ending and reducing homelessness in our region.
Looking towards the new year, the RTFH will be taking on many exciting projects that we believe will allow for our community to make large strides in ending homelessness. Next month we will have our annual WeAllCount that will be person-centered and focused on engaging our unsheltered community. This endeavor will be an important turning point for our region and will align our efforts to focus on the people as much as any issue. In addition, over the next few months we will be shifting to a new HMIS, Clarity. We have already begun providing demonstrations of our new system to the community. The response has been overwhelmingly positive, and we are confident that this new HMIS will allow for clients to move through our homeless system more effectively and strengthen the quality of data our region utilizes. We will also be distributing two large grants to our community, the 'Homeless Emergency Aid Program' (HEAP) and Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP). Both of these programs will prove to be invaluable as we continue our work in ending homelessness. We will also be making intentional efforts of incorporating Prevention & Diversion into our homeless programs as a way of ensuring San Diegans who are at risk of homelessness are able to remain in their current permanent housing.
These are just a few of the exciting projects the RTFH is looking forward to in the coming year. We know that there will be challenges ahead, but we look forward to working with our community with a determined spirit to continue our commitment to ending homelessness in San Diego.
Sincerely, Tamara Kohler
Chief Executive Officer
The 2019 WeAllCount
Volunteer Registration Open
Registration for the 2019 WeAllCount is underway, and we need all the help we can get! It is critical that we have enough volunteers to engage with as many San Diegans living on the street as possible. We've made some significant changes to our methodology as requested by HUD, and you can read more about what you can do as a volunteer here.
Downloadable Flyer Link
Please help us promote the count by distributing this flyer to your professional networks!
HMIS Highlights
Final Steps Before Opening Clarity
Over the past few weeks, the RTFH's HMIS team has trained over 600 community members in 11 sessions on how to use the HMIS software, Clarity. The training content included all items necessary for compliance with federal data standard requirements, including how to create clients, manage households, enroll households into programs, and track the provision of services to households.
There are a few important dates coming up quickly in the HMIS transition:
December 22nd at 11:59 PM:Stop Date for data entry into ServicePoint
January 3rd, 2019 | 1-3PM: Get Ready for Clarity Go-Live Webinar (register for the webinar here). Refreshers and additional content not covered in New User Training. All HMIS users are encourage to attend/view recording in advance of launch or shortly after, but registration is not required to access Clarity.
January 4th, 2019: Clarity goes live!
Week of January 7th - End of January: Additional Clarity New User Training will be offered weekly at the RTFH offices for those who could not attend December training. Specific dates/times and registration links will be announced on the Transition page when finalized.
TBD January date: Manager Training II
January 4th - mid-February: Custom Data Migration
February 12nd, 2019: Coordinated Entry System (CES) workflow will be operational in Clarity
As we prepare to stop entering data into ServicePoint, please make sure to update all your clients' data in advance of the deadline. To make sure that your clients are included in the By-Name-List that will be used for matching purposes during the interim period before CES is live in Clarity, please review the information provided in this emailand be sure to update your clients' data accordingly.
During the interim period between December 22nd and when data entry resumes in Clarity, please keep track of all client data you would normally keep track of in HMIS outside of HMIS (PDF copies of intake forms are available here) and be prepared to enter that data into HMIS once Clarity goes live on January 4th.
Partnering with BlueStar Learning
This past month, the RTFH was proud to partner with Blue Star Learning in providing us with a venue to conduct training workshops for our CoC community in presenting our new HMIS, Clarity. Blue Star Learning is a San Diego-based technical school that prepares students for professional success through innovative high-quality vocational training programs that translate into rewarding careers in information technology.
Blue Star Learning is an approved training provider of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) through San Diego Workforce Partnership (SDWP), and is also approved for the training of veterans and eligible persons under Title 38 U.S. Code, by the California State Approving Agency for veterans Education (CSAAVE), a division of the California Department of Veterans Affairs.
For more information about Blue Star Learning, please contact them at info@bluestarlearning.com or call them at (858) 622-1201.
A shot of one of our user groups learning the Clarity system.
Coordinated Entry System Catch Up
CES Training in Clarity
With our HMIS transitioning to Clairty, we will also be holding information sessions on how CES will transition into Clarity. These sessions will be held December 18th-20th. Those who enter data into CES were invited to attend and learn more about how CES will operate during the interim period of transition. Information packets will be posted on the RTFH website under the "CES" tab.
Between December 23rd and February 11th, CES will be in our "transition period" with no new clients being entered into the CES project in HMIS. The training for the new CES workflow in Clarity are tentatively scheduled for the end of January 2019. Be on the lookout for e-mail invitations to this training in the coming weeks. We will also be providing more information on the "CES" tab on the RTFH website including training and information sessions.
You are receiving this because you opted for updates on the RTFH when you volunteered for the 2017 WeAllCount, or because you are a member of our Continuum of Care.
