Background:

The purpose of Data Element 3.20 Housing Move-In Date is to record the date a client or household physically moves into a unit after being enrolled in a Permanent Housing (PSH, OPH, or RRH) project. This data is critical to point-in time and housing inventory counts as it differentiates households which have already moved into permanent housing from households which are enrolled in a Permanent Housing project but are still literally homeless (in Emergency Shelter, Safe Haven, Transitional Housing or on the street) as they prepare to move into an available unit.

The Housing Move-In Date is entered on the Head of Household's Enrollment screen. The Housing Move-In Date field on the Enrollment screen must be updated when the client or household moves into a unit. It is unlikely that Housing Move-In Date will be the same as Project Start Date (see "Other Special Circumstances" below).

Rapid Re-Housing Projects Only

A Housing Move-in Date must be entered regardless of whether or not the RRH project is providing the rental assistance for the unit. For example, if an RRH project provides supportive services, but is not providing the rental assistance for the unit, a Housing Move-in Date must still be entered to differentiate RRH clients in housing from those still experiencing homelessness.

Other Special Circumstances

• Clients enrolled in non-RRH Permanent Housing project types clients who are receiving pre-housing placement services but are ultimately housed by another project or subsidy source should be exited from the PH project to the appropriate permanent Destination. If the client exits the permanent housing project for a different housing opportunity without physically moving into a housing unit associated with the project, do not enter a Housing Move-in Date, simply exit the client and record the exit destination.
• In the event that the client vacates a housing situation and the project stops paying rental assistance, staff should exit the client from the project with an accurate Project Exit Date and Destination and create a new Project Start Date in a second enrollment for the client on the same or following day. The project would continue working with the client until a new unit is found, at which point a new housing move-in date would be recorded on the second project record. This will ensure that the client’s history of housing is preserved.
• If the client moves directly from one unit into another unit, with no days of homelessness in between, it would not be necessary to exit and re-enter them, because their housing move-in date would still accurately reflect the day they entered permanent housing according to that enrollment record.
• In the event a client is transferred into a PSH or RRH project having already moved into a permanent housing unit, the client’s Project Start Date and Housing Move-in Date will be the same date. It is not necessary or appropriate to have the Housing Move-in Date reflect the original move-in, since the purpose of the data element is to distinguish between housed and homeless statuses during a single enrollment.

System Logic and Other System Issues

Housing Move-in Date must be a date occurring either on or between the Project Start Date and Project Exit Date.  There can be no more than one Housing Move-in Date per enrollment.  Once a Housing Move-In Date has been recorded for an enrollment, it should not be removed from the client's record, even if they subsequently lose that housing situation.  Users must be able to edit data to correct errors.  HMIS software must NOT auto-populate Housing Move-In Date from one enrollment record to another.