Efforts to Outcomes (ETO™) HMIS is the only Performance Measurement Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) software available to immediately deliver the performance measures required by the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act, as announced by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The HEARTH Act, signed into law on May 20, 2009, is the latest reauthorization of the McKinney-Vento Act, the most important piece of homeless legislation to Continuum of Care (CoC) providers. This homeless legislation has brought about a number of major changes to the homeless services field:

• Homeless Prevention will be significantly expanded.
• More emphasis will be placed on rapid re-housing with a focus on homeless families.
• Families may now be considered chronically homeless.
• The definition of homeless individuals is expanded to include how other Federal agencies define homelessness including the Department of Education.

The primary selection criteria for future HUD funding will be based on performance.  Although the performance measures will not be finalized until the regulations are issued, they are expected to include:

• Reductions in the length of time people are homeless
• Reductions in homelessness recidivism
• Thoroughness in reaching homeless people
• Reductions in the number of homeless people
• Increases in jobs and income
• Reductions in the number of people who become homeless
   

Most HMIS Systems on the market today are designed almost exclusively for counting.  Counting is critical for completion of the APR, AHAR and QPR, however it is no longer sufficient.  HUD and other stakeholders want to know how effectively you are serving clients, not just the numbers of clients being served.  ETO HMIS has been designed to measure the relationship between the efforts you provide homeless individuals and families and the intended outcomes.  Measuring performance and counting are not an either/or, they go hand in hand. ETO HMIS allows you to count and measure at the same time.  You’ll be able to successfully meet both your standard APR and other reporting requirements while extending your work to measuring.

Measuring performance is a win for everyone – you’re able to provide outcome results to HUD and other funders while learning how to better serve your clients. 

Social Solutions is the leading provider of performance management software for the human services sector. Our software, ETO software, is used in thousands of private, nonprofit, and government organizations, such as Harlem Children’s Zone, Catholic Charities, United Way, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Social Security Administration, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, and many more.

Social Solutions plays an important role in domestic violence, serving nationally known domestic violence agencies such as House of Ruth, Elizabeth Stone House, and the National Family Justice Center. Social Solutions has also assisted many organizations with HPRP and other critical programs.

We take pride in connecting efforts to outcomes, those in need to social services, and service providers to funders.

ETO™ is a trademark of Social Solutions, Global, Inc. Harlem Children’s Zone® and HCZ® are registered trademarks of HCZ, Inc.

Social Solutions is recognized as a leader in the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) field, supporting homeless, domestic violence, and many other needs in Boston, Cambridge, San Francisco, Hartford, Boulder County, Tarrant County, and many other communities. Social Solutions’ Efforts to Outcomes (ETO™) software is used in thousands of organizations today, and has been updated to meet all of the modified reporting and compliance requirements announced by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

ETO HMIS provides complete support for Continuum of Care (CoC), domestic violence, and many other programs. This web based application is quickly and easily deployed, and includes pre-defined templates and reports specifically designed for CoC, HMIS, domestic violence, and more. Important product features include:Over 300 pre-defined reports (including the QPR report for HPRP and HPRP-DV)

• Built in support to track the statistics required for the HMIS AHAR and APR reports
• Ability to quickly and easily import and export data in a variety of formats
• Quick, easy data aggregation
• Unduplicated participant counts
• Data validation and data quality reporting
• Tracking of all HPRP, HMIS, and HPRP-DV related efforts and outcomes
• Experience at HMIS Conversion

If you have a current HMIS system and are concerned about the difficulties of conversion, we are here to make that transition as painless as possible.  We know Continuum of Care staff and members are worried about the migration of existing data and the costs and challenges of retraining.  We’ve converted the Boston and Cambridge continuums in Massachusetts and have recently won the contract to convert the entire Balance of State.  We have converted agencies from Bowman Servicepoint and Foothold Awards.  Our experience has allowed us to create a repeatable process that will ensure a swift transition.