Fun with Custom Tables

HIFIS 4 has lots of great features, but one of the things that is missing is an out-of-the-box way for you to handle programs that sort of operate like shelters but sort of don’t. One example of this is communities that have a motel voucher program or something similar, in which homeless clients stay in a hotel or motel room that is paid for by a service provider. A host homes program might share similar challenges as well.

How Are Motel Stays Different?

Let’s start by discussing the key diffe…

In HIFIS, every action typically needs to be attached to a Client. For example: you do a referral for a Client; you do a SPDAT with a Client; you make case notes about a Client. Most of the time, this isn't a problem, except when it is. 

What if you have someone in your system whose job is to liaise with landlords? Perhaps a significant portion of their day is spent reaching out to landlords to negotiate for allocating some empty units (in general, not specific units) for some Housing First Cli…

As mentioned in a previous article, there are some challenges in HIFIS 4 regarding the ability of users to keep track of who they're allowed to talk to about the client.

There's a Consent module in HIFIS which is really intended to keep track of whether the client has consented for you to store their data in HIFIS. This is a bit of a weird assumption for some communities, who point out that it could be potentially redundant. If staff are well trained and they're getting informed consent from al…

One of the best practices in ending homelessness is to work with a client to develop a support network of friends, loved ones, and professionals who work together to support the client. That way, an intensive case manager can ensure that the client has robust social supports for the future when the client might have a crisis and the intensive case manager might no longer be available to support the client.

Communities might also simply wish to record a client's emergency contact information or …

Update: As of May 2019, CHPI no longer requires reporting on the number of LGBTQ clients that access shelters. 

Communities frequently ask me how to record sexual orientation in HIFIS.

There are many reasons that a community would want to collect this information. For example, since we know that LGBTQ youth account for as much as 25%-40% of youth experiencing homelessness, you might want to identify which clients need appropriate services.

In Ontario, any community receiving Community Homeles…