In 2001, the U.S. Congress required that HUD fund communities to implement
information systems to track the use of homelessness services, with the
understanding that ending homelessness requires knowledge about the size
of the problem and the way in which it affects different population groups. Two
main HUD efforts supported the development of these systems. The first was the
provision of technical assistance on conducting the Point-in-Time (PIT) count by
communities, which continues today. The second established a set of standardized
data that communities collect about people who use emergency shelters and other
components of their homeless services systems, as well as system parameters for
how this information is stored locally in Homelessness Management Information
Systems (HMIS), secured, and disclosed.
The 2016 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress Part 2: Estimates of Homelessness in the United States
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Year: 2016