How We Use Data
Data tells a story. Each data point represents a part of someone’s life—their home or lack of one, their family, education, health—and it can be the turning point for their future.
Since 2008, Calgary Homeless Foundation has been collecting and analyzing data provided by homeless-serving agencies in the city.
Data allows us to monitor the success of our funded programs and to match people experiencing homelessness with the right agencies and services.
Data also allows us to identify gaps in the system of care and to fix those gaps, improving the quality of life of people experiencing homelessness.
Data is how we create change across the entire homeless-serving system of care. It is how we change lives.
Homelessness Management Information System (HMIS)
What it is
The Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) is an electronic database that collects and securely stores information about Calgary’s homeless population. It is the technological backbone of Calgary’s homeless-serving system, tying together programs and services into a coherent system of care.
How it works
When people experiencing homelessness arrive at an agency’s door, staff enter their information into the HMIS, including their age and health, employment and housing status. This allows us to track and report the number of people experiencing homelessness, the length and causes of their experience, the services they’ve received, their demographic characteristics, and their needs.
Why it’s important
The HMIS helps us understand people’s unique experiences of homelessness. It improves coordination among agencies, enabling people to move through the system of care more efficiently.
The HMIS also shows the impact of programming, which helps us improve programs and create policy proposals. It also reduces administrative burden so staff can focus on their most important work: helping individuals and families experiencing homelessness.
Data Sharing
As a trusted guide in the fight against homelessness, Calgary Homeless Foundation gathers and shares data from agencies across the city to create a unified system of care where people seeking help can connect to the services they need.
Point in Time Count (PIT)
The Point-in-Time Count is a snapshot of who is experiencing homelessness in Calgary. It tells us how homelessness is changing, and shines a light on people whose experiences may not be captured in the Homeless Management Information System.
Find out how we conduct the survey and what we’ve learned from it.
Data That Makes a Difference
Every year, Calgary Homeless Foundation holds a conference called Data That Makes a Difference.
This conference, which attracts top researchers from around the world, explores how data can drive the fight against homelessness. It is a platform for researchers to share their methodologies and findings, and to spark new ideas about how data can change the lives of people experiencing homelessness.
