9. Date of Engagement

All materials developed by ICA are based on the Bitfocus Clarity HMIS platform and reflect the most current information available to us. Materials are updated as new information, guidance, and functionality are released by the vendor.

Because the system continues to evolve, there may be updates or changes to the interface or functionality that are not yet reflected in these materials. ICA will continue to review and update these resources as additional information becomes available from Bitfocus.

Street Outreach providers will see a field on the enrollment screen for the Date of Engagement. While in some cases the enrollment date and the date of engagement will be the same, this field is present to acknowledge that it may take time for providers to build rapport and trust with new clients. The "engagement" period describes this period of rapport building, and becoming "engaged" signifies that staff have sufficient rapport to begin supporting a client with client identified goals, an important goal and outcome for shelter and outreach projects. The date of engagement is also the point upon which staff are expected to have asked all of the questions on the program enrollment screen.

Per the HMIS Data Standards and by agreement across all federal partners, an engagement date is the date when an interactive client relationship results in a deliberate client assessment or beginning of a case plan. The Date of Engagement should be entered into HMIS at the point when the client has been engaged by the worker. This date may be on or after the project entry date and must be on or prior to project exit. If the client exits without becoming engaged, the Date of Engagement should be left blank.

HMIS Workflow

Navigate to the Programs Tab and click on the Plus Sign (+) to add a new program

Navigate to the Programs Tab and click on the Plus Sign (+) to add a new program

Complete the rest of the required data elements and click Save.