Background

The project start date indicates a client is now being assisted by the project.  This field is required whenever a client is enrolled in a project. For each client's enrollment in a project, there must only be one Project Start Date. Any errors in entering the date should be corrected as soon as they are noticed. For additional information, please refer to the HMIS Data Standard Manual. The date entered into HMIS for Data Element 3.10 Project Start Date depends on the project type. Checkout the table below to make sure you are entering the correct date for this data element. 

Project Start Date Field

• Project Type Applicability: All Programs 
• Data Collected About: All Clients 
• Collection Point: Project Start
• Screens in HMIS: Enrollment Screen
  
  

Project Start Date by Project Type

Each individual client in a household will have their own project start date. If a new client is added to a household after the original household members' start dates, the new client's start date should reflect the actual day that client started the project. If this client is a newborn baby, the project start date would reflect the date the project started providing housing or services to the newborn, consistent with the responses for project types identified below, which may be any date on or after the baby's date of birth.
 

Different project types use the Project Start Date field differently, as there are differences in the meaning associated with “starting” residential, service, and permanent housing projects. See descriptions below for the list of differences between each project.