Commonly Used Looker Fields

Michaela Simmons

Nov 16, 2024

2880

Background:

This article describes the most commonly used Categories and Fields within the HMIS Performance Explore. Review this article to become familiar with the fields you will most likely use when creating your own custom reports with the Looker software accessible through Clarity. The Looker HMIS Performance Explore contains many more fields than the ones listed in this article. We encourage you to explore all that is available to you in the HMIS Performance Explore to answer the questions you have about your HMIS Data.

HMIS Guide:

The Categories are listed below in bold underline and the Fields in those categories are listed as bullet points in bold. To find a field in Looker, you can first find the Category and click on it to expand the list of fields:

You can also type the name of the field you are looking for into the Search bar. When using this method, make sure to take note of the Category you select the field from which can determine where the field pulls data from. For example, if you are looking for clients' Earned Income at Entry, you need to select Earned Income from the Entry Screen Category, not the Client Assessment Category:

Agencies

The data for this category either comes from the Agency Set-up form turned in when you first joined HMIS, or is data automatically assigned to your agency by the Clarity software.

Agency Name (Dimension) – Add this field to your reports to show your agency name

Client Notes

The data in this category is pulled from the Notes section in the client’s program enrollment in your project. Use this category to create custom case note reports that include information other than case notes or for multiple clients at once. If you only need to pull a report containing the case notes of a single client, you can use the [CLNT-101] Case Notes report.

Clients

This category contains data from the Client’s Profile.

Client Full Name (Dimension) – Contains the client’s First and Last Name in one cell.
Current Age (Dimension) – The client’s age as of the day you ran your report.
Age Tier (Dimension) - The age range the client was a part of as of the day you ran your report.
Date of Birth Date, Ethnicity, Gender, Race, SSN (Dimension) – provides the information entered on the Profile screen for these fields.
First Name (Dimension) – The data entered into the Clients First Name field.
Last Name (Dimension) – The data entered into the Clients Last Name field.
Personal ID (Dimension) – Provides an ID number automatically generated for the client profile by Clarity. Including this field in your report allows users to click the Personal ID number on the report and be sent to the client’s Profile page in Clarity.
Unique Identifier (Dimension) – The alphanumeric code generated by Clarity to the client profile. You will most likely be adding this field to any of your “details” reports to all you to identify clients easily in HMIS. You should use this identifier to discuss clients over email or HMIS Help Desk tickets, never use the client’s name.
Number of Clients (Measure) – Provides a count of unduplicated clients. Use this field when you want to know a count of clients, not count of enrollments. For example, if you served the same client twice during the Reporting Period, they would only be reported once. If you want to report enrollments, use Enrollments Count (see below).

Client Assessments

This category contains data from assessments available under the Assessments tab in HMIS, OTHER THAN the Status Update and Annual Assessment questionnaires (for those, go to the Update Exit Screen category).

Assessment Name (Dimension) – You can use this field to filter for an assessment.

Client Assessments Custom

If you’ve requested a custom assessment, you will find all the fields to the questions in your assessment here. If you do not see any of the fields, please let us know, and we will activate them for Looker.

Enrollments

The data for this category comes from the data associated with the client’s program enrollment. It is automatically generated by Clarity.

Reporting Period Filter (Dimension) – This field is automatically added to all reports. Setting the date range for this field alters the data that is pulled from HMIS for your report. The Reporting Period will include data from all enrollments that were active during the date range you set.
Active in Project (Dimension) – This field is a Yes/No field. It will tell you whether or not a client was active in the project during the reporting period.
Assigned Staff (Dimension) – The user currently assigned to the enrollment. If you are assigned to this enrollment, it’s the same as having this client in your “Caseload”.
Days form Project Start to Move-in (Dimension) – The number of days between a client’s Project Start Date and Move-in Date. This is automatically calculated by Clarity, and is only available for the Head of Household.
Days in Project (Dimension) – The number of days between a clients’s Project Start Date and Project Exit Date. If the client hasn’t exited, this field will be calculated by [The Date the Report was run] - Project Start Date
Days in Project During the Reporting Period (Dimension) – Number of days the client was enrolled in the project during the reporting period.
Enrollment Household
- Head of Household (Yes/ No) (Dimension) – This is a Yes/No field. It will tell you whether or not the client has Relationship to Head of Household = Self. The data for this field is pulled from Head of Household field, found on the Program’s History tab.
- Household ID (Dimension) – a numeric code generated by Clarity to identify the household for each unique project enrollment. You may want to add this field to your reports when you want to de-duplicate by household. NEVER use the Global Household ID, that Household ID is not unique to program enrollments.
- Household Move-in Date (Dimension) – This field provides the Move-in Date entered for the Head of Household to all clients in the household. While only Head of Households answer HMID, this field makes it possible for you to see for all clients.
- Household Type (Dimension) - This field determines the enrollment's household type as of the Head of Household's project start date (Household with Children, Household without Children, or Household with Only Children)
Project Exit Date Date (Dimension) – The Date the client exited your program. This data is pulled from the Project Exit Date field on the exit screen.
Project Start Date Date (Dimension) – The Date the client entered your program. This data is pulled from the Project Start Date field on the Enrollment screen.
Count (Measure) – Provides the number of enrollments during the reporting period.
Count Chronic Homeless Households (Measure) – Provides the number of households where the head of household is Chronically Homeless.
Count Households (Measure) – Provides the total number of households.

Entry Screen

The data for this category is pulled form data entered on the Enrollment Screen (entry questions) when you first entered the client’s into your project. Some fields are calculated by Clarity from the data entered on the Enrollment Screen.

Age at Project Start (Dimension) – The client’s age as of their Project Start Date.
Age Tiers – The age range the client was a part of as of their Project Start Date.
Chronic Homeless at PIT/Current Date (Yes/No) (Dimension) – This field uses HUD logic to determine whether or not the client is chronically homeless as of the date you ran your report.
Chronic Homeless at Project Start (Dimension) - This field uses HUD logic to determine whether or not the client is chronically homeless as of their Project Start Date.
Disability Information.
- Any Disability (Dimension) – Determines whether or not the client has reported any disability type.
- Developmental, HIV/AIDS, Mental Health, Physical, Substance Abuse.
  - Independence/Long term (Dimension) – The client’s response to “Is this disability expected to be of long continuing or indefinite duration?” for the selected disability type.
Domestic Violence (Dimension) – The client’s response to “Domestic Violence Victim/Survivor”
- Currently Fleeing DV (Dimension) – The client’s response to “Are you currently fleeing?” follow up question that appears if client reports that they are a domestic violence victim.
Health Insurance (Dimension) – The client’s health insurance coverage.
Housing Move-in Date Date (Dimension) – The client’s Housing Move-In Date, which represents the date they moved into a housing unit.
Income Sources and Amounts (Dimension) – The sources and amounts of income reported by the client.
Last Permanent Address (City) (Dimension) – City is the only field available in the Last Permanent Address section of the Entry screen. This field pulls the response recorded in the City field.
Living Situation (Dimension) – The Living Situation section contains many individual fields that make up the two Living Situation Data Elements: 3.917A and 3.917B.
- 3.917A (Street Outreach, Emergency Shelter, and Safe Haven project types only)
  - Residence Prior to Project Entry (Dimension) – The client’s response to the “Type of Residence” field which represents the client’s living arrangement immediately prior to entering the project.
  - Length of Stay in Prior Living Situation (Dimension) – The length of time the client was in the living arrangement reported in the Residence Prior to Project Entry/Type of Residence field.
  - Length of Stay Less Than 90 Days (Dimension) – If a client’s Residence Prior to Project Entry/Type of Residence was an institutional setting, they are asked if their stay in that institution was less than 90 days. This field pulls the client’s “Yes” or “No” response to that question.
  - On the night before – stayed on the streets, ES or Safe Haven (Dimension) – If a client’s response to Length of Stay Less Than 90 Days is “Yes” they are asked if they stayed on the streets, in an Emergency Shelter, or a Safe Haven prior to entering the institution. This field pulls the client’s “Yes” or “No” response to that question.
  - Approximate Date Homelessness Started Date (Dimension) – The approximate date the client reported that their current episode of homelessness started.
  - Times Homeless in the Past Three Years (Dimension) – The number of episodes of homelessness in the past three years reported by the client.
  - Total Months Homeless in Past Three Years (Dimension) – The number of months the client reported spending on the streets, in an Emergency Shelter, or in a Safe Haven during the past three years.
- 3.917A (All project types except Street Outreach, Emergency Shelter, and Safe Haven)
  - Residence Prior to Project Entry (Dimension) – The client’s response to the “Type of Residence” field which represents the client’s living arrangement immediately prior to entering the project.
  - Length of Stay in Prior Living Situation (Dimension) – The length of time the client was in the living arrangement reported in the Residence Prior to Project Entry/Type of Residence field.
  - Clients with Homeless Situation answers to Type of Residence:
    - Approximate Date Homelessness Started Date (Dimension) – The approximate date the client reported that their current episode of homelessness started.
    - Times Homeless in the Past Three Years (Dimension) – The number of episodes of homelessness in the past three years reported by the client.
    - Total Months Homeless in Past Three Years (Dimension) – The number of months the client reported spending on the streets, in an Emergency Shelter, or in a Safe Haven during the past three years.
  - Clients with Institutional Situation answers to Type of Residence:
    - Length of Stay Less Than 90 Days (Dimension) – If a client’s Residence Prior to Project Entry/Type of Residence was an institutional setting, they are asked if their stay in that institution was less than 90 days. This field pulls the client’s “Yes” or “No” response to that question.
    - On the night before – stayed on the streets, ES or Safe Haven (Dimension) – If a client’s response to Length of Stay Less Than 90 Days is “Yes” they are asked if they stayed on the streets, in an Emergency Shelter, or a Safe Haven prior to entering the institution. This field pulls the client’s “Yes” or “No” response to that question.
  - Clients with Transitional or Permanent Situation answers to Type of Residence
    - Length of Stay Less Than 7 Days (Dimension) – If a client’s Residence Prior to Project Entry/Type of Residence was a Transitional or Permanent setting, they are asked if their stay in that institution was less than 7 days. This field pulls the client’s “Yes” or “No” response to that question.
    - On the night before – stayed on the streets, ES or Safe Haven (Dimension) – If a client’s response to Length of Stay Less Than 7 Days is “Yes” they are asked if they stayed on the streets, in an Emergency Shelter, or a Safe Haven prior to entering the institution. This field pulls the client’s “Yes” or “No” response to that question.
  - Clients who answer “Yes” to “On the night before – stayed on the streets, ES or Safe Haven”
    - Approximate Date Homelessness Started Date (Dimension) – The approximate date the client reported that their current episode of homelessness started.
    - Times Homeless in the Past Three Years (Dimension) – The number of episodes of homelessness in the past three years reported by the client.
    - Total Months Homeless in Past Three Years (Dimension) – The number of months the client reported spending on the streets, in an Emergency Shelter, or in a Safe Haven during the past three years.
Non-Cash Benefits (Dimension) – Select any of the Non-Cash Benefit fields in the Non-Cash Benefits folder to see “Yes” if the client receives that Non-Cash Benefit or “No” if they do not.
- Non-Cash Benefit from Any Source (Dimension) – Returns “Yes” if the client reported receiving any non-cash benefit and “No” if the client reported receiving no non-cash benefits.

Follow-up Screen

Any fields selected from the Follow-up Screen section will be pulled from the client’s completed Follow-up assessment.

Follow-up Screen Custom

If your project has set up a custom Follow-up Assessment you will see the fields for that assessment in the Follow-up Screen Custom section. When your custom assessment was made a member of 211OC staff confirmed the setup of the assessment including the questions and response options. To request a breakdown of your custom assessment please submit a ticket to the HMIS Help Desk.

Program Inventory

The data in this category is updated yearly based off of the information provided by one of your agency representatives during the Housing Inventory Count.

Household Type (Dimension) – The household type associated with the bed inventory record (Households with Children, Households without Children, or Households with Only Children.)
Bed Inventory (Dimension) – The sum of beds in a given project.
Unit Inventory (Dimension) – The sum of units in a given project.
Veteran Bed Inventory (Measure): This field sums the number of beds designated for veterans in your project’s bed inventory. Make sure you include the Program Name field in your Look when using this field so you can know how many veterans beds are in each project.
Youth Bed Inventory (Measure): This field sums the number of beds designated for youth. Make sure you include the Program Name field in your Look when using this field.

Programs

This category pulls data from the Programs Page in HMIS. The data for this category either comes from the Project Set-up form turned in when you first opened this project in HMIS, or is data automatically assigned to the project by the Clarity software.

Full Name (Dimension): This field shows the agency name + project name. Example: “OC Training Agency – Emergency Shelter Project”
Geocode (Dimension): This field show the geographic code associated with the project, which is based off of the project’s address, or where the majority of its beds are located.
Name (Dimension): This field shows the name of the project only. Example: “ Emergency Shelter Project”
Program Active (Dimension): This field is a Yes/No field that shows whether or not the project is active in HMIS. You should also select the Program Name field, or Program Full Name field in the Looker Report when using this field.
Project Type Code (Dimension): This field shows the project type code of the project. Example: RRH, ES, PSH, etc.
Target Population (Dimension): This field shows the Target Population served by the Project, either DV or HIV.

Release of Information

This category pulls data from the Privacy Screen, Release of Information section in HMIS. You can use this category to make sure all clients in your project have been properly informed of their rights.

Added Date Date (Dimension): This field shows the date in which a client’s release of information was added into HMIS. You should add the Clients Unique Identifier field to the Looker report when using this field.
Agency (Dimension): This field shows the agency that added the client’s release of information in HMIS.
Documentation (Dimension): This field shows the type of documentation that was submitted in HMIS for the released of information. This can be Electronic Signature, Attached PDF, Signed Paper Document or Verbal Consent.

Services

This section is pulling data from the Services Page in HMIS. Use this category to review service provision in your projects.

Service Date Filter (Filter only field): This field allows you to specify the period of time for which you want to see the services in the report. It is necessary to add the Service Name field in the Looker Report.
Name (Dimension): This field shows the name of the service. You should select the Program Name field if you want to see to which project the service is associated.
Count (Measure): This field shows the number of services provided. You can add the Service Name field of the service you want to count in the Looker report, or if you want to count the services for a project, you should add the Program Name field.

Update Exit Screen:

This category is pulling information from the Exit/Update screen. That means the data is either from the Exit screen or from an update screen like an annual assessment. Many of the fields available in the Entry Screen are available in this category as well. This is useful, if you want to compare the information for fields for which you collect data at different points in the client’s interaction with your project. For example, if you want to see income at entry (choose the field under the Entry Screen Category) as it compares income at exit (add the field from the Update/Exit Screen).

Added Date Date (Dimension): Date the follow up assessment was added to HMIS. You should select the Clients Unique Identifier field in the Looker report.

Data Collection Stage (Dimension): This field identifies the stage in which the data was collected. You can use this as a filter if you only want to look at Annual Assessment data or Exit data. The options to choose from are Project Update, Project Annual Assessment, Project Exit, or Project Post Exit.