Year-over-Year Comparison Each column independently deduplicated
Methodology & Definitions
Served: Unduplicated persons with active enrollment (EntryDate ≤ period end, ExitDate NULL or ≥ period start). Night-by-Night shelters also require a bed night service record.
Housed: Leavers who exited to a Permanent Housing destination (HUD codes 400-499).
Housing Rate: Housed ÷ Exiting × 100.
Entering: Persons with EntryDate within the period.
Exiting: Persons with ExitDate within the period.
System Total: Deduplicated across all project types (a person in both ES and RRH counts once).
Housed: Leavers who exited to a Permanent Housing destination (HUD codes 400-499).
Housing Rate: Housed ÷ Exiting × 100.
Entering: Persons with EntryDate within the period.
Exiting: Persons with ExitDate within the period.
System Total: Deduplicated across all project types (a person in both ES and RRH counts once).
Breakdown by Project Type Housing rates vary by program design
▲ Blue ≥50% · — Gray 25-49% · ▼ Orange <25% — Low rates in ES/SO are expected (crisis/engagement). System Total is deduplicated across types.
Race / Ethnicity
Household Type
Sex
Age Distribution
Veteran Status
Chronic Homelessness
Disabling Condition
How are these numbers calculated?
How we count people: Each person is counted once, even if they received services from multiple programs during the period. A person is included if they were enrolled in a program at any point during the selected time period. For night-by-night shelters, they must also have stayed at least one night.
When someone has multiple records: If a person was in more than one program, we use the most recent one to determine their demographics. The exceptions are Chronic Homelessness and Disabling Condition — if any program record says “yes,” the person is counted as yes.
Race / Ethnicity: People can select more than one race. Anyone who selected multiple races appears as “Multi-Racial.” Comparing these shares to the general population can reveal which groups are overrepresented in homelessness.
Sex: “Not Reported” appears for older records that were created before this field was added to the data standard — it does not mean the information was refused. This category will shrink over time as new records are created.
Age: A person’s age is based on their date of birth, calculated at the time they were active in the system during the reporting period.
Household Type: Determined by who is in the household together. For example, a single adult 25+ living alone is “Single Adult,” while a parent with children is “Household with Children.” Youth households (ages 18-24) are identified separately — “Accompanied Youth” means a young person with children but no older adults, and “Unaccompanied Youth” means young adults on their own.
Veteran Status: Only counted for adults 18 and older — children are not included. “Non-Veteran” means the person confirmed they are not a veteran.
Chronic Homelessness: A person is chronically homeless if they have a long-term disability and have been homeless for at least 12 months straight, or have experienced homelessness 4 or more times in the past 3 years adding up to at least 12 months. This is checked when a person first enters a program. If anyone in a household qualifies, all household members present at that time are also counted. “Missing” means there was not enough information to make a determination.
Disabling Condition: Includes physical, developmental, mental health, substance use, HIV/AIDS, or chronic health conditions that are expected to be long-term. “Yes” means at least one program recorded a disabling condition. “No” means every program record confirmed no disabling condition.
When someone has multiple records: If a person was in more than one program, we use the most recent one to determine their demographics. The exceptions are Chronic Homelessness and Disabling Condition — if any program record says “yes,” the person is counted as yes.
Race / Ethnicity: People can select more than one race. Anyone who selected multiple races appears as “Multi-Racial.” Comparing these shares to the general population can reveal which groups are overrepresented in homelessness.
Sex: “Not Reported” appears for older records that were created before this field was added to the data standard — it does not mean the information was refused. This category will shrink over time as new records are created.
Age: A person’s age is based on their date of birth, calculated at the time they were active in the system during the reporting period.
Household Type: Determined by who is in the household together. For example, a single adult 25+ living alone is “Single Adult,” while a parent with children is “Household with Children.” Youth households (ages 18-24) are identified separately — “Accompanied Youth” means a young person with children but no older adults, and “Unaccompanied Youth” means young adults on their own.
Veteran Status: Only counted for adults 18 and older — children are not included. “Non-Veteran” means the person confirmed they are not a veteran.
Chronic Homelessness: A person is chronically homeless if they have a long-term disability and have been homeless for at least 12 months straight, or have experienced homelessness 4 or more times in the past 3 years adding up to at least 12 months. This is checked when a person first enters a program. If anyone in a household qualifies, all household members present at that time are also counted. “Missing” means there was not enough information to make a determination.
Disabling Condition: Includes physical, developmental, mental health, substance use, HIV/AIDS, or chronic health conditions that are expected to be long-term. “Yes” means at least one program recorded a disabling condition. “No” means every program record confirmed no disabling condition.
Active Clients Over Time Monthly count + 12-month rolling average
Shaded area = monthly active count. Dashed line = 12-month rolling average. Upward trend = growing caseload.
Net Flow (Entries − Exits) — Last 24 Months Is the system growing or shrinking?
More entries than exits
More exits than entries
Seasonality Index — % Deviation from Annual Avg When is demand highest?
Pattern: system typically peaks in fall/winter and dips in spring. Use for capacity planning. Blue = above average, orange = below average.
1
Where Are People Coming From?— Prior Living Situation2
How Long Are People Staying?≠ SPM 1Active Caseload — Stayers at Period End
Completed Stays — Leavers
3
Where Do People Go When They Leave?— Exit DestinationsUnderstanding System Performance Measures HUD-mandated metrics
| SPM | Question | Metric Shown | Scope | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SPM 3 | How many people are homeless? | Unduplicated count | ES + SH + TH only | ▼ Lower = better |
| SPM 5 | How many are first-time homeless? | First-time entries | ES + SH + TH (24-mo lookback) | ▼ Lower = better |
| SPM 1 | How long are people in the system? | Median days | ES + SH bed-nights (system-wide) | ▼ Lower = better |
| SPM 7b.1 | Are people exiting to PH? | Exit-to-PH rate % | Leavers from ES/SH/TH/RRH | ▲ Higher = better |
| SPM 2 | Are people staying housed? | 2-year return rate % | Prior PH exits (2-yr lookback) | ▼ Lower = better |
| SPM 4 | Are people increasing income? | % increased income | CoC-funded stayers (365+ days) | ▲ Higher = better |
| SPM 7b.2 | Are people retaining PH? | PH retention rate % | PSH/PH-HO/PH-HS with MoveIn | ▲ Higher = better |
Key Differences from Other Tabs
SPM 3 “People Homeless” vs. Overview “Served”: Overview counts all project types. SPM 3 only counts ES + SH + TH. SPM 3 will always be a smaller number.
SPM 1 “Time in System” vs. Explorer “Length of Stay”: Explorer shows simple enrollment duration in one project. SPM 1 tracks total system bed-nights across multiple enrollments with backward contiguity (continuous homeless episodes). SPM 1 is usually longer.
SPM 7b.1 “Housed Rate” vs. Overview “Housing Rate”: Overview = Housed ÷ Exiting across all project types. SPM 7b.1 = exits to PH from ES/SH/TH/RRH only, excluding system stayers and certain destinations. Different scope and stricter rules.
SPM 4 “Income Growth” vs. Explorer “Income Changes”: Explorer shows all enrollments in the selected project type. SPM 4 is restricted to CoC-funded projects, adults only, stayers must have 365+ days and annual assessments. Different universe and methodology.
SPM 2 “Return Rate”: Unique to SPMs — no equivalent on other tabs. It follows up on PH exits from ~2 years ago to see if people returned. It measures past performance, not current-year activity.
SPM 1 “Time in System” vs. Explorer “Length of Stay”: Explorer shows simple enrollment duration in one project. SPM 1 tracks total system bed-nights across multiple enrollments with backward contiguity (continuous homeless episodes). SPM 1 is usually longer.
SPM 7b.1 “Housed Rate” vs. Overview “Housing Rate”: Overview = Housed ÷ Exiting across all project types. SPM 7b.1 = exits to PH from ES/SH/TH/RRH only, excluding system stayers and certain destinations. Different scope and stricter rules.
SPM 4 “Income Growth” vs. Explorer “Income Changes”: Explorer shows all enrollments in the selected project type. SPM 4 is restricted to CoC-funded projects, adults only, stayers must have 365+ days and annual assessments. Different universe and methodology.
SPM 2 “Return Rate”: Unique to SPMs — no equivalent on other tabs. It follows up on PH exits from ~2 years ago to see if people returned. It measures past performance, not current-year activity.
≠ Look-Alike Metrics — Side by Side
| Concept | Other Tab Metric | SPM Metric | Key Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| People Homeless | Overview “Served” (all project types) | SPM 3 (ES + SH + TH only) | SPM 3 is narrower scope — always smaller |
| Entering | Overview “Entering” (all types, no lookback) | SPM 5 (ES/SH/TH, 24-mo lookback) | SPM 5 splits first-time vs. returning |
| Housing Rate | Overview “Housing Rate” (Housed÷Exiting, all) | SPM 7b.1 (ES/SH/TH/RRH leavers only) | SPM excludes system stayers, stricter rules |
| Length of Stay | Explorer “LOS” (single enrollment) | SPM 1 (system bed-nights, contiguity) | SPM 1 is usually longer — system-wide |
| Income | Explorer “Income Changes” (any funder) | SPM 4 (CoC-funded, adults, 365+ days) | SPM 4 = smaller universe, stricter criteria |
| PH Retention | Explorer “Maintained PH Rate” | SPM 7b.2 (HUD stayer/leaver methodology) | SPM 7b.2 uses stricter HUD definitions |