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Note: There will be two virtual information sessions hosted by ECHO’s HMIS Team to discuss the vendor transition and answer questions. Find meeting details and meeting links on our HMIS page.

• Session 1: Tuesday, May 6, 2-3 p.m.
• Session 2: Friday, May 9, 9-10 a.m.

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In fall 2025, the Austin/Travis County Homelessness Response System (HRS) will transition to a new software vendor for our community’s Homeless Management Information System (HMIS). The change will bring more capabilities to providers and create a more comprehensive system to support people in ending their homelessness.

While the long-term benefits will far outweigh any difficulties during this period of transition for our community, we acknowledge some short-term effects may impact operations and planning at some partner organizations. This post lays out what we know is changing now, what’s changing next, and what to expect later this year.

The formal switch to the next system will happen in Fall 2025. Please note the timeline and details of the transition included here are subject to change as we continue configuring the system with the new vendor.

Key Changes:

Now

• New Coordinated Assessor trainings are paused after 4/24 until the new HMIS system is in place (11 people currently in training will be able to finish)
  • 85 assessors are currently in the community to do CAs during transition period (find a provider: https://www.austinecho.org/gethelp/)
• No new projects or providers will be added to the current HMIS system
• ECHO’s HMIS Team will not fulfill any custom requests until the new system is in place

Next

• Starting in July, new HMIS users will train exclusively on the new system
• Re-training of current HMIS users begins this summer and continues through the fall

Fall 2025

• Data migration and formal transition to new vendor
• Blackout period (no access to either HMIS system) to facilitate data transfer between vendors (more details to follow)
• HMIS New User and CA Trainings will resume when the new HMIS system is in place; all users of the new system will have access to training materials and in-person trainings from ECHO’s HMIS Team, and the Technical Assistance (TA) Team at ECHO will be able to provide support with any additional data entry questions

*Please note: Permanent housing operations (referrals and staffings) will continue as normal for the foreseeable future. Changes to these operating procedures will be communicated in Summer 2025.*

Why are we switching vendors?

As the HMIS lead agency for our community, it’s ECHO’s responsibility to listen to and respond to concerns regarding the data system from providers, people experiencing homelessness, and all stakeholders in our HRS. We’ve heard a desire for a more comprehensive HMIS system, which, combined with a lack of needed improvements in our current system, led to the decision to seek a new vendor.

Who’s the new vendor?

ECHO requested proposals from potential vendors in fall 2024. After a thorough review process by a committee of staff, HMIS users, and community members (which included live demonstrations from finalists), the committee selected BitFocus as the new vendor for Austin/Travis County’s HMIS system.

BitFocus’ platform, called Clarity, offers more capabilities for providers in terms of street outreach, reporting, and Coordinated Entry. The system offers advanced technology and features not currently available to providers in our system.

Why pause trainings?

The current Coordinated Assessor (CA) training is based on our current HMIS system. To minimize disruptions during the transition, ECHO staff must re-create the training structure and materials for the new system. Pausing the training schedule allows staff to focus on creating this framework so there are no delays onboarding assessors into the new HMIS system.

Additionally, because CA training takes time, anyone who began the process now would need to start over once our community switches to Clarity.

We appreciate your patience during this transition. While we may encounter some challenges along the way, the result will be well worth it.