HMIS Newsletter: June 2026

Table of Contents

• Announcements
• New Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) Platform Coming 7/28
• June 2026 Feature Focus
• Important Reminder for Agency Leads
• In Our Community
  
• Upcoming Events 
• Bitfocus is Hiring

New Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) Platform Coming 7/28 

Why We Are Making This Change

June 2026 Feature Focus  

We're releasing updates every week! A summary of every new feature and system update will be added to our comprehensive article: Clarity Human Services: June 2026 Feature Updates. Each entry includes links to updated documentation so you can dive deep into the technical details.

Please note the following schedule for your sites:

• Every Monday: Updates are available to test and review on your Training Sites, giving you a first look at new functionality.
• Every Wednesday: Those same features go live on your Production (Live) Sites.
  

Here are some highlights of recent feature updates included in our June release schedule:

• Clarity CSV: We’re excited to introduce Clarity CSV as a new import format for the Data Import Tool (DIT), providing a new, expanded option for importing custom data.
  

Here are some highlights of recent feature updates available in the new Clarity interface:

*Please note that SCC has not transitioned over to the new User Interface, but we want to keep you in the loop for when this change takes place later this year. 

• Sensitive Data Protections: Fields marked as Protected in applicable screens are now automatically hidden from users who don’t have the required permissions for the agency that owns the record.
• Check-In Button: An Active Referral(s) card is now available on the right sidebar of a client's Profile page. Case managers can use this single-click Check-In button that resets the Last Activity date across all Pending status referrals for the client at once.
• Multi-Select Filter Standardization: Filtering is now more efficient! You can now select multiple values within a single filter in just one step.
• Service Details Authorization Lock Field: Prevent unauthorized edits by locking service records. The new Authorization Lock field can be found in the Additional Information section of the Service Details page.
• Coordinated Entry Events: A new "Events" tab in client program enrollments provides a complete view of all Manual and Inferred CE Events. From this tab, you can manage client event provisions (add, edit, delete, restore) and view a full audit log based on permissions.
• Streamlined Referral Reassignments:The Reassign Referral workflow now allows direct placement into specific units/beds (including a simplified 1-step form for single clients). The new Available Unit / Beds field replaces the Opening field and is used to select the appropriate placement.
• Additional Program Exit Functionality: You can now close open services and occupancies directly within the Exit modal to skip manual post-exit cleanup. This update also adds support for CE/Encampment program auto-exits and automatically removes referrals from the Community Queue upon permanent placement.

Want additional resources to understand these updates?

• Read our June 2026 Feature Updates article.
• Want a video about recent feature updates? We record every session so you never have to miss a thing. You can access the full recording in our Past Bitfocus Webinars library, making it easy to watch (or re-watch) whenever it fits best into your schedule.

Important Reminders for Agency Leads  

Please ensure all new and existing staff use their agency email address when registering for trainings on the Skilljar training portal. This helps in two important ways:

• Expedited Training Verification: Matching emails speeds up the training verification process and avoids delays in setting up new user accounts.
• Avoid Account Deactivation: Mismatched email addresses between Clarity and Virtual Trainings causes accounts to be flagged during the Annual Privacy Training verification and deactivated, as the system will not match them to confirm that required training has been completed.

In Our Community 

Right Tool, Right Subpopulation: Why the Youth VI-SPDAT Matters

In coordinated entry systems, accuracy is everything. The tools we use to assess vulnerability dictate how limited housing resources are prioritized. When it comes to Transition Age Youth (TAY), aged 24 and under, using the TAY-VI-SPDAT (Youth Version) isn’t just a recommendation—it is a necessity for equitable data and appropriate resource matching.

Yet, a common mistake occurs across intake points: administering the VI-SPDAT for Single Adults to young individuals simply because they are navigating the system alone.

The Developmental Gap: Youth vs. Single Adults

The Single Adult VI-SPDAT is designed for individuals over the age of 25. It weighs chronic homelessness, long-term medical vulnerabilities, and years of institutional over-utilization.

Unaccompanied youth rarely have a decade of chronic homelessness on paper, but they carry intense, unique vulnerabilities. The Youth VI-SPDAT explicitly captures these age-specific risks, including:

• Trauma from running away or being forced out of a caregiver's home.
• Exploitation, human trafficking, and survival sex.
• Disruptions to education and foster care system involvement.
• Lack of independent living skills or traditional credit histories.

When you use an adult tool on a 19-year-old, their vulnerability score is artificially deflated. They appear "low acuity" compared to a 50-year-old who has been on the street for a decade, effectively locking the youth out of the specialized housing interventions they desperately need.

The One Exception: Youth with Dependent Children

To keep our system consistent, there is only one specific exception to this rule:

The Rule of Exception: If a youth (aged 24 or younger) presents with custody of their own children (aged 18 or under), they should not receive the Youth VI-SPDAT.

Because their household now includes minor dependents, they must be assessed as a family unit. In these instances, the provider should administer the Family VI-SPDAT (or the Single Adult tool if your local CoC guidelines route single parents with minor children through that specific framework for individual triage, though usually the Family version is standard).

• Single or Unaccompanied Youth (Age 24 and under): Always use the Youth VI-SPDAT.
• Youth (Age 24 and under) with children (Age 18 and under): Pivot to the Family or Adult framework.

The Bottom Line

Unless a young person is parenting a minor child, always reach for the Youth VI-SPDAT. Using the correct tool ensures our youth are scored fairly against their peers, their unique developmental traumas are recognized, and they are matched with resources designed to end their homelessness before it becomes chronic adulthood homelessness.

Upcoming Events

Technical Administrator (TA/Agency Lead Meeting) | July 2, 2026 2:00pm - 3:30 pm

These meetings discuss the Agency Administrator reports and data collection requirements in HMIS. Additionally, updates regarding changes and/or upcoming changes to HMIS are explored in an effort to ascertain impacts on programs and/or end users. Furthermore breakout sessions allow for exploration of the understanding of ongoing data updates, and/or challenges being experienced by end users.

SCC HMIS Looker - HMIS Report Spotlight Office Hours | July 6 & 20, 2026 2:00pm - 3:00pm Register here

We know that lots of issues and questions can arise when using Clarity (HMIS) and Looker. Office Hours are a great opportunity to get your questions answered, see demos of anything you can't figure out or can't remember how to do, find out how to fix things that might have gotten messed up, and participate in discussions with other users around solutions to common challenges.

HMIS Clarity Office Hours | July 2, 16, & 30 2026 10:00am - 11:30am Join here

We know that lots of issues and questions can arise when using Clarity (HMIS). Office Hours are a great opportunity to get your questions answered, see demos of anything you can't figure out or can't remember how to do, find out how to fix things that might have gotten messed up, and participate in discussions with other users around solutions to common challenges.

Bitfocus is Hiring

Join our Team!

• Visit bitfocus.com | Jobs | About Bitfocus

• Work with us at Bitfocus! Join a team committed to innovation, collaboration, and real-world impact in human services.  

Questions?

Your HMIS Administrators are happy to help.

Phone: 408.596.5866 Ext. 2

Email: sccsupport@bitfocus.com