S. 4903 seeks to improve how the Department of Housing and Urban Development counts homeless individuals through its annual point-in-time count program. The bill requires all recipients of HUD homeless assistance funding to conduct standardized counts during the last ten days of April each year using a consistent data collection system called HMIS (Homeless Management Information System). Organizations will also need to collect supplemental data at the midpoint between annual counts to track seasonal trends and inform program planning, with HUD providing technical assistance and guidance especially to rural and under-resourced areas. The bill requires HUD to submit annual reports to Congress on compliance and data quality improvements, and directs the Government Accountability Office to complete a study within one year assessing the current counting methodology and recommending ways to modernize and standardize the process across all regions. The legislation allows some flexibility in how homeless assistance funding can be used to support HMIS training so that data collection efforts do not disrupt services to shelters.
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