Notes and Data That Hold Up

Write clear records that show where each fact came from and support continuity of service, audit review and documentation requests.

A self-paced field guide for case managers, outreach workers, shelter and interim housing staff and housing navigators: anyone who writes case notes or enters HMIS data. Rich Los Angeles context. Skills that work wherever you practice. Not software training: it teaches what to record and why, in any system.

What you'll be able to do

• Write for every reader of a record, including the person it's about.
• Have honest consent and sharing conversations, and protect survivors' information.
• Write case notes with facts, attribution and a clear next step, not labels.
• Build a 36-month homeless-history timeline that meets HUD's documentation rules.
• Get move-in, exit and destination right, and read your program's numbers critically.

Included in the download

• 68-page field guide with five lessons. Each lesson has a layer-by-layer view (federal, California, LA County, other cities, and "check yours"), worked decisions, practice scenarios with model answers, self-checks with feedback, and numbered sources.
• Four printable one-page job aids: Before you save a note, Consent and sharing check, Building a homeless-history timeline, and Move-in, exit and destination.
• A Check Yours worksheet (PDF and Word) for finding the systems, policies and contacts where you work.
• Start Here and a license for the tier you choose: one named person, a site team of up to 15 named users, or an agency of up to 50 named users.

Before you buy

• Sources: built on 123 legal and policy claims, each traced to its original source and read in full. The sources include HUD's CoC and ESG recordkeeping rules, the 2004 HMIS privacy and security standards, the FY2026 HMIS Data Standards, System Performance Measures, VAWA and McKinney-Vento survivor-data rules, 42 CFR Part 2, California's MDT, HDIS and medical-records laws, and consent models from Washington State, San Diego and Chicago. Rules were checked in October 2026.
• What it is: an independent educational resource. It isn't legal advice, a certification, or a replacement for your agency's policies, counsel or required training. No agency endorsement is implied.
• Accessibility: the PDFs aren't certified PDF/UA accessible. The worksheet is also supplied in Word.

License options

• Individual Practitioner, $49: one named person.
• Program / Site Team, $199: up to 15 named users in one program at one address, or one established mobile or remote team.
• Agency / Multi-Site, $499: up to 50 named users across the programs and sites one organization runs directly (for a government buyer, one named department or bureau).

The license you choose is in LICENSE.txt in your download and governs use. Refunds follow the policy shown at checkout and applicable law.