Meet Gerry Leslie, HMIS Director

1. Can you give me your job title and a description of the work you do?

I am the Homeless Management Information System or HMIS Project Director for MCAH. My job is to work with an amazing staff and community partners to develop a data system which informs on our work in preventing and ending homelessness. Specifically, my responsibilities include: 

  • Administration and oversight of the HMIS project
  • Serving as the subject matter expert on issues of compliance, privacy and security on the system.
  • Representing MCAH on a variety of statewide committees and workgroups as a data liaison
  • Providing technical assistance to communities on systems design to improve efficiency and use of data to evaluate work ending homelessness
  • Providing strategic planning on the future of homeless data, particularly with how data integration and evaluation can be used to move new efforts forward to address homelessness.

2. How does your work help homeless people, or help more people become housed?

Much of my work lies at the core of helping agencies and communities to understand the factors affecting homelessness among those they serve. This also includes helping them look for the most effective solutions in ending homelessness using data to inform their work and how they can improve outcomes for those experiencing homelessness.

3. Is there one project or achievement with MCAH that you are particularly proud?

Two specific projects come to mind. The first is the work that we have done over the past year to better understand inequalities by race and ethnicity. The second is our strategic work around larger data integration of homeless data with other community/social services data sources. This work is key to help us understand better the root causes and factors which affect and lengthen a person’s homeless experience. It will also lead us to discover new and innovative ways to help provide a more comprehensive array of services to address episodes of homelessness.

4. Is there anything else you want to say or would want people to know?

Just that I am so grateful to work with some many exceptional people, from those on the front lines working daily to end homelessness to those setting policy and fighting for funding to address homelessness. Ending homelessness is truly a collaborative effort, requiring the work of so many people committed to what they do. And in our work at MCAH, we have some of the best partners imaginable.

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