What is the Date of Engagement in Street Outreach and Night by Night Emergency Shelters, and where is it recorded?

• A. The date a client first engages in services
• B. The date on which an interactive client relationship results in a deliberate client assessment or beginning of a case plan
• C. The date of enrollment in the program
• D. The date of housing placement

Answer: (B)

The Date of Engagement is the moment when an interactive client relationship becomes formal enough to trigger an assessment or the start of a case plan. It’s not just when a client first comes in, nor simply the enrollment date or housing placement date. Instead, it marks the point at which deliberate planning begins—when an assessment is conducted or a case plan is initiated as part of Street Outreach or Night by Night Emergency Shelters.

In HMIS, this date is recorded within the program’s assessment data for that client entry—tied to the Street Outreach or Night by Night Shelter record—reflecting the formal engagement that leads to service planning.