The Commonwealth of Massachusetts began supporting HMIS implementation back in 1996. HMIS is an essential component of the Massachusetts Commission to End Homelessness’ Plan to End Homelessness and informs the Patrick-Murray Administration’s Interagency Council on Housing and Homelessness. A number of exciting new initiatives are under way to address the problem of homelessness by connecting homeless individuals and families to the right resources at the right time. Massachusetts is comprised of 20 Continua of Care and utilizes a data warehouse to aggregate its homeless data. The Department of Housing and Community Development is the coordinating entity for shelter providers and key partners in the cities and towns