Initial Occupancy Information

Table of Contents

• Overview
• Temporary Housing Projects
  • Enrollments from a Referral
  • Enrollments without a Referral
  • Updates to Occupancy for Enrollments (With/Without a Referral)
• Permanent Housing Projects
  • Enrollments from a Referral
  • Enrollments without a Referral
  • Updates to Occupancy for Enrollments (With/Without a Referral)

• Audit Log
• Additional Resources
  • Configuration Resources

Overview

When you enroll a client in a housing program with an applicable project type that uses the Inventory module, Initial Occupancy Start Date appears as a separate field on the enrollment form, within a section titled Initial Occupancy Information.

The Initial Occupancy Information section appears on the enrollment form for a program if one of the following conditions is true:

• For new enrollments:

  • The Manage Units/Beds setting is enabled in the program's settings

    OR

  • The program placement (enrollment) is the result of a referral, and that referral has a connected unit/bed (even if the project type is not included in the list of applicable program types) 

• For enrollment edits:

  • The Manage Units/Beds setting is enabled in the program's settings.

If the program does not meet these conditions, the Initial Occupancy Information section does not appear on the enrollment form.

Program Settings and Access Rights

Enable Manage Units/Beds for each program that should record unit/bed occupancy. If the setting is off, the Initial Occupancy Information section appears only for new enrollments that result from a referral with a connected unit/bed. It does not appear when staff edit an enrollment. To find the Manage Units/Beds setting, go to Manage > Programs > Modify Program [program name]. Refer to How to Set Up a Program: Detailed Instructions.

Enable Edit Enrollment-based Unit Records in the access roles of staff who connect referrals to occupancies. Without this access right, staff still see the Pending Unit/Bed Occupancy alert, but they can click it only if their role has the right and their agency owns the enrollment. Refer to Rights Glossary for Access Roles. 

Temporary Housing Projects

When you enroll a client in a housing program with an applicable project type that is using INVENTORY, the Add program enrollment page includes an Initial Occupancy Information section. This section includes the Initial Occupancy Start Date field. 

The applicable project types are:

• Emergency Shelter – Night-by-Night
• Emergency Shelter – Entry Exit
• Transitional Housing
• Safe Haven

Enrollments from a Referral

If the enrollment is the result of a referral, the Initial Occupancy Start Date defaults to the current date.

• The Initial Occupancy Start Time defaults to the nearest 15 minutes.
• You can update the Project Start Date and the Initial Occupancy Start Date/Time. The Initial Occupancy Start Date/Time cannot be earlier than the Project Start Date.

If you try to save the enrollment with an Initial Occupancy Start Date set earlier than the Project Start Date, the system does not save the enrollment, and a warning appears that reads:

“The Initial Occupancy Start Date cannot be earlier than the Project Start Date. Please adjust the dates as appropriate.” 

Click OK, then update the field.

When you create the program enrollment from a referral and adjust only the enrollment’s Project Start Date before saving the screen, the Initial Occupancy Start Date and the Unit Start Date on the Units/Beds workspace reflect the enrollment’s Project Start Date. Refer to The Units/Beds Tab (New Clarity Interface) for more details.

After you save the enrollment, the Initial Occupancy Start Date is read-only on the enrollment.

• A warning above the Initial Occupancy Start Date field reads:

 “Please go to the Units/Beds tab to update the Initial Occupancy Start Date.”

• When you update the Initial Occupancy Start Date on the Units/Beds workspace, the enrollment’s Initial Occupancy Start Date updates to the same date and time.

If you set the Initial Occupancy Start Date later than the Project Start Date, the system still completes the referral on the Project Start Date.

• The unit/bed occupancy/availability status remains Pending Occupancy until the Occupancy Start Date/Time.

Enrollments without a Referral

If the enrollment is not the result of a referral:

• The Initial Occupancy Start Date field still appears within the Initial Occupancy Information section.
• The field is empty and read-only.
• The field is grayed out, and a warning reads:

 “Please go to the Units/Beds tab to fill out the Initial Occupancy Start Date.”

• After you fill out the field on the Units/Beds workspace, the value appears on the enrollment.

Updates to Occupancy for Enrollments (With/Without a Referral)

After you save an enrollment (with or without a referral) with an Initial Occupancy Start Date for a unit/bed, you may need to make updates. 

New Occupancy Record

If you create a new occupancy on the Units/Beds tab of an enrollment because the client moves to a new unit, the Initial Occupancy Start Date on the enrollment does not change. It remains the date of the first Initial Occupancy Start Date in the program.

Deleted Occupancy Record

If the program has only one occupancy record and you delete it, the system clears the Initial Occupancy Start Date field on the enrollment and logs the change in the enrollment audit log.

• A warning above the Initial Occupancy Start Date field reads: 
  
  “Please go to the Units/Beds tab to update the Initial Occupancy Start Date.”
• The Initial Occupancy Start Date field remains empty until you add the occupancy on the Units/Beds workspace.
  • The Initial Occupancy Start Date then populates with the value you enter on the Units/Beds workspace.

Multiple Occupancy Records

If the program has multiple occupancy records and you remove the first one, the Initial Occupancy Start Date on the enrollment updates to match the next occupancy record on the Units/Beds workspace.

Occupancy End Dates and Offline/Inactive Status

If a unit/bed has a previous occupancy end date or offline/inactive status on the same date as the Project Start Date, set the Initial Occupancy Start Date/Time on or after the unit/bed offline/inactive status end date or the previous occupancy end date.

If you try to save an enrollment with an earlier Initial Occupancy Start Date, the system does not save the enrollment, and a warning appears that reads: 

“The client’s occupancy in [Unit/Bed name] overlaps with the [unit’s/bed’s] offline/inactive status. Please adjust the occupancy or offline/inactive status dates as appropriate.” 

or

 “The client’s occupancy in [Unit/Bed name] overlaps with a previous occupancy. Please adjust the occupancy dates as appropriate.”

Click OK, then update the occupancy or offline/inactive status dates.

• When you click OK, you remain on the enrollment and you can either update the unit occupancy start date or cancel the enrollment and update the unit status date.

Unit End Date and Pending Referrals

If a unit/bed has a pending referral connected to it, you cannot do either of the following to the Unit End Date for the current occupancy on the program's Units/Beds workspace:

• Clear it (leave it blank)
• Change it to a date later than the referral's Referred Date

This prevents a unit from being occupied and having a pending referral at the same time.

If you try to save a Unit End Date that conflicts with a pending referral, the system flags the field with an error.

To resolve the error, update the pending referral (complete, reassign, or cancel it) or choose a different Unit End Date before saving.

Updates to Project Start Date

If you enroll the client, set the Initial Occupancy Start Date/Time, save the enrollment, and then return to the enrollment and update the Project Start Date. The Project Start Date must still be earlier than the Initial Occupancy Start Date/Time.

• When you update the Project Start Date, the Initial Occupancy Start Date does not automatically update.
• If you try to save the enrollment with an Initial Occupancy Start Date earlier than the Project Start Date, a warning reads, 

“The Initial Occupancy Start date cannot be earlier than the Project Start date. Please adjust the dates as appropriate.”

Permanent Housing Projects

When you enroll a client in a housing program with an applicable project type that uses INVENTORY, and the housing move-in date is applicable, the Add program enrollment page includes an Initial Occupancy Information section. This section includes the Initial Occupancy Start Date field. 

The applicable project types are:

• PH - Permanent Supportive Housing (disability required for entry)
• PH - Housing Only
• PH - Housing with Services (no disability required for entry)
• PH - Rapid Re-Housing where “Identify RRH subtype” = RRH: Housing with or without services

For group enrollments, you can edit the Initial Occupancy Start Date field only for the first household member. For all subsequent household members, the field is filled with the same value and is read-only.

Enrollments from a Referral

If the enrollment is the result of a referral, the Initial Occupancy Start Date defaults to the current date. You can leave the field blank.

• The Initial Occupancy Start Time defaults to the nearest 15 minutes.
• You can update the Initial Occupancy Start Date/Time, but it cannot be earlier than the Project Start Date and cannot be earlier than the Referral Reassign Date or Referral Date (for direct referrals).
• The Project Start Date does not depend on the referral’s date.
• The Housing Move-in Date populates automatically with the same date as the Initial Occupancy Start Date. The Housing Move-in Date field is read-only on the enrollment if the Manage Units Beds setting is enabled on the program's settings.
  • The Initial Occupancy Start Date field can be edited to clear the date (if the Housing Move-in Date is unknown) or to add a future occupancy date. The Housing Move-in Date field will auto-populate to match the value of the Initial Occupancy Start Date field.
    • If the Manage Units/Beds setting is NOT enabled on the program’s settings, the Housing Move-in Date field will not be read-only and will be optional, maintaining the current system behavior where it can be manually updated.

If you try to save the enrollment with an Initial Occupancy Start Date field set earlier than the Project Start Date, the system does not save the enrollment, and a warning appears that reads:

“The Initial Occupancy Start Date cannot be earlier than the Project Start Date. Please adjust the dates as appropriate.” 

Click OK, then update the field.

When the Project Start Date, the Initial Occupancy Start Date (and the matching Housing Move-in Date), and all required fields are complete, click Save to complete the enrollment. For a group enrollment, click Save to go to the next household member’s enrollment screen.

After you save the enrollment, the Initial Occupancy Start Date and Housing Move-in Date fields are read-only and cannot be updated.

A warning at the bottom of the enrollment reads:

“Please go to the Units/Beds tab to update the Initial Occupancy Start Date/Housing Move-in Date.”

• When you update the Initial Occupancy Start Date on the program’s Units/Beds tab, the enrollment's Initial Occupancy Start Date and Housing Move-in Date update to  the same date and time.

Updating the Initial Occupancy Start Date

Add the client to the unit/bed when they actually move in. This automatically updates the Initial Occupancy Start Date and the Housing Move-in Date. To add the client, add a unit referral connection on the program's Units/Beds workspace.

When you click Add Referral Connection on the Units/Beds workspace, only related pending unit/beds appear.

• The program list is limited to programs with a Start Date > /= the Reassign Date (or the Referral Date for direct referrals). 

Pending Referrals

If you leave the Initial Occupancy Start Date and the Housing Move-in Date blank when you enroll the client as a result of a referral, the system completes the referral, but the unit/bed remains in Pending status.

• If you leave both the Initial Occupancy Start Date and Housing Move-in Date fields empty, and then exit the client from the program, the system marks the Bed Assignment as Expired.

Pending Unit Occupancy Warning Banner

If the Edit Enrollment-based Unit Records access right is enabled for you at the agency that owns the enrollment, a clickable warning banner appears on the client’s profile. A tooltip reads:

“The client has a pending unit/bed occupancy. Click here to add the referral connection when the client moves into housing.”

When you click the warning, the system redirects you to the program’s Units/Beds workspace, and the Add Unit Connection form opens automatically.

• You can also add the client to the unit/bed by navigating to the program’s Units/Beds workspace. Click Add Unit Connection. Only pending unit/bed occupancies will appear.
• When you add the client to the unit/bed, the Housing Move-in Date and Initial Occupancy Start Date automatically updates.

Multiple Pending Occupancies

When a client has several programs with available pending occupancies and the Edit Enrollment-based Unit Records access right is enabled for the user, the banner tooltip reads:

“This client has a pending unit/bed occupancy. Select a Program to add the unit connection when the client moves into housing.”

• Click the banner. The system displays a card with program names and links to the appropriate client program’s Units/Beds workspace(s).

Enrollments without a Referral

If the enrollment is not the result of a referral:

• The Initial Occupancy Start Date field still appears within the Initial Occupancy Information section.
• The field is empty and read-only.
• The field appears grayed out, and a warning reads:

 “Please go to the Units/Beds tab to fill out the Initial Occupancy Start Date/Housing Move-in Date.”

• Once the field is filled out on the Units/Beds tab, the value displays on the enrollment screen.

Updates to Occupancy for Enrollments (With/Without a Referral)

After you save an enrollment (with or without a referral) with an Initial Occupancy Start Date for a unit/bed, you may need to make updates.

New Occupancy Record

If you create a new occupancy on the Units/Beds workspace because the client moves to a new unit, the Initial Occupancy Start Date and Housing Move-in Date fields on the enrollment screen do not change. They remain the date of the first Initial Occupancy Start Date in the program.

Deleted Occupancy Record

If the program has only one occupancy record and you delete it, the system clears the Initial Occupancy Start Date and the Housing Move-in Date fields on the enrollment and logs the change in the enrollment audit log.

• A warning above the Initial Occupancy Start Date field reads: 
  
  “Please go to the Units/Beds tab to update the Initial Occupancy Start Date.”
• The Initial Occupancy Start Date and Housing Move-in Date fields will remain empty until the occupancy is added on the Units/Beds workspace.
  • The Initial Occupancy Start Date and Housing Move-in Date automatically populate with the value entered on the Units/Beds workspace.

Multiple Occupancy Records

If the program has multiple occupancy records and you remove the first one, the Initial Occupancy Start Date and Housing Move-in Date on the enrollment update to match the next occupancy record on the Units/Beds workspace.

Occupancy End Dates and Offline/Inactive Status

If the unit/bed has a previous occupancy end date or an offline/inactive status on the same date as the Project Start Date, set the Initial Unit Occupancy Start Date/Time on or after the unit's status end date/time or the previous occupancy end date.

If you try to save the enrollment with an earlier unit/bed Initial Occupancy Start Date than the unit/bed offline/inactive status end date, or the previous occupancy end date, the enrollment cannot be saved, and a warning appears that reads: 

“The client’s occupancy in [Unit/Bed name] overlaps with the [unit’s/bed’s] offline/inactive status. Please adjust the occupancy or offline/inactive status dates as appropriate.” 

or

 “The client’s occupancy in [Unit/Bed name] overlaps with a previous occupancy. Please adjust the occupancy dates as appropriate.”

Click OK, then update the occupancy or offline/inactive status dates.

• When you click OK, you remain on the enrollment page. You can either update the Unit/Bed Initial Occupancy Start Date or cancel the enrollment and update the unit/bed status date.

Unit End Date and Pending Referrals

If a unit/bed has a pending referral connected to it, you cannot do either of the following to the Unit End Date for the current occupancy on the program’s Units/Beds workspace: 

• Clear it (leave it blank)
• Change it to a date later than the referral's Referred Date

This prevents a unit from being occupied and having a pending referral at the same time.

If you try to save a Unit End Date that conflicts with a pending referral, the system flags the field with an error.

To resolve the error, update the pending referral (complete, reassign, or cancel it) or choose a different Unit End Date before saving.

Updates to Project Start Date

If you enroll the client, set the Initial Occupancy Start Date/Time, save the enrollment, and then return to the enrollment to update the Project Start Date. The Project Start Date must still be earlier than the Initial Occupancy Start Date/Time.

• When you update the Project Start Date, the Initial Occupancy Start Date does not automatically update.
• If you try to save the enrollment with an Initial Occupancy Start Date earlier than the Project Start Date, a warning reads, 

“The Initial Occupancy Start date cannot be earlier than the Project Start date. Please adjust the dates as appropriate.”

Adjust the dates to save the enrollment.

Audit Log

System Administrators with the Audit Log access right can view audit logs throughout the system. Refer to Rights Glossary for Access Roles for details on access rights.

To open the audit log, click the Action Menu (three dots) icon in the upper right of the workspace and select View Audit Log.

The Initial Occupancy Start Date field is tracked in the enrollment's audit log, and any changes made are logged.

Additional Resources

• Creating and Managing Program Enrollments

• The Units/Beds Tab

Configuration Resources

•  How to Set Up a Program: Detailed Instructions

• Rights Glossary for Access Roles

Updated: 10/29/2026