Getting started with Continuum

Continuum is the safety-net continuity OS. One module spans every program that helps people exit a difficult life transition — homelessness, incarceration reentry, youth aging out of foster care, refugee resettlement, DV survivor exit, recovery housing, family reunification.

The wedge is continuity. The person owns their record. Every partner agency reads through a consent the person can revoke at any time. No re-traumatizing re-intake when someone moves between programs.

Two surfaces:
• The org/CoC lens at /continuum — by-name list, coordinated entry, consents, federal reports, hope path
• The person's lens at /me/services — their team, their next step, their documents, their benefits, their consents

Enabling Continuum:
1. Settings → Modules → enable Continuum (gov-only category)
2. The page seeds with 4 sample people + 5 sample housing units so you can see the workflows before adding real records
3. Edit or remove the sample records before going live

Federal compliance baked in:
• HMIS Data Standards (2024) Universal Data Elements on every person record
• HUD APR / LSA / SysPM / CAPER report generators
• HMIS CSV / XML export to HUD Data Exchange (HDX)
• BJA Performance Measurement Tool for reentry programs
• VAWA comparable database isolation (separate from HMIS — see DV-specific docs)

Language we use throughout the product:
• "Person served" or "person experiencing homelessness" — never "the homeless" or "client"
• "Returning citizen" — never "ex-offender"
• "DV survivor" — never "victim"