Smarter Searching in the HSRG

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Smarter Searching in the HSRG

There are many ways to create custom searches to find the information you seek from the HSRG. The tips below will aid you in using the database more efficiently and effectively.

Tips for Successful Searches

  • Less is more – Use “cloth” for clothing; use “counsel” to find employment, financial, or other counseling services.
  • No punctuation – It’s not necessary to use commas, quote marks or other punctuation to separate search terms.
  • Service Search – Searches only service names; use for a quick search when looking for a specific service.
  • Keyword Search – Searches service name, service description, and meta keywords. Use for more comprehensive search results. If necessary, use filters to narrow results (see below).
  • Organization Search – Returns information about and services provided by a particular nonprofit organization or government agency. Also can be used to search for programs.
    • Commonly known acronyms can be used. Ex: HUD, NCS, CSB, NVFS, UCM, etc.
    • To find a program such as Meals on Wheels, enter all or part of the program name in the Organization field and click on search.
  • Filters are used to refine a large search, such as filtering a keyword or one-touch search by a second service name.
    • Ex: Click the Veterans/Military One-Touch icon to access those services; add home as a filter term to quickly retrieve the programs serving homeless Veterans.
    • City and ZIP Code filters are also available to filter searches.
    • Org Type filter returns only those services provided by nonprofits OR government programs.
    • More than one filter can be used at a time. For example, combine a service name and ZIP Code or city to filter a keyword search.
    • Click on Clear Filter to remove the filter term and return to the original search.
  • Classification Search allows you to search the index terms used to organize the database. Use this search to capture information about specific types of services, such as hotlines.
    • Alternatively, search Classifications to find all services with a common theme. Ex: A classification search on youth will return 16 classification terms used to code 226 youth-related programs.
    • Click on the Plus Image to see a definition of the classification term.
    • Click on the term itself to see a list of programs coded with that term.