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Coordinated Entry Provider Access Standards

Access to the Homelessness Response System

San Francisco’s Coordinated Entry (CE) system is intended to match people experiencing homelessness to available housing resources and supportive housing programs to resolve their homelessness or housing crisis. CE providers specialize in serving adults, families, youth, veterans and survivors of violence. The population specific Access Points are designed to facilitate access for different groups with trusted community providers, co-located with additional homelessness services and resources.

The Coordinated Entry Access Standards are intended to ensure that all individuals experiencing homelessness can access the Homelessness Response System (HRS) in a consistent, equitable, and effective manner. These Standards establish a framework for CE providers to work together to assess and address the needs of individuals and families experiencing homelessness.

By adhering to these standards, the CE system aims to improve the efficiency and fairness of access to services, resources, and housing solutions.

Eligibility

People experiencing homelessness in San Francisco are eligible for CE. People who are not experiencing homelessness will be redirected to other services, and people who are not living in San Francisco will be redirected to services in the community where they live.

Accessibility of Coordinated Entry Services

All San Franciscans experiencing homelessness can use CE services, which are designed to provide maximum accessibility to CE through the following operating activities:

  • Comfortable, supportive settings for people experiencing homelessness seeking assistance.
  • Mobile staff can travel to locations where people experiencing homelessness are located, including but not limited to households physically unable to go to Access Points.
  • Partnerships with hospitals, behavioral health institutions, public benefits, and other programs to embed CE services in locations where people experiencing homelessness are frequently found.
  • Access to naloxone for overdose prevention.
  • CE Services are to be offered to individuals regardless of preferred language, by onsite or offsite interpreters.
  • CE providers are required to maintain a reasonable accommodation process to individually assess each accommodation request they receive within a reasonable time frame. Reasonable Accommodations can be requested for CE Services; people experiencing homelessness can also request reasonable accommodations for placement. For example, a person needing a wheelchair accessible building can request this accommodation for housing placement.

Coordinated Entry Access Operating Standards

The Coordinated Entry Access Standards are a set of guidelines that ensure all individuals and families experiencing homelessness are connected to the system in a consistent, equitable, and effective manner. The core components of these standards include:

  • Equity and Fairness: Ensuring that no one is excluded or discriminated against based on race, gender, sexual orientation, or other factors. This aims to provide equal access to resources and opportunities for housing and support services.
  • Consistency: Creating a uniform approach to how individuals are assessed and connected to housing programs across the HRS, to ensure that regardless of where someone accesses the HRS, the process is the same.
  • Efficiency: Streamlining the process where possible to minimize waiting times, confusion, and duplication of efforts, which helps individuals and families move through the HRS more quickly and with less frustration.
  • Accessibility: All CE Providers are required to adhere to contracted operating hours, ensuring services are consistently available. To ensure equal access to CE services the HRS will offer in person, mobile, and/or remote services.
  • Use of Facilities: CE Providers will provide clean accessible bathrooms for individuals to support individuals in maintaining dignified self-care.
  • Training and Development: To maintain a high standard of service and ensure that individuals experiencing homelessness receive consistent and effective support, all staff will be trained in Problem Solving and CE policies and procedures.

Coordinated Entry Services

While the providers perform a variety of activities that assist people experiencing homelessness, there are nine primary operating functions centered around access to services. (Note that not every provider will provide all nine. More information on that is in the next section).

  1. Problem Solving Conversations: Interventions to divert or rapidly exit people from homelessness provide opportunities to prevent people from entering the HRS and to redirect people who can resolve their homelessness without the need for ongoing support. It may offer a range of one-time assistance, including eviction prevention, relocation programs, family reunification, move in assistance, and flexible grants to address issues related to, experiencing homelessness in San Francisco.
  2. Housing Primary Assessments: The Housing Primary Assessment is designed to identify housing barriers and vulnerabilities to determine a participant’s eligibility to access permanent housing interventions within the HRS.
    1. Prioritize: The number of people experiencing homelessness seeking permanent housing through CE exceeds the amount of available housing. People are prioritized for permanent housing through the HRS based on their Housing Primary Assessment score.
  3. Housing Placement: Is the process to match eligible households to a housing opportunity based on program eligibility.
  4. Housing Navigation: Navigation services are supportive activities for people moving into permanent supportive housing programs. Navigation services may include gathering key documents required by the housing program, coordinating with housing providers to schedule housing viewings, and coordinating move in.
  5. Program Enrollments: The process of CE enrollment which allows access and referral to resources within the HRS.
  6. ONE System Tracking: The ONE System stores all data associated with the CE system. The ONE System protects all data entered as required by federal, state, and local statues and regulations. The ONE System tracks how people experiencing homelessness are utilizing the HRS. Before any information is entered into the ONE System, the HSH and HSA release of information must be completed by each participant. Participants have the right not to have their information entered into the ONE System, however some project funding sources may require collection and reporting of personal identifiable information as a condition of program enrollment and participation. Participants can also request a de-identified profile in the ONE System to support their pathway through the HRS.
  7. Referrals to Community Resources: Provide linkage and referrals to community resources based on client need. Referrals may include mental and behavioral health, basic need support such as food security, hygiene kits, clothing, and shower accessibility.
  8. Document Gathering: The collection of documents that support a person interacting with the HRS. Documents may include identification cards, social security cards, income verifications, reasonable accommodation letters, and birth certificates. These documents will not supersede people’s personal preference for name or gender and how they are treated as they interact with the HRS. Obtaining documentation will not be a barrier to accessing services in the HRS.
  9. Survivor of Violence: Survivors of violence may access any Access Point including Victim Service Providers which are specialized CE access points focused on the privacy and safety needs of survivors. Domestic violence includes dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, human trafficking and other dangerous or life-threatening conditions that relate to violence against the individual or family member that either takes place in or has made them afraid to return to their primary nighttime residence. These services are also available for survivors of violent crimes or family members. Survivors have the option of having their information in the ONE System or the Housing Opportunities for People Experiencing Violence (HOPE) System.
  10. Shelter Placements: Households can find out more about accessing shelter at Access Points. Shelter programs give people experiencing homelessness a temporary place to stay while accessing services and looking for permanent housing.

Types of Access Models

To ensure people experiencing homelessness can access Coordinated Entry in a way that best fits their needs, different types of access models are utilized. These models include:

Access Points

Access Points are locations where CE services are provided onsite either in person or remotely by a community provider. People experiencing homelessness may access services during providers’ operating hours.

Mobile Access

Mobile Access consists of CE services provided in a community setting outside of the Access Points location. Examples include pre-arranged requests for Access Point staff to visit a clinic, school, special community events, or other community settings. Mobile Access requires a safe, private space for staff to operate and serve people experiencing homelessness.

Advanced notice to Mobile CE providers during their regular business hours are required. Mobile CE can be arranged based on:

  1. Number of people to be served.
  2. Staff availability and other requests for Mobile Access staff time
  3. Equity and service impact.

Remote Access

Remote access is a real time service for providers and people experiencing homelessness to engage with CE provider staff live during their business hours. CE services can be provided over the phone or using technology such as zoom. Phone calls may be placed on a brief hold or go to voicemail if staff are not available. If staff are not available in real time, calls will be returned within two (2) business days.

Remote access requires a safe, private space for staff to operate. This space does not have to be co-located with the people served.

Document gathering and move in services may require in person services. Users of remote CE would either need support from a third- party provider to conduct these in-person services or have the ability to navigate systems, appointments, etc. on their own.

Outreach Access

Outreach Access refers to CE services for people experiencing homelessness encountered on the street. Services are provided on the street, in vehicles, and other settings. Staff are trained and able to adapt to a variety of settings and provide dignified respectful services. An example of this model is the San Francisco Homeless Outreach Team.

Shelter Access

Shelter Access refers to CE services that are provided to people experiencing homelessness and are staying in shelter. For example, Access Point staff visit the shelter on a weekly basis to engage people in effort to learn about CE services.

Multidisciplinary Team (MDT)/Roving Whole Person Care

The MDT consists of a group of various government and private providers that coordinate and visit Adult temporary shelters to ensure guests can access any public benefits and housing access they need and are eligible to receive.

Advanced notice to MDT/ Roving Whole Person Care is required. MDT/Roving Whole Person Care can be arranged based on:

  1. Number of people to be served
  2. Other demand for Mobile Access at the time
  3. Equity and service impact
  4. Staff availability

Government providers include:

  • Human Services Agency services
    • Adult Protective Services Social Worker
    • In Home Supportive Services Social Worker
    • Senior Physician Specialist
    • Shelter Health Nursing Team.

Non-profit providers include:

  • Bay Area Legal Aid
  • Institute of Aging
  • Episcopal Community Services (ECS) Mobile Problem Solvers
  • HSH-Shelter Contracted Providers