Coordinated Access
The information and resources here are intended to answer questions and support your community to develop and sustain a strong Coordinated Access system on your journey to ending chronic homelessness.
Keep checking back here as we will be regularly updating materials and adding further resources.
Coordinated Access (CA) is a way for communities to design, streamline, and bring consistency to the process by which people experiencing homelessness access housing and services. A strong CA uses a By-Name List and a Housing First Approach along with a standardized and coordinated process for access, assessment, prioritization, and matching and referral for housing and other services across all the agencies and organizations in a local area.
Included below a variety of resources to provide you with an overview and further information about Coordinated Access:
Canadian and Reaching Home:
- Reaching Home
- Coordinated Access Directives (April 2019) – see Required Policies and Protocols Checklist (CAEH)
- Coordinated Access Guide (October 2019)
- Coordinated Access Presentation (August 2019) – recording coming soon!
- Homelessness Learning Hub (COH) – Coordinated Access 101
US HUD and USICH:
- Guidebook – HUD’s Coordinated Entry Core Elements (June 2017)
- Enhancing Coordinated Entry through Partnerships with Mainstream Resources and Programs
- HUD’s Coordinated Entry Brief for Youth includes key considerations for coordinated entry processes specifically for youth, key decisions points within the process, and community examples of coordinated entry for youth.
- Exploring Home Together Podcast – Strengthening Coordinated Entry Approaches (2019) (13 min)
General INFORMATION:
- Overview Documents – OrgCode’s Thoughts on Progressive Engagement and Coordinated Access (Sept 2017)
- Presentation – OrgCode’s Conference Presentation on By-Name Lists and Coordinated Access (CAEH17)
- Video – a short 3 minute OrgCode video explaining the difference between a By-Name List, Coordinated Access List and Prioritization List (and how they work together).
- Blogs:
- Basics of Coordinated Entry from OrgCode (November 2017)
- What is a Coordinated Access System? from CAEH (June 2018)
- Three Aspects of Coordinated Entry from OrgCode (February 2019)
- Webinars:
- System’s Planning Collective: How Communities Can Use Coordinated Access for System Planning (May 2018) (includes presentations from Calgary, Edmonton, Red Deer, and Medicine Hat)
- Coordinated Access Systems with OrgCode 20KHomes webinar (January 2017)
- The Lowdown on Common Assessment Tools (CAEH, 2018)
- Backgrounder – Information on Common Assessment Tools (CAEH, 2018) – answering the questions: what are they, when are they used, and what makes a good tool
- Backgrounder – Homelessness-Specific Common Assessment Tools Currently Used Broadly Across Canada (CAEH, 2018) – all the information we could gather on the VI-SPDAT/SPDAT, the VAT and the YAP to help you make an informed decision about what tool(s) will best meet your community’s needs
The Coordinated Access (CA) Scorecard 2.0 is the updated 22 question self-assessment tool to assist you to review and make improvements in your Coordinated Access system. This Scorecard incorporates the new Reaching Home Coordinated Access minimum requirements and includes three levels of quality: 1) Reaching Home, 2) Basic Quality, and 3) Advanced Quality.
For more information you catch watch the one-hour launch webinar (July 18, 2019) or review the Launch PowerPoint PDF. Read more about the Scorecard in the Guide below.
The CA Scorecard Guide 2.0 explains what the CA Scorecard is, makes suggestions for how to use it, and walks you through the questions (including a further description, tips and sample resources).
The CA Scorecard 2.0 is part of the Scorecards & Tools Google Worksheet (view only) that you can make a copy of for your community.
The Scorecards & Tools document includes the following six tabs:
- Tab #1: Instructions
- Tab #2: About Your Community
- Tab #3: By-Name List Scorecard 2.0
- Tab #4: Coordinated Access Scorecard 2.0
- Tab #5: Provider Participation Tool
- Tab #6: Provider Participation Tool – Instructions and Results
Each question in the CA Scorecard 2.0 has links to the appropriate supporting information in the CA Scorecard Guide 2.0. Review the CA Scorecard 2.0 with your community – document your progress and plan your next steps. Here are some ideas for Scorecard Group Exercises.
Built for Zero Canada communities complete their Scorecard and Tools in the Change Package.
Coordinated Access (sometimes called coordinated entry) materials from a variety of Canadian and US communities are included below:
us Toolkits and Community Examples:
- HUD Exchange Coordinated Entry Community Samples Toolkit provides a wide array of examples of coordinated access documents that have been created by communities from across the US.
- NAEH Coordinated Entry Toolkit provides access to all key US coordinated access guidance documents and examples of coordinated access documents from communities across the US (different examples than HUD Exchange above).
- A Coordinated Entry System for Los Angeles: Lessons from Early Implementation
- Trust and Collaboration Drive Family Coordinated Entry in Phoenix, Arizona
- Houston Pilots Coordinated Entry for Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence
- Youth Homelessness in Los Angeles County: Innovation with Child Welfare, Juvenile Justice and Coordinated Entry Systems
CAEH Tools:
- Pictures of Coordinated Access Systems
- Prioritization Examples
- Case Conferencing Overview and Examples
Canadian Community Coordinated Access Examples:
Calgary Coordinated Access Materials:
Guelph-Wellington’s Coordinated Access System (DOOR) Materials:
- Guelph-Wellington Coordinated Entry Guide (Feb 2019) (including lots of sample documents)
- Prioritization Meeting Tool
- Door Agency Checklist
- By-Name List Update Form
- Guelph-Wellington Bright Spot Blog (May 2019)
Hamilton’s Coordinated Access Materials:
- Hamilton BNL Briefing Note
- Hamilton Common Intake Form
- Hamilton Common Assessment Policy
- Hamilton Coordinated Access Action Bulletins – March & May & June & August (2018)
Kawartha-Haliburton Coordinated Access Materials:
- Kawartha-Haliburton Coordinated Entry System Process Guide (including lots of sample documents)
- Coordinated Entry System – Video (4 min – animated)
- Coordinated Entry System – One Page Flyer
- Coordinated Entry System – Diagram
- Coordinated Entry System – 7 Steps
- Coordinated Entry System – Process Map
- Kawartha-Haliburton Bright Spot Blog (Feb 2019)
Kingston’s Coordinated Access Materials:
- CAS Intake Protocol
- Common Consent and CAS Intake Interview
- Assessment Policy for HF and RRH
- Eligibility and Prioritization Policy for HF and RRH
- CAS Scorecard Recorded Webinar (2 hours) (PowerPoint PDF) (Feb 2019) – featuring Kingston’s CAS.
Peterborough Materials:
- All materials in google drive at www.bit.ly/PTBO_homelessness including:
- Coordinated Access System Process Guide
- HCRT Terms of Reference
- VI-SPDAT Forms
- Intake Forms (single adult, youth and family)
- Update Form
- Discharge Form
- Peterborough Coordinated Access Newsletter (April 2019)
- Peterborough Bright Spot Blog (May 2019)
Simcoe County
- SCATEH – Coordinated Access Newsletter (May 2019)
St. John’s (End Homelessness St. John’s) Materials:
- End Homelessness St. John’s Coordinated Access Manual (2019)
- St. John’s Homeless-Serving System Coordination Framework (2016)
- End Homelessness St. John’s Coordinated Access Pre-Screener (2019)
- End Homelessness St. John’s Coordinated Access Consent Form (2019)
Waterloo’s Coordinated Access (PATHS) Materials:
- Waterloo PATHS Framework
- PATHS Housing Support Application Form
- PATHS Team Service Navigators Access and Referral Protocol
- Waterloo Inactive Policy
- PATHS Prioritization Protocol
- PATHS Vacancy Matching Form
- PATHS Rent Assistance Eligibility and Administration Protocol
- PATHS Flex Fund Protocol
Windsor’s Coordinated Access (BNPL) Materials:
Below you will find a variety of sample job descriptions from Canadian communities related to Coordinated Access, Homeless Management Information Systems (HMIS), and By-Name Lists:
- BC Housing Coordinated Access Assessment Manager Job Description
- Dufferin County HIFIS and Homelessness Enumeration Coordinator Job Description & Job Posting
- Kawartha-Haliburton Homelessness System Resource Coordinator Job Description
- Peterborough Program Integrity Officer Job Description
- Simcoe County By-Name List Data Manager Job Description
- Simcoe County Coordinated Access System Project Lead Job Description
- St. John’s HMIS Coordinator – Community Lead Job Description
- St. John’s HMIS Coordinator – Technical Lead Job Description