Western PA CoC Coordinated Entry Committee

The Western CoC Coordinated Entry System (CES) coordinates and manages access, assessment, prioritization and referral to housing and services for any person(s) experiencing or at imminent risk of homelessness in the following counties: Armstrong, Butler, Cameron, Clarion, Clearfield, Crawford, Elk, Fayette, Forest, Greene Indiana, Jefferson, Lawrence, McKean, Mercer, Potter, Venango, Warren, Washington, and Westmoreland.

Participation in CES is required for all projects funded by HUD Continuum of Care or Emergency Solutions Grants (including those administered by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania) and strongly encouraged for all other housing and service providers in order to ensure equitable and coordinated access for all.

The Western CoC Coordinated Entry System has taken a ‘No Wrong Doors’ approach which means that a client can approach an agency with a problem that needs to be addressed and get referred to the services that they need as it related to homelessness. This process starts at the designated assessment centers that are in each county of the Western CoC. See Attachment B of the Coordinated Entry Policy for a current list of assessment centers and their hours of operations.

Key elements of coordinated entry include:

ACCESS

• A well-designed programmatic entry and/or access system across the geographic region
• Provides complete coverage over the entire geographic area claimed by the CoC
• Linked to local outreach programming
• Inclusive of all subpopulations, including those experiencing chronic homelessness, Veterans,
  families, youth and survivors of domestic violence
• Removes the delay in accessing emergency services such as shelter and includes a means for
  individuals to access these emergency services 24 hours per day
• Provides protocols to ensure the safety and confidentiality of individuals seeking assistance,
  including victims of Domestic Violence
• Ensures Fair and Equal Access to housing for all people located within the CoC’s geographic area
• Provides comprehensive marketing of the system to ensure people throughout the CoC’s
  geographical area are aware of the Coordinated Entry System and how to access it

ASSESSMENT

• The use of a standardized assessment tool to assess consumer needs
• Utilizes a person-centered approach
• Incorporates cultural and linguist competencies
• Contains a plan for the CoC to engage in ongoing planning with all stakeholders utilizing the
  Coordinated Entry process

PRIORITIZATION

• Prioritization of consumers with the longest length of time homeless and most barriers for housing
  opportunities available within the COC

REFERRAL

• • Referrals, based on the results of the assessment tools, to ALL homelessness assistance programs
    (and other related programs when appropriate)
  • Provides a referral protocol to ensure that the programs accept all eligible referrals and rejections
    are justified and rare
  • Reduce, limit and remove barriers for individuals to access housing or services
  • Ensure a housing first approach is used throughout the CoC
  • Ensure that the process incorporates the participant’s choice
  • Capturing and managing data related to assessment and referrals in a Homeless Management
  • Information System (HMIS) and utilizing that the information to guide homeless assistance planning
    and systems change

  PLEASE NOTE: If you have any questions about Coordinated Entry, or perhaps a suggestion on a potential training topic or overall change to the system, you can follow this link to a form for submissions to the Committee. Instructions on how to complete the form can be found here.