Eastern CoC

Connect to Home: Coordinated Entry System of Eastern PA

Eastern PA CoC Coordinated Entry System Overview

Connect To Home: Coordinated Entry System of Eastern Pennsylvania Overview

The mission of the Eastern PA Continuum of Care (CoC) is to end homelessness throughout its geographic region, which encompasses thirty-three (33) counties in the eastern part of Pennsylvania.

Connect To Home: Coordinated Entry System of Eastern PA (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: Adams, Bedford, Blair, Bradford, Cambria, Carbon, Centre, Clinton, Columbia, Cumberland, Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon, Juniata, Lebanon, Lehigh, Lycoming, Mifflin, Monroe, Montour, Northampton, Northumberland, Perry, Pike, Schuylkill, Somerset, Snyder, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Union, Wayne and Wyoming.

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 to ensure equitable and coordinated access for all.

Coordinated Entry is the process by which anyone who is unhoused and experiencing literal homelessness (or is at imminent risk of becoming homeless) can access all the services and housing available offered by the Eastern Pennsylvania CoC network of service providers.

In the Eastern Pennsylvania CoC region, Coordinated Entry may be accessed in any of the following ways:

· Calling or texting 211 toll-free from anywhere within the CoC region.

· Scheduling an appointment with one of over thirty Coordinated Entry Access Sites located in communities throughout the CoC region (some allow walk-ins).

· Access points at participating Domestic Violence service providers partnering with the CoC.

The Coordinated Entry intake, assessment, referral, and Housing By Name List placement is identical regardless of whether a person calls 211 or visits an Access Site.

Households must be enrolled in Coordinated Entry to access any HUD-funded services and housing in the Eastern PA CoC service region, including:

● Street Outreach (if the household was living unsheltered or in a place not meant for human habitation the previous evening and not already engaged with Street Outreach).

● Emergency Shelter (if the household was living unsheltered or in a place not meant for human habitation the previous evening).

● Rapid Re-Housing (if the household meets the HUD Category 1 or 4 definitions of homelessness).

● Permanent Supportive Housing (if the household meets the HUD Category 1 or 4 definitions of homelessness).

● Homelessness Prevention (if the household meets the HUD Category 2 definition of imminent risk of homelessness).

Coordinated Entry can also make referrals to other community-based services and housing programs that choose to partner with the CoC, including non-HUD funded shelters, code blue shelters, veterans' services, domestic violence and human trafficking services, and eviction prevention services, among others. Coordinated Entry does not and cannot guarantee access to any housing or crisis services.

Connect To Home Referral Partners accept appropriate program referrals from Coordinated Entry Specialists. Coordinated Entry Specialists make direct referrals to crisis services, including Emergency Shelter, Street Outreach, Homelessness Prevention, and Transitional. Rapid Re-Housing and Permanent Supportive Housing providers receive their referrals from the By Name List in PA HMIS. During Coordinated Entry intake, Specialists field a Housing Assessment Tool (HAT) designed locally by the CoC to prioritize housing for the most vulnerable. The By Name List has special protocols for both veterans and survivors of domestic violence to ensure they are connected to appropriate housing and services. Coordinated Entry Regional Managers (currently 5.0 FTEs) manage the By Name List through Case Conferencing and Push Referrals in their respective geographic regions.

How Do I Become a Connect To Home Referral Partner Organization?

Connect To Home Referral Partners accept appropriate program referrals from Coordinated Entry Specialists. Coordinated Entry Specialists make direct referrals to homeless prevention and emergency services, including Emergency Shelter and Transitional Housing (both of the latter through HMIS). Rapid Re-Housing and Permanent Supportive Housing providers receive their referrals from the Community Queue prioritization list in PA HMIS. The Community Queue has special protocols for both veterans and survivors of domestic violence to ensure they are connected to appropriate housing and services. You can find a current list of the organizations with signed Connect to Home CES Partnership Agreements here.

To become a Connect to Home Referral Partner, please download the Connect To Home Partnership Agreement.

CES is overseen by a Board-appointed Coordinated Entry Committee and is supported by a dedicated Coordinated Entry Consultant who provides technical assistance for policy, procedure, training, meeting facilitation, partnership development, grant writing, marketing and communications, and data reporting and analysis.