Kalamazoo County CoC Coordinated Entry Stakeholder Feedback

Thank you for participating in this survey to provide feedback to the Kalamazoo County Continuum of Care about our Coordinated Entry System.

As a stakeholder in the homeless service system, your insights are needed to help us understand the aspects of our coordinated entry system that are currently working well, as well as the areas that can be improved.

For more information about coordinated entry in Kalamazoo County and the work the CoC is undertaking to evolve the coordinated entry system, please visit our website: https://kzoococ.org/coordinated-entry/

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* 1. Please describe your role (check all that apply):

Managerial or leadership role in a homeless service organization

Frontline staff or volunteer in a homeless service organization

Managerial or leadership role in an aligned service or advocacy organization/association/collaborative

Frontline staff or volunteer in an aligned service or advocacy organization/association/collaborative

Government staff or official

Staff at a foundation or other funder

Affordable housing developer

Homeless or formerly homeless person

School administrator or employee

Law enforcement or representative of criminal justice system

Hospital, healthcare, or public health worker

Child welfare worker

Other (please specify)

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* 2. Please rate your familiarity with the Kalamazoo County Coordinated Entry system:

Very Familiar – I have direct experience with the CE system

Moderately Familiar – I have indirect experience with the CE system or have made referrals to CE

Somewhat Familiar – I have worked with others who have navigated the CE system as clients or service providers

Slightly Familiar – I have learned a little about the CE system from participating in CoC presentations or meetings and have a general idea about its goals and structure.

Not at all familiar – I have no awareness of the CE system.

Coordinated entry is a centralized process meant to ensure that all people experiencing a housing crisis have fair and equal access to housing and assistance. Coordinated entry makes it possible for service providers to manage a high demand for limited housing resources by implementing prioritization policies driven by community need. There are four components of coordinated entry:

Access – refers to how households contact the CE system

Assessment – refers to the gathering of information to assess the person’s housing needs, preferences, and vulnerability. CoCs are required to use a standardized assessment tool.

Prioritization – refers to the process of matching household vulnerability to the appropriate housing intervention and/or service type needed to resolve the housing crisis. During assessment, the needs and level of vulnerability help determine prioritization.

Referral – refers to the matching of the household to available and appropriate community resources, housing, and services.

The next set of questions address access to coordinated entry.

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* 3. Please share your experience with client access to coordinated entry. What does the current CE system do well and what should be improved?

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* 4. The CoC hopes to improve connections to coordinated entry so that all households experiencing a housing crisis have access to the coordinated entry system and associated housing supports. Specific issues the CoC have identified to address include:

- Ensuring all clients accessing emergency shelter or other homeless services are connected to coordinated entry
- Creating a warm handoff for referrals to coordinated entry
- Increasing accountability for access point agencies
-Increasing transparency and communication with the client

Are there other specific areas the CoC should address?

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* 5. Are there specific resources or supports your organization would need to increase engagement in coordinated entry and help ensure CE access for all clients experiencing a housing crisis?

The next set of questions address coordinated entry assessment.

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* 6. Please share your experience with client intake and assessment within the coordinated entry system. What does the current CE system do well and what should be improved?

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* 7. The CoC hopes to streamline the intake and assessment process to lessen the burden on individuals experiencing homelessness and homeless service providers and create an equitable and culturally competent assessment process that creates opportunities for effective case conferencing. To that end, the CoC has identified the following issues to address:

- Minimizing the burden and intrusiveness of the CE assessment process
- Finding a replacement for the VI-SPDAT assessment tool that promotes equitable outcomes
- Creating clarity in data collection standards for CE staff
- Increasing transparency and communication with the client

Are there other specific areas that the CoC should address?

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* 8. Do you have any specific feedback about the VI-SPDAT assessment tool or suggestions for features to look for in a new assessment tool?

The next set of questions address coordinated entry prioritization.

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* 9. Please share your experience with client prioritization within the coordinated entry system. What does the current CE system do well and what should be improved?

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* 10. The CoC hopes to refine prioritization processes to meet community needs, promote equitable outcomes, and reflect the amount of housing resources available while increasing transparency and communication with the client, expanding opportunities for case conferencing, and improving oversight over implementation.

Are there other specific areas related to prioritization that the CoC should address?

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* 11. The CoC currently uses the following factors to prioritize households for permanent housing resources: Chronic homelessness, Veteran status, Currently fleeing domestic violence, Current location (unsheltered vs sheltered), VI-SPDAT score.

Given limited housing resources, what factors do you believe the CoC should consider or not consider to best meet community needs and promote equity?

The next set of questions address coordinated entry referral.

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* 12. Please share your experience with the referral process within the coordinated entry system. What does the current CE system do well and what should be improved?

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* 13. The CoC hopes to improve the CE referral process to increase linkages with other housing & homelessness resources, improve referrals to mainstream services & benefits, and increase transparency and communication with both clients and providers.

Are there other specific areas related to the referral process that the CoC should address?

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* 14. Do you work for an organization that currently engages in cross-agency case conferencing for homeless clients in Kalamazoo County?

Yes