This month, in the Scoop
-
Tracking racial equity in CES housing referrals
-
Reminder: The Adult Shelter Connect does not complete Coordinated Entry Assessments
-
New pilot policy guides transfers for youth in PSH
-
Attention assessors, new question added to the CES Assessment
-
Leadership committee Recap
Tracking racial equity in CES housing referrals
On March 23, 2020, the Hennepin County Coordinated Entry (CE) Leadership committees voted to remove the VI-SPDAT from our CE assessment (See announcement here). This decision was made in response to a report titled CES Racial Equity Analysis of Assessment Data from C4 Innovations. This report found that the VI-SPDAT perpetuated racial inequities. Hennepin County’s data confirmed this. In our community, more white households were being referred to Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) programs, while more Black/African American households were being referred to Rapid Re-Housing (RRH) programs.
Since the VI-SPDAT was removed from the assessment process in March 2020, we are seeing movement towards a more equitable distribution of housing resources.
 (See full data here)
The removal of the VI-SPDAT also meant a change to how clients are prioritized for housing referrals. The highest priority households are now being referred to the next available housing resource (PSH or RRH) for which they are eligible, and that meets their client choice preferences. We also no longer use the 'pre-determined buckets' that the VI-SPDAT established, which made people wait for one specific housing intervention. We are continuing our work with C4 Innovations and the HUD Technical Assistance Equity Demo to revise our assessment and ensure that our revamped CE assessment is more equitable and meets the needs of our community.
Reminder: The Adult Shelter Connect does not complete Coordinated Entry Assessments
Please do not send a person experiencing homelessness to the Adult Shelter Connect (ASC) for a CES assessment. The ASC is the entry point into Single Adult Shelter. Coordinated Entry Assessments can be completed by Matrix Housing Services for single adults that are sleeping outside or other places not meant for habitation, To have a Coordinated Entry assessment completed, call the Matrix Housing Services’ certified assessors: James at 612-283-2567 or Tori at 612-790-7827 directly to set up a time to meet. Families should call Front Door Social Services at 612-348-4111 to request a referral
Please visit www.hennepin.us/coordinated-entry to review eligibility and the process how to access an assessment.
New pilot policy clarifies eligibility for youth in PSH programs to transfer to adult PSH programs
Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) programs offer long term stability for their participants. Programs that serve youth (18 to 24 years old) offer this long term stability with additional services specifically for their age group. Occasionally participants will outgrow youth-specific services, but still need the housing support. It is for this scenario, a new 6-month pilot has been initiated, by the Singles and Family CES Leadership committees to offer guidance on transfers from a youth program to an adult program. After the 6 months the policy will be evaluated.
Read the policy and evaluation plan here.
Announcement for assessors!
New question added to the assessment
Assessors, you will now find a new question in the Coordinated Entry Assessment. The question asks "Do you consider yourself a chronic alcoholic?". You will find this question immediately after the Disability Information section (as seen below). Answering this question will verify eligibility for certain housing programs.
If possible, go back for old assessments and fill in this new question. It could lead to a faster housing referral for your client.
Youth and Single Adult Leadership Committee
Family Leadership Committee
|
