March CES Scoop - New Referral Policy for Housing Providers

Hennepin County, Minnesota sent this bulletin at 03/25/2024 11:50 AM CDT

CES Scoop - Hennepin CoC Coordinated Entry

New Referral Policy

In some cases there is nobody on the priority list that meets a housing provider's eligibility criteria.

Here is a summary of the new policy when this happens:

1. After 2 business days of receiving the referral request the CES team will notify the housing provider that there is no one currently on the priority list that meets their criteria.

2. The CES team will check the priority list daily for 5 business days from receiving the referral request to see if an eligible household was added to the list.

3. If no eligible households are found the CES team will notify the housing provider that there isn't an eligible household on the list.

4. If the housing provider is aware of an eligible household that is currently on the priority list, they can send the HMIS ID# to the CES team. Then, the CES team will review the household in HMIS and make the referral if eligible and locatable.

5. If the housing provider is aware of households that are eligible for CES but are not currently on the priority list, they can encourage the household to get an assessment and added to the priority list.

New Actions Taken by CES Before Sending Singles Referrals

Coordinated Entry Priority List Coordinators are taking new actions before sending singles housing referrals effective March 1^st, 2024.

The goal is to enhance and increase successful referrals and achieve better outcomes.

Legal Involvement

CES Priority List Coordinators will review public websites for active warrants and offenses. Based on housing vacancies, aligning with program requirements and provided project descriptions by Housing Provider Agencies, Priority List Coordinators will then send relevant housing referrals accordingly.

Income Verification

County-issued benefits, including MAXIS screenshots will be uploaded to the Client Profile tab in HMIS.

Calling the Client

If there has been no recent client activity in HMIS, or if the previous housing referral was denied due to being unable to locate, CES Priority List Coordinators will reach out to clients before sending housing referrals.

This proactive approach aims to ensure the client’s current whereabouts can be confirmed.

Housing Stabilization Services (HSS)

When filling Housing Support vacancies, Priority List Coordinators will check the Housing Stabilization Service (HSS) dashboard to verify a client’s enrollment status.

This ensures that housing support providers receive information about the assigned housing stabilization service provider and the expiration date of the service.

Shelter Contact

If the client is or has been utilizing any shelters and doesn’t have a Shelter Advocate assigned to them, Priority List Coordinators will include the Shelter Contact in the Housing Referral email.

When a priority list manager takes action on any of the items above, they will be documented in the Priority List Manager Note Section of the Assessment tab in HMIS.

We are incorporating these changes based on the feedback received during CES Chats with Housing Providers. Your contribution to enhancing the Coordinated Entry System is truly invaluable.

Reports Housing Providers Should Know

Click here to see how to run 3 key reports for housing providers.

Families Access to Coordinated Entry

Family Access to Coordinated Entry Changed February 1st

As of February 1, 2024, Agate Housing and Services is serving as the primary access point for *families who need a coordinated entry assessment in Hennepin County.

Agate is accepting Families Coordinated Entry Assessment requests in two ways:

An online form: https://forms.office.com/r/wY5gTEHYJN
Call 612-361-5439. This is a voicemail box that is regularly checked.

Front Door previously provided this service. Now it is provided by Agate.

There are no changes to other access points.

Families who are staying at Hennepin County contracted shelters, such as People Serving People, St. Anne’s and Overflow Shelters should still connect with a shelter staff member to get a family coordinated entry assessment.

Families fleeing or attempting to flee domestic violence should contact the Domestic Abuse Project at 612-874-7063 (ext.232) or by email at firstcall@mndap.org.

*Note: Families means there is a child under the age of 18 that will live with the household once housed, or a person who is pregnant.