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Coordinated Entry System (CES) Overview

Coordinated Entry is a system that seeks to ensure that anyone experiencing homelessness is identified, assessed for housing needs, provided resources and guidance, and prioritized for and referred to permanent housing resources in the same way.

 

There are four key components of Coordinated Entry:

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ACCESS

ASSESSMENT

PRIORITIZATION 

REFERRAL

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On Long Island, there are two different agencies that you can reach out to, to get connected to Coordinated Entry:

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Long Island Coalition for the Homeless:

 

For Households Living on the Street- LICH and other partners have community outreach teams. To have a team outreach someone on the street, call 631-464-4314 x 118.

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For Households Living in Shelter- LICH reaches out to households in order of length of time homeless and provides housing focused case management to those homeless longest in the shelter system (1-5+ years). For households in shelter that are not long-term homeless, there is a Need Help? page and can work with shelter staff and other supports to explore housing options. LICH can also do shelter visits to speak with willing groups of residences to talk through housing barriers and housing options, and/or train shelter staff teams on the process that LICH case managers use. Many people residing in shelter also use peer support networks and social media groups to ask questions and get additional support from those that have lived expertise and are now looking to help others.  

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The Safe Center Long Island:

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For households actively fleeing violence with nowhere to go and no resources, call 516-542-0404.

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LICH refers about 250 households each year through this process to permanent supportive housing and rapid rehousing, all of which have been homeless one year or more, some in shelter as many as six years or more, or on the street for ten years or more. The Coordinated Entry team includes street outreach workers, case manager working with people in shelter, and housing locators and problem-solving support staff.

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The Safe Center LI refers about 30 households each year to domestic violence permanent housing programs. The DV team includes assessment staff, staff that help with safety planning, and staff that help with housing location and connections to other supports. 

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https://www.lihomeless.org/coordinated-entry-faq  

CE in the News

Community Solutions  highlighted the work of the Long Island Coalition for the Homeless CE team to advance racial equity. Read the article here!

Coordinated Entry System (CES) is an important process through which people experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness can access the crisis response system in a streamlined way, have their strengths and needs quickly assessed, and quickly connect them to appropriate, tailored housing and mainstream services within the community or designated region.

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Standardized assessment tools and practices used within local CES processes take into account the unique needs of single adults, families, victims of domestic violence and youth. When possible, the assessment provides the ability for households to gain access to the best options to address their needs, incorporating participant choice, rather than being evaluated for a single program within the system. The most intensive interventions are prioritized for those with the highest needs.

Permanent housing providers that receive funding through the CoC, ESG, or ESSHI all participate in the CE referral process. All CoC permanent housing programs are required to operate using a Housing First approach.

Coordinated Entry is also responsible for the referral process to New York State, Town of Brookhaven, and Town of Hempstead for all Emergency Housing Vouchers made available during COVID-19 to our local region. This year, LICH referred over 450 households to Emergency Housing Vouchers, in addition to the households referred to permanent supportive housing (50) and rapid rehousing (200).  

What is Permanent Supportive Housing? (Available to Chronically Homeless Households- APPLY HERE) This program model is designed for people that are homeless, have a documented permanent disability, and require ongoing support and case management in order to retain housing. Some permanent supportive housing units are also funded through the Office of Mental Health, which requires that households also be approved through SPA. Affordable, permanent and independent housing that meets the needs of tenants by providing support and that is integrated within a neighborhood and community. Housing opportunities for this program are limited with turn over rates being very low and are dedicated locally to households homeless for more than one year with significant barriers to exiting homelessness on their own and the need for ongoing support (such as someone living with untreated mental illness on the street for the past three years). 

What is Rapid Rehousing? (Available to Long-Term Homeless Families, Victims of Domestic Violence, and Unaccompanied Youth- no applications, assessments and referrals done by CE teams) This program model is designed for people that are homeless that can live independently and afford rent on their own after temporary assistance with rent. Short to medium-term housing program designed to get households into market-rate housing as quickly as possible and provide them with the support needed to achieve housing sustainability. RRH is not a housing voucher and tenants are expected to support their full rent in a short period of time, typically within 3 months to a year. This program also allows for more flexibility of housing location and household makeup. There are rapid rehousing programs that have a transitional housing component for victims of DV and youth that are experiencing immediate crises. Locally, this resource is prioritized for families that have remained in shelter for long periods of time, victims of domestic violence that enter homelessness and remain homeless, and youth that cannot be prevented from entering homelessness and remain homeless. 

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