Coordinated Entry System (CES)

Coordinated Entry is the process for ensuring all people experiencing a housing crisis have fair and equal access to services, housing, and assistance within the 9 counties of the Maryland Balance of State CoC, while minimizing the trauma of experiencing homelessness.  CES aims to quickly identify people experiencing a housing crisis, assess their strengths and needs, prioritize them for assistance, and connect them to resources in their local community that will prevent or address their homelessness.

CES designates specific access points for people experiencing a housing crisis to seek help.  These access points typically include a combination of emergency shelters, a hotline service, street outreach teams, or drop-in day centers.  Some access points may provide specialized services for certain at-risk groups such as people fleeing domestic violence or youth and young adults.  CES requires all service providers and access points in a community to use a standardized method of intake, assessment, prioritization, and referral in addition to ensuring that there are no “side doors” to accessing shelter beds or permanent housing assistance.

 

Access points assess each household’s needs and identify ways they can be diverted from homelessness – solutions could include things like applying for mainstream benefit programs, being connected to energy assistance, moving in with friends or family, mediating landlord-tenant conflicts, or receiving financial assistance to avoid an eviction.  If all prevention and diversion efforts are exhausted, staff can then support households with accessing emergency shelter resources to ensure their safety and work on quickly connecting them back to permanent housing.

 

Resources: