​Coordinated Entry

​A call to United Way North Carolina 2-1-1 health and human services information referral and hotline is the first step for Coordinated Entry in Charlotte-Mecklenburg.

 Read the news release 

What is Coordinated Entry?

Coordinated Entry (formerly called Coordinated Assessment) operates as a portal of entry process that aims to connect individuals and families who are homeless, or those at imminent risk of becoming homeless, to an existing available shelter/housing resource in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg community. 

Coordinated Entry uses a specific definition of homeless. A homeless person is someone:

• Living in in a place not meant for human habitation, or
• Living in emergency shelter (including domestic violence shelter), or
• Living in transitional housing for homeless persons, with an imminent exit date, or
• Exiting an institution where they temporarily resided for up to 90 days (and were in a shelter or a place not meant for human habitation immediately prior to entering that institution)

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development requires a coordinated entry process if a community receives federal dollars for homeless services.

Why Coordinated Entry?

In a Coordinated Entry system, households experiencing homelessness :

• Know exactly where to go to get help;
• Are assessed in a standard and consistent way;
• Are matched with the housing/services that best meet their needs, as available. 

By assessing everyone the same way, the community can be strategic about its limited resources and where resources may need to be redirected or added. Coordinated Entry, however, is not a  housing program or a guarantee of shelter or housing.

 According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, this approach is more efficient because it:

• Helps people move through the system faster by reducing the amount of time spent moving from program to program before finding the right match
• Reduces new entries into homelessness by consistently offering prevention and diversion resources
• Improves data collection and quality and provides accurate information on what kind of assistance people need

Coordinated Entry Locations

Coordinated Entry Weekly Staff Meetings are 12 noon to 2 p.m. on Wednesday. No Coordinated Entry assessments will be conducted during this time.

 AFTER HOURS

For Our Community Partners

Anyone inquiring about the need for Coordinated Entry should be directed to call United Way North Carolina 2-1-1, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg community's entry point for the Coordinated Entry process. 

To better serve inquiries about housing in general, please follow these directions before referring to Coordinated Entry:

• Verify that the person is currently homeless. If so, provide the listing and hours of operation of the designated Coordinated Entry locations. If not, do not refer to Coordinated Entry.
• If you are a housing provider, explain your program's eligibility requirements before referring to Coordinated Entry. It is important to give clients the best and most accurate information possible the first time they reach out to a homeless service/housing provider.

Steps of Coordinated Entry Process

• Call United Way North Carolina 2-1-1 health and human services information and referral hotline.
• Homeless client is pre-screened for eligibility for Coordinated Entry. Eligibility includes meeting the definition of homelessness previously described  and Mecklenburg County residency.
• If eligible, client is interviewed by a trained assessor. The same questions are asked at every site, and all available shelter/housing interventions are reviewed with the client at all Coordinated Entry locations.
• Based on results of the Coordinated Entry assessment, the client may be prioritized for a housing intervention. Every attempt is made to provide the client with access to shelter when there is availability.

Coordinated Entry uses the Vulnerability Index -- Service Prioritization Decision Assistance Tool (VI-SPDAT) v2.0 for both individuals and families experiencing homelessness or at very imminent risk.

"The SPDAT is an evidence-informed approach to assessing an individual's or family's acuity. The tool, across multiple components, prioritizes who to serve next and why, while concurrently identifying the areas in the person/family's life where support is most likely necessary in order to avoid housing instability." http://www.orgcode.com/