Homelessness is a chaotic, confusing and stressful experience. “Coordinated Entry” is an answer to these questions, providing a quick pathway out of homelessness. Coordinated Entry is the process by which people experiencing homelessness are able to access housing and assistance. Each person receives assistance based on level of need and resources available in Greater Cincinnati.
“I’m Homeless….Where do I go? Who do I call? What do I do?”
This journey starts at the front door to Cincinnati’s homeless services system: the Central Access Point (CAP)
helpline. CAP is a single phone number anyone experiencing homelessness or who is at risk of homelessness can call to check for space in shelters and other homeless programs. For someone in crisis, being able to call one place for answers can mean the difference between losing hope and moving forward.
Progress starts with a housing survey. A shelter or outreach worker identify an individual’s strengths, and potential barriers to stability. Fortunately, the majority of people who become homeless in our community are actually able to self-resolve their homelessness.
For those who are not able to exit on their own, our Coordinated Entry Specialists match them to appropriate programs and resources as space becomes available, ensuring those with the most severe needs are served first.
Finally, case managers help recently re-housed individuals and families develop an exit plan that focuses on continued stability.
Our Relationship with Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority in the Coordinated Entry Process
STEH has developed an exciting relationship with Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority to assist these households in moving on, or “graduating,” to the next step. If the client needs ongoing rental assistance, CMHA is able to offer qualifying households a Housing Choice Voucher for support. As a result, this program turns over various housing programs more quickly. Therefore, giving people new housing access and assistance out of homelessness.
Coordinated Entry in Cincinnati is just over a year old, and so far has made more than 1,000 housing matches, resulting in hundreds of families and chronically homeless individuals being housed. But it is not without its challenges. We identify the most vulnerable households, and there are more than 100 of them in our system at any given time. Yet they remain homeless because they can’t find a landlord who will give them a chance and rent to them.
In addition, Coordinated Entry on its own does not create more affordable housing for those in need. But what it does, for the first time, is give us an accurate picture of the need in our community. In turn, that helps to inform new and creative funding streams for our system to reduce and eventually end homelessness in Cincinnati.
