On the left, the diagram illustrates that without Coordinated Entry, households at risk of or experiencing homelessness navigate between several different agencies to find services and/or programs that best fit their needs. This process is often inefficient because households may spend a lot of their own resources contacting different agencies, may have to share their story repeatedly, and at the end, may not be connected to the most appropriate intervention. This process without Coordinated Entry also tends to embody a “first come, first serve” prioritization model– with little consideration given to instead prioritizing based on severity of need.
On the right, the diagram illustrates that with Coordinated Entry, households at risk of or experiencing homelessness access the housing crisis response system through an Entry Point, where they are assessed using a standardized tool. Based on their vulnerability and severity of needs, households are then referred to interventions that best fit their needs and for which they would like a referral. With Coordinated Entry, agencies also use a systems approach, i.e. moving from “my client” to “our client”, for a collective impact towards ending homelessness.