Coordinated Entry Data Elements

 

This article provides details on the HUD HMIS Coordinated Entry data elements in Clarity Human Services:

• 4.12 Current Living Situation
• 4.19 Coordinated Entry Assessment
• 4.20 Coordinated Entry Event

For full details on each data element, see the HMIS Data Standards. 

4.12 Current Living Situation

Overview

The purpose of this data element is to record each contact with people experiencing homelessness by street outreach and other service projects, to provide information on the number of contacts required to engage the client, and to document a current living situation as needed in any applicable project.

Data Collection

HUD requires data collection for Adults and Heads of Households at "Occurrence Point" (the time of contact) for the following Funder: Program-Components:

• HUD: CoC – Street Outreach and Coordinated Entry
• HUD: ESG – Street Outreach and night-by-night shelter
• HHS: PATH – all components
• HHS: RHY – Street Outreach
• HUD: CoC - Youth Homeless Demonstration Program (YHDP) – any project type serving clients who meet Category 2 or 3 of the homeless definition

And the following project types:

• Emergency Shelter – night-by-night method only
• Street Outreach
• Services Only
• Coordinated Entry

Users collect the Current Living Situation data within the Current Living Situation assessment that is available from the program-level Assessments tab.

Steps for System Administrators

• Set up a Program Status Screen  with "Current Living Situation" selected for Status Screen Type (this will automatically add the Current Living Situation fields to the screen) (or use the system "Current Living Situation" Program Status Screen) 
• Set up a Program Template with a Current Living Situation Program Status Screen selected for Additional Status Screen.
• Assign the Program Template to any applicable programs on the Modify Program page.
• Toggle on Program Assessments on the applicable programs' Modify Program page so that Status Screens can display within enrollments.
• For more information, see Current Living Situation: System and Agency Configuration.

Bitfocus Maintained Options

Bitfocus maintains a system Current Living Situation Program Status Screen that system administrators can assign to a Program Template.

4.19 Coordinated Entry Assessment

Overview

The Coordinated Entry Assessment element is a flexible data element that collects an assessment date, location, and result. It allows CoCs to define their own assessment questions and responses and categorizes each assessment into different types: Crisis Needs or Housing Needs. This data element is intended to standardize data collection on core components of Coordinated Entry like access, assessment, referral, and prioritization.

Data Collection

HUD requires data collection for Heads of Households at Occurrence for the following Funder: Program-Components:

• HUD: CoC – all components providing Coordinated Entry
• HUD: ESG – all components providing Coordinated Entry

And the following project types:

• Any projects completing Coordinated Entry data collection, regardless of project type

Users collect the following coordinated entry assessment fields within an assessment screen: Assessment Date, Assessment Location, Assessment Type, and Assessment Level. Assessment screens containing the coordinated entry fields display on any assessment screen with the Coordinated Entry Toggle enabled. All coordinated entry assessments should be configured as program-level assessments.

The system records values for the other Coordinated Entry Assessment fields as follows:

• Assessment Questions and Assessment Answers: values from any other fields in Assessment Screens with the Coordinated Entry toggle enabled. 
• Prioritization Status: the system infers a value for this field when a user refers a client to a Community Queue from a program-level Coordinated Entry Assessment. For more information, see Prioritization Status. 

Steps For System Administrators

• For communities using custom Coordinated Entry Assessment Screens (including custom VI-SPDAT Assessment Screens): toggle on Coordinated Entry and Eligibility Engine on your community's custom Coordinated Entry Screen (this will automatically add the Coordinated Entry Assessment fields to the screen)
• Create custom picklist responses for the Assessment Location field in the Field Editor. The Assessment Location field options are available system-wide for any screens using the Assessment Location field (i.e., Assessment Screens with Coordinated Entry toggled on).
• Begin referring clients to a Community Queue from the Program Coordinated Entry Assessment Eligibility Determination page to generate a Prioritization Status value. 
• Ensure that users are completing the Coordinated Entry Assessment as a program-level assessment.

Bitfocus Maintained Options

Bitfocus maintains system VI-SPDAT Assessment Screens with Coordinated Entry toggled on. 

4.20 Coordinated Entry Event

Overview

The Coordinated Entry Event element is designed to capture key referral and placement events, as well as the results of those events. It will help communities understand the events that go into achieving desired (and undesired) results through the Coordinated Entry system. This data element is intended to standardize data collection on core components of Coordinated Entry like access, assessment, referral, and prioritization.

Data Collection

HUD requires data collection for Heads of Households at occurrence for the following Funder: Program-Components:

• HUD: CoC – all components providing Coordinated Entry
• HUD: ESG – all components providing Coordinated Entry

And the following project types:

• Any projects completing Coordinated Entry data collection, regardless of project type

This data element contains 18 distinct events that are collected in Clarity Human Services as either inferred values (to eliminate the need for duplicate data entry) or manual events. 

• Inferred events are recorded automatically by the system through referrals based on criteria such as project type or funding source.
• Manual events are recorded by the user as "Event Items" through the Events tab in the client enrollment record.

CE Events (values 1-9, 16, and 18) are recorded as manual events. CE Event categories 10-15 and 17 can be configured as either inferred events or as manual events. 

Inferred Coordinated Entry Events

When CE Events 10-15 and 17 are configured as an Inferred Event, the values are inferred based on the following:

• Events 10, 11, 13, 14, and 15 are inferred based on Project Type.
• Event 12 ("Referral to Joint TH-RRH project/unit/resource opening") is inferred when funding source 44 ("HUD: CoC - Joint Component TH/RRH") is assigned to the program and is active at the referral date. 
• Event 17 ("Referral to Emergency Housing Voucher)" is inferred when funding source 52 ["HUD: PIH (Emergency Housing Voucher"] is assigned to the program and is active at the referral date. 
  
  • There should only be one inferred event per referral or Community Queue reassignment. Therefore if a program has an active funding source of "52: HUD PIH (Emergency Housing Voucher)" but it also matches an inferred program type, the CE Referral Event value 17 ("Referral to Emergency Housing Voucher") will take precedence as the inferred CE Event recorded.

The system infers values for these Coordinated Entry Event fields when:

• A user saves a program-level Assessment, and the client is referred directly to a program from the Eligibility Determination screen.
  OR
• A user saves a program-level Assessment, and the client is referred to a Community Queue from the Eligibility Determination screen, and the referral is reassigned to a program from the Community Queue.

 

Additional Coordinated Entry Event Inferred Dependencies

• Location of Crisis Housing or Permanent Housing Referral: the system infers a value for this field from the Project Name and HMIS ID of the program that the client is referred to (from either the Eligibility Determination screen or when reassigned from a Community Queue).
• Referral Result:
  • • "Unsuccessful referral: provider rejected": The system infers this value when a user changes the status of a referral from "Pending" to "Denied" and records a response of "Provider" for the Denied By Type field.
    • "Successful referral: client accepted": The system infers this value when an enrollment is recorded for the program the client was referred to (from either the Eligibility Determination screen or when reassigned to the program from a Community Queue).
    • "Unsuccessful referral: client rejected": The system infers this value when:
      • A user changes the status of a referral from "Pending" to "Denied" and records a response of "Client" for the Denied By Type field.
        OR
      • The status of a referral is updated from "Pending" to "Expired."
• Date of Result: the system infers this value as the same date when Referral Result is inferred.

Manual Coordinated Entry Event Values

When users provide CE Events manually, the system displays a required Date field and an optional Event Notes field, along with the additional fields listed in the table below.

Users are not required to collect data for these additional fields if the outcome is not known. When the outcome is known, users can update these additional fields by navigating to the program History tab, editing the Event Item, updating the fields, and clicking SAVE CHANGES.

Value	Additional Fields on the Event and Modify Event Page
2	Result: Client housed/re-housed in a safe alternative Result Date
5	Result: Client enrolled in Aftercare project Result Date
10-15	Location of Crisis Housing or Permanent Housing Referral Referral Result Result Date
17, 18	Referral Result Result Date

Steps For System Administrators

• Configure User Access Role Permissions, Referral Settings, Program Setup, Coordinated Entry Events, and Coordinated Entry Event Items as appropriate for the community. 
• If additional program options are needed for the Location of Crisis Housing or Permanent Housing Referral field outside of the instance-generated project list for manual updates, configure additional field values within the FIELD EDITOR > other_ce_locations.
• Implement a process of utilizing a Community Queue and/or program assessments with Eligibility Engine to refer/reassign clients to programs.
• Ensure users record the manual events within program enrollments. 
• For inferred events, ensure users record a program-level assessment within the appropriate program enrollment to link the inferred referral event to the program enrollment.

Updated: 5/15/2023