S A H o m e L i n kPolicies & Procedures

Prepared by SARAH as the Lead Agency within the TX-500 Continuum of Care

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Table of Contents

Section Page Number

Purpose & Background 3

Definitions & Acronyms 4

System Overview 9

Planning, Development, and Participation 11

ACCESS 11

Hubs & Network Partners 11

Survivors of DV 12

Prevention 13

Marketing 13

Non-Discrimination & Affirmatively Furthering Fair-Housing

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Coordinated Outreach 15

Fair & Equal Access 16

ASSESSMENT 20

Privacy Protections 22

PRIORITIZE 23

REFER 24

Monitoring & Evaluation 27

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Purpose and BackgroundUnder the requirements of the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act as well as requirements identified by 24 CFR 578.7(a)(8) and HUD Notice CPD-17-01, the San Antonio/Bexar County Continuum of Care (CoC), the South Alamo Regional Alliance for the Homeless, known by HUD as TX-500, has established a coordinated entry (CE) process that aims to increase the efficiency of the local crisis response system and improve fairness and ease of access to resources, including mainstream resources. Additional goals of the San Antonio/Bexar County CoC’s Coordinated Entry process (“SAHomelink”) include:

● Reduce the burden on households experiencing a housing crisis● Identify the most appropriate housing resource to facilitate a rapid and permanent exit

from homelessness● Prioritize the most vulnerable households for housing resources● Collect system-wide data to inform necessary shifts in resources, identify gaps, and

enable data-driven decision making at the CoC, organizational and project levels.This manual is organized by the four core elements of CE: Access, Assessment, Prioritization, Referral. As stated in the Coordinated Entry Core Elements Guidebook published by HUD in 2017, “Established (1) access points use a standardized (2) assessment process to gather information on people’s needs, preferences, and the barriers they face to regaining housing. Once the assessment has identified the most vulnerable people with the highest needs, the CoC follows established policies and procedures to (3) prioritize households for (4) referral to appropriate and available housing and supportive services resources (“projects”).”

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Definitions & Acronyms

Access Points – Physical or non-physical locations in which a household experiencing homelessness can access the CE process, including outreach workers and call-in options, The term “hub” is used to describe physical access points.

By-Name List (BNL) - A list of individual and families that are homeless and actively looking for housing. This list is made up of those that have completed the VI-SPDAT interview and can be sorted/filtered accordingly. Ensures that we’re working towards HUD’s criteria and benchmarks for ending Veteran and chronic homelessness.

Case Conferencing - Case conferencing is a region’s formal, structured meeting in which providers coordinate staffing assignments and navigation, provide client level updates, and ensure coordination of services. The goal of case conferencing is to provide holistic, coordinated, and integrated services across providers, reduce duplication and ensure the most vulnerable households are getting housed. Case conferencing should be used to identify/clarify issues regarding a participant’s housing status and progress towards permanent housing; to assign primary Housing Navigation responsibilities; to strategize solutions; and to adjust current service plans, as necessary. Case conferencing must follow policies and procedures established for CE.

Case Management - Case management is defined by the Case Management Society of America as “a collaborative process of assessment, planning, facilitation, care coordination, evaluation, and advocacy for options and services” to meet individual needs. Case Management in the context of CE should be voluntary and client centered, with the goal of identifying strengths and client directed goals, while promoting “health, recognition, and well-being”(USICH, 2016). Case Managers in CE should ultimately focus on linking the client to a permanent housing resource and providing the necessary services needed to promote housing stability.

Chronic Homelessness - Defined in the CoC Program interim rule at 24 CFR 578.3, which states that a chronically homeless person is:

A. An individual who:a. Is homeless and lives in a place not meant for human habitation, a safe haven, or

in an emergency shelter. b. Has been homeless and living or residing in a place not meant for human

habitation, a safe haven, or in an emergency shelter totaling 12 months with at least four separate occasions in the last 3 years.

c. Can be diagnosed with one or more of the following conditions: substance use disorder, serious mental illness, developmental disability (as defined in section 102 of the Developmental Disabilities Assistance Bill of Rights Act of 2000 (42 U.S.C. 15002)), post-traumatic stress disorder, cognitive impairments resulting from brain injury, or chronic physical illness or disability;

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B. An individual who has been residing in an institutional care facility, including a jail, substance abuse or mental health treatment facility, hospital, or other similar facility, for fewer than 90 days and met all of the criteria in paragraph (1) of this definition [as described in Section I.D.2.(a) of this Notice], before entering that facility; or

C. A family with an adult head of household (or if there is no adult in the family, a minor head of household) who meets all of the criteria in paragraph (1) of this definition [as described in Section I.D.2.(a) of this Notice, including a family whose composition has fluctuated while the head of household has been homeless.

Continuum of Care (CoC) - A community planning body, as required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, to organize and deliver housing and services for a specific geographic region; develop a long-term strategic plan for preventing and ending homelessness; and to apply for federal resources.

Coordinated Assessment - A centralized or coordinated process designed to coordinate program participant intake assessment and provision of referrals. A centralized or coordinated assessment system covers the geographic area, is easily accessed by individuals and families seeking housing or services, is well advertised, and includes a comprehensive and standardized assessment tool. (Definition from HUD Notice: CPD-17-01) Also referred to as “coordinated entry.”

Coordinated Entry (CE) Process/System- CE is a regionally based system that connects new and existing programs into a “no-wrong-door network” by assessing the needs of heads of households experiencing literal homelessness and linking them with the most appropriate housing and services to end their homelessness. The goal of CE is to streamline processes through which communities assess, house, and retain individuals who are homeless; to ensure all of our homeless neighbors are known and supported; to target and maximize limited housing resources; and comply with the federal mandate to adopt a standardized intake and coordinated assessment process for housing. The essential components of CE are: 1) as system that is low-barrier and easy to access; 2) a system that identifies and assesses people’s needs; and 3) a system that prioritizes and matches housing resources based on those needs.

Crisis Response System - Focused on rapid connection to permanent housing at every stage, especially within outreach and emergency shelter responses. Elements of a Crisis Response System per HUD:

1. Coordinated Entry Process2. Increased Performance Measurement3. Strategic Resource Allocation and Reallocation4. Development of Collaborative Partnerships with Mainstream Systems

Diversion - Diversion relies on a formally trained “diversion specialist” to facilitate a conversation about safe alternatives to shelter, outside the homeless system, and often includes facilitating connection between a person in crisis and their support system through

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mediation/conflict resolution. Diversion is an approach, not a program. The approach focuses on a person’s strengths and supports their process of identifying the resources available to them to help resolve their housing crisis.

Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) - A program of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to provide emergency shelter to homeless individuals and families living on the street; rapidly re-house homeless individuals and families; and prevent individuals and families from becoming homeless.

Family Violence Prevention Services (FVPS) - Bexar County’s premier provider of domestic violence services

Front Door – Used synonymously with “access point” within HUD notice; this is where a person experiencing homelessness accesses the homeless system; it may be in person or via phone/technology or on the streets through outreach engagement. Front doors guarantee consistent community assessment processes.

HCV - Housing Choice Voucher a.k.a. Section 8

Homeless (HUD definition) - An individual who belongs to one of the following categories.

Category 1: An individual or family who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, meaning:

a. An individual or family with a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings, including a car, park, abandoned building, bus or train station, airport, or camping ground; or

b. An individual or family living in a supervised publicly or privately operated shelter designated to provide temporary living arrangements (including congregate shelters, transitional housing, and hotels and motels paid for by charitable organizations or by federal, state, or local government programs for low- income individuals); or

c. An individual who is exiting an institution where he or she resided for 90 days or less and who resided in an emergency shelter or place not meant for human habitation immediately before entering that institution.

Category 2: Individuals and families who will imminently lose their primary nighttime residence

Category 3: Unaccompanied youth and families with children and youth who are defined as homeless under other federal statutes who do not otherwise qualify as homeless under this definition; or

Category 4: Any individual or family who: i. Is fleeing, or is attempting to flee, domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault,

stalking, or other dangerous or life-threatening conditions that relate to violence against the

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individual or a family member, including a child, that has either taken place within the individual’s or family’s primary nighttime residence or has made the individual or family afraid to return to their primary nighttime residence; and

ii. Has no other residence; and iii. Lacks the resources or support networks, e.g., family, friends, and faith- based or

other social networks, to obtain other permanent housing.

Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) - A local information technology system used to collect client-level data and data on the provision of housing and services to homeless individuals and families and persons at risk of homelessness.

Housing First - Housing First is an approach that offers permanent housing as quickly as possible for people experiencing homelessness, particularly for people with long histories of homelessness and co-occurring health challenges, while providing the supportive services people need to keep their housing and avoid returning to homelessness. The provider ensures that the supportive services that program participants need or want to achieve permanent housing, including links to mainstream programs or partner agencies (i.e. mental health services, substance use treatment, medical services, child care, etc.). Income, sobriety and/or participation in treatment or other services are voluntary and are not required as a condition for housing.

Housing Navigation - Housing Navigation is the process by which people experiencing homelessness that have entered the CE system are provided ongoing engagement, document collection, and “light” case management services in order to facilitate a match to an appropriate housing resource. In the context of CE, outreach workers, case managers, and other homeless service providers may provide housing navigation assistance.

Housing Navigator(s) - Housing Navigator is the client’s primary point of contact in CE, often a social worker, case manager, outreach worker, or volunteer. Some CoCs have implemented a Housing Navigator function to ensure efficient and effective enrollment and subsequent movement of program participants from crisis response to stable housing. Specific staff duties might vary, but a Housing Navigator can perform a variety of functions to reduce the time it takes persons in crisis to obtain housing. Examples of Housing Navigator functions follow:

❖ Work closely with referring agencies to determine a person’s likely eligibility❖ Develop a Housing Stability Plan❖ Assist the program participant with completing housing applications❖ Perform housing search and enrollment❖ Perform outreach to and negotiate with landlords❖ Assist the program participant with submitting rental applications and understanding

leases❖ Address barriers to project entry❖ Collect documentation for housing eligibility determinations❖ Assist the program participant with obtaining utilities and making moving

arrangements

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❖ Coordinate resources such as federal, state, and local benefits❖ Assist with mediation between the program participant and owner/landlord❖ Assist the program participant with credit/budget counseling❖ Provide renter education (e.g., landlord/tenant rights, maintenance,

care of the home

Hubs – Physical locations in which a household experiencing homelessness can access the CE process and is guaranteed to go through the same assessment process regardless of where or how they enter the hub.

Outreach Coordination - The planning and ongoing coordination of outreach activities in a region. This should include a multi-disciplinary approach that ensures adequate geographic coverage and the use of best practices to outreach.

Permanent Housing (PH) - Community-based housing without a designated length of stay, which includes both Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) and Rapid Rehousing (RRH). Examples of permanent housing include, but are not limited to, a house or apartment with a month-to-month or annual lease term or home ownership.

Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) - Permanent supportive housing is permanent housing with indefinite leasing or rental assistance paired with supportive services to assist homeless persons with a disability or families with an adult or child member with a disability achieve housing stability.

Prevention - An approach that focuses on preventing homelessness to households at imminent risk of homelessness (Category 2 of the homeless definition) by providing assistance to households that otherwise would become homeless and end up in a shelter or on the streets.

Rapid Rehousing (RRH) - An intervention, informed by a Housing First approach that is a critical part of a community’s effective homeless crisis response system. Rapid re-housing rapidly connects families and individuals experiencing homelessness to permanent housing through a tailored package of assistance that may include the use of time-limited financial assistance and targeted supportive services.

SAHomelink - San Antonio/Bexar County CoC’s (TX500) coordinated entry prioritization system. Individuals experiencing homelessness are assessed and prioritized for housing interventions based on vulnerability and length of time homeless.

Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) - Aims to improve very low-incomeVeteran families’ housing stability. Provides outreach and case management services and will assist participants to obtain VA benefits and other public benefits, which may include, health care services, daily living services, personal financial planning services, transportation services,

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fiduciary and payee services, legal services, child care services, housing counseling services, andtemporary financial assistance (including time-limited payments to third parties for rent, utilities, moving expenses, security and utility deposits, transportation, child care and emergency supplies).

Standardized Access - Goals of coordinated entry system is for the system to be easily accessible and welcoming to the wide range of people who may experience a housing crisis in service areas.

Transitional Housing - Time-limited housing, the purpose of which is to facilitate the movement of individuals and families experiencing homelessness to permanent housing within 24 months or such longer period as the Secretary determines necessary.

Transition Age Youth (TAY) - An individual between the ages of 16 and 24 years.

U.S. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) - A U.S. government agency created in 1965 to support community development and home ownership

Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) - The second-largest cabinet department, the VA coordinates the distribution of benefits for veterans of the American armed forces and their dependents. The benefits include compensation for disabilities, the management of veterans' hospitals, and various insurance programs.

HUD-VASH Voucher - Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing Voucher. A combination program that involves a rental assistance subsidy provided by a local public housing authority combined with case management provided by VA.

VI- SPDAT - Vulnerability Index – Service Prioritization Decision Assistance Tool. An evidence-based assessment tool that combines the Vulnerability Index (VI) to determine the chronicity and medical vulnerability of homeless individuals, and the Service Prioritization Decision Assistance Tool to help service providers allocate resources in a logical, targeted way.

SYSTEM OVERVIEW

The lead entity of CE in TX-500 CoC is South Alamo Regional Alliance for the Homeless (SARAH). CE is locally referred to as SAHomelink. As the lead entity, SARAH is responsible for ensuring CE compliance with HUD requirements, provision of operational infrastructure and oversight, ownership of the by-name list (BNL) including ongoing maintenance, and convener of Hub/Access Point entities, the CE Committee and case conferencing team.

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The target population of SAHomelink are people who are experiencing homelessness per HUD’s Homeless Definition (Appendix A). Homelessness prevention resources are targeted to people within Category 2 of the definition, and homeless housing and services (emergency shelter, transitional housing, rapid re-housing, permanent supportive housing) are targeted to people within Category 1(literally homeless) and Category 4 (fleeing or attempting to flee domestic violence) of the definition. Households must have resided in Bexar County the previous night to be eligible for SAHomelink with one exception: households within Category 4 who have been referred to Domestic Violence (DV) shelter outside of Bexar County but resided in Bexar County immediately preceding their shelter stay are eligible for SAHomelink.

The San Antonio/Bexar County CoC’s geographic area is defined as Bexar County, as well as a few miles north on Interstate 35. The CoC’s SAHomelink geographic coverage mirrors that of the full CoC, and the map in Appendix B details the boundary lines of the geography beyond Bexar County. Access Point locations and infrastructure are defined with the ACCESS section of this manual.

WorkflowTo illustrate how the SAHomelink process functions, the following overview provides a brief description of the path a household may follow from an initial request for housing assistance through permanent housing placement. Additional details can be found in subsequent sections of this manual.

● Step 1: Connecting to the SAHomelink process through a Hub/Access Point – To ensure fair and equal access to households in need of homeless housing assistance, the SAHomelink process provides access to housing assistance through multiple, convenient locations as well as a mobile team.

● Step 2: Housing Assessment – Assessors are located at Access Points and within the coordinated outreach team. They will go through a process before conducting the assessment with the goal of identifying safe alternatives within a person’s support network to help them avoid entering the homeless system, and if not, a thorough explanation of privacy and confidentiality practices so households know how their information is used and potentially shared.

● Step 3: Matching & Prioritization based on household vulnerability – Based on responses to assessment questions, household vulnerability is determined through an objective calculation and a project type (TH, RRH, PSH) is assigned. Households that are assessed to have low service needs may not be matched to a housing intervention.

● Step 4: Eligibility screening – Based on the project type that’s matched to the household, an eligibility screening is completed to ensure the household meets basic

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eligibility criteria (to ensure their time will not be wasted by referring them to a resource for which they are not eligible).

● Step 5: Referral to available housing resource – Households are referred to available housing and service openings.

● Step 6: Intake process with housing provider – Households meet with housing provider to complete final steps (i.e. homelessness verification, documentation of disability) and be introduced to the housing resource and staff.

Planning, Development, and Participation

CoC and ESG recipients operating within San Antonio/Bexar County CoC work together to ensure the CoC’s SAHomelink process allows for coordinated screening, assessment and referrals for ESG projects consistent with the written standards for administering ESG assistance established under 24 CFR 576.400(e) through the following process:

● ESG funding flows through state, city and county entities. ● For certifying CE participation for ESG and CoC-funded projects (including those

partially funded by these sources). 100% of project enrollments must have been referred through SAHomelink.

● The CE Committee that meets monthly is comprised of CoC and ESG recipients who draft policies for community feedback, provide SAHomelink oversight, monitor referrals and exceptions to the SAHomelink process. Members of the CE Committee can be found at Appendix C .

● A list of homeless service projects that accept SAHomelink referrals can be found in Appendix D .

● SAHomelink updates and proposed changes are provided by SARAH at all monthly Membership Council meetings, where CoC and ESG recipients have another opportunity to provide input before the Membership Council formally discusses and approves or denies proposals.

I. ACCESS

Hubs & Network Partners

“Hubs” have been designated through a community process to ensure fair and equal access to households regardless of where or how they are entering the San Antonio/Bexar County homeless system. People in different populations and subpopulations (people experiencing chronic homelessness, veterans, families with children, youth and survivors of DV) in Bexar County have fair and equal access to the SAHomelink process regardless of the location (ex: in San

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Antonio or outside city limits) or method (ex: physical location, call center, outreach engagement) by which they access the system.

Hubs have specific responsibilities, including provision of advertised times the agency is open to provide access to the SAHomelink assessment, maintain accessibility for people with disabilities, align with CES policies and procedures, and offer walk-in assessment opportunities whenever possible within advertised times or facilitate a warm hand off with another hub.

Hubs have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with SARAH (Appendix F) acknowledging all parties’ roles and responsibilities to function as a front door of the SAHomelink process.

“Network partners” are made up of homeless service projects that conduct the SAHomelink standard assessment as a stock feature of the services they offer to participants. While network partners are not open to the general public, they conduct the assessment to eliminate the burden that would otherwise force clients to retell their story multiple times as they progress through the homeless response system. Network partners are made up of emergency shelters, outreach, and GPD funded programs. Enrollment in any of these programs within the San Antonio/Bexar County CoC will result in automatic enrollment in the Coordinated Entry system. Network partners are required to enter a partnership agreement with SARAH, attend annual trainings, are subject to data quality standards, and must comply with SAHomelink practices. Local agencies that specifically serve survivors of domestic violence are not network partners as these agencies interact with SAHomelink under unique circumstances.

Survivors of Domestic Violence

● All access points are accessible to people who are fleeing or attempting to flee domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault or stalking, who are seeking shelter or services from non-victim service providers. CoC-funded victim service providers may use the CoC’s SAHomelink process or an alternative SAHomelink process for victim service providers that meetings HUD’s minimum SAHomelink requirements. People fleeing or attempting to flee domestic violence and victims of trafficking have safe and confidential access to the SAHomelink process and victim services (including access to the comparable SAHomelink process used by victim service providers), and immediate access to emergency services including domestic violence hotlines and shelters.

● During every assessment at a Hub there is a domestic violence safety screening conducted. The safety screening is intended to identify households that may need immediate access to domestic violence services. The screening tool is developed by local domestic violence provider and questions are updated dynamically depending on how

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participants respond with an ultimate output that would recommend that Family Violence and Prevention Services (FVPS) be contacted for a residential services screening.

o If a participant screens into residential services it is up to them to decide if they would like to call FVPS. The intake staff can call FVPS from the case manager’s office at that moment during the SAHomelink assessment. After the intake staff introduces that participant, they will need to pass the phone as FVPS will conduct the safety screening directly with the client. If the participant elects to opt-in for FVPS residential services they will be given instructions by FVPS staff on how to access the shelter. These instructions include how to access transportation to the shelter.

o If a participant elects for FVPS residential services, the SAHomelink assessment process concludes and FVPS staff conduct the assessment once participant safety is established.

o Participants that screen into residential services are not required to contact FVPS or accept the referral for the Battered Women’s Shelter; participant choice is always promoted.

● Participants who respond with a history of domestic violence but do not meet the acuity benchmark for residential services are still provided a referral for non-residential services.

● As an additional precaution, adults in each household complete separate assessments and are contacted separately (not as a couple) to further ensure safety if history of DV is reported during the assessment.

Prevention

Planning in process; to be updated in the future.

Marketing

Intentional and targeted marketing strategies are critical to ensuring the SAHomelink process is available to all eligible persons on a fair and equal basis. Hub locations are advertised on the SARAH website at http://www.sarahomeless.org/coordinated-entry/ and the SARAH resource guide and updated at least quarterly. The resource guide is available on the SARAH website at http://www.sarahomeless.org/resource-guide/, distributed by police outreach (HOPE team), homeless providers, general outreach workers and the VA. Additionally, media briefings have occurred and local radio talk shows have featured discussions of the SAHomelink process and how to refer people experiencing homelessness in San Antonio/Bexar County.

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SAHomelink signage is required by all hubs to ensure recognizability as a hub by people experiencing homelessness.

Non-Discrimination and Affirmatively Furthering Fair-Housing

SARAH ensures SAHomelink is available to all eligible households regardless of perceived, actual, explicit and/or implicit barriers, through the following policies and procedures:

● The SAHomelink process is accessible to all eligible households regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, familial status, disability, actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity or marital status. The coordinated outreach team focuses on having a regular presence in regions of the CoC that are more densely populated by people experiencing homelessness, which coincides with a higher population of people of color. Local trends align with national trends; there is a disproportionate number of people of color represented in the homeless population compared to general CoC population. Assessments are available through outreach workers and do not require additional connection with the homeless system.

● The SAHomelink process is accessible to persons with Limited English Proficiency, in alignment with HUD’s published Final Guidance to Federal Financial Assistance Recipients: Title VI Prohibition Against National Origin Discrimination Affective Limited English Proficient Persons (LEP Guidance) (72 FR 2732). Each hub is responsible for ensuring Spanish interpretation is available as needed. Due to the high population of Spanish-speaking households in Bexar County, SAHomelink hubs have bilingual staff who can typically cover Spanish interpretation needs on site without the need for external interpretation services. In Coordinated Entry Marketing, those Hub locations that have bi-lingual staff will be featured. In the exceptional situation when bilingual staff are unavailable or the client speaks a language needing special accommodation, hub staff can contact the SARAH Coordinated Entry Program Manager to schedule an appointment for the client. SARAH will then coordinate to have interpretative services available.

● The SAHomelink process is accessible to all eligible households regardless of disabilities, including accessible physical locations for individuals who use wheelchairs.

● Hubs and access points are accessible to people who are least likely to access homeless assistance, including those actively using illegal substances and living with serious mental illness. The coordinated entry program staff convene monthly meetings with agencies that conduct outreach to coordinate outreach to these populations.

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Coordinated Outreach

● Coordinated outreach team meetings occur monthly and focus on targeting people living in encampments or other places not meant for human habitation.

● A household must be capable of consenting to completing an assessment; if they are capable of consenting, they are eligible to move forward with the process. If a household cannot consent, the assessment will be completed at a later time.

o To further support households experiencing the highest housing barriers, SAHomelink partners with the police department (HOPE) who does jail diversion (ex: take people to sobering, detox, or crisis center instead of jail) and identification recovery to promote permanent housing connections. In interacting with police, if a household is capable of consenting, the household is added to an outreach enrollment (put on the by-name list so SAHomelink can track them). Police officers collect as much info as possible and inputs the household into the SAHomelink system. SARAH is in the process of transitioning to a progressive engagement approach to assessments with households with higher barriers; the goal is for the coordinated outreach team to watch for households over time as they come closer to the top of the list for a housing referral, and engage with them utilizing assertive engagement and motivational interviewing techniques to complete the assessment through a phased approach when preferred by the household. The assessment ultimately may be completed by the SAHomelink outreach team, HOPE officers, or a housing provider. SARAH’s Outreach Coordinator monitors HOPE data entry and communicates with them regarding the lead contact role to attempt to complete assessment and keep the household engaged.

o Assessment completion is a critical step, as housing referrals are not offered without completion of an assessment. However, an exception is built in for households who are homeless for more than 365 days. At day 365, the household is defaulted into the PSH referral category with an assumption that they are vulnerable and in need of longer term, intensive supports based on a long length of time homeless. SARAH looks through case notes within the open HMIS system to see if the household has consented to sharing data in the past, and the SAHomelink team gets any information possible to complete an assessment as thoroughly as possible on behalf of the households so the household can receive a PSH referral (assessment completion is required for referral). The household is not forced into housing and SAHomelink honors client choice at every step in the process. It is ultimately up to the household to accept or refuse a housing offer, and the CoC ensures staff are trained in motivational interviewing and trauma informed care to ensure staff are utilizing proven techniques to support permanent housing connection.

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. ● To ensure people who are not yet connected to the homeless system have equal access to

the SAHomelink process, street outreach efforts that utilize HMIS are linked to the SAHomelink process through network partnerships. SARAH funds 1 FTE Outreach Coordinator who is responsible for ensuring all outreach is coordinated and approached on a system level, avoiding silos and inconsistent system access (ex: ensures assessments can be completed on the streets for those not connected to shelters). The Outreach Coordinator Job Description can be found at A ppendix G . A primary goal of currently outreach efforts is to ensure regular contact with people living on the streets so relationships are built and trust is gained, facilitating a smoother process to permanent housing. Partners providing ESG and CoC-funded street outreach include SAMM Ministries (at the San Antonio Public Library on Thursdays from 9am-1pm) and Family Endeavors’ (at Catholic Worker House on Thursdays from 9am-11am and at Agape Ministry Thursdays from 9am-12pm).

● Outreach coordination is in initial stages and has been difficult due to the lack of outreach staff dedicated to this role. A gaps analysis is underway in September-October 2017 with a goal of identifying strategies to pursue increased outreach capacity. As outreach is expanded, a process will be developed that ensures people encountered by street outreach workers are offered the same standardized processes as persons assessed through site-based access points.

o Initial plans involve a faith-based initiative that aims to divide the CoC into regions or territories and have trained church volunteers conduct daily engagement and contact with people. They will get to know people who are living outside in their region and deploy additional outreach volunteers for targeted activities, including completion of housing assessments or talking with people about permanent housing.

● Outreach team members are trained to complete the SAHomelink assessment tool; when they encounter households within Categories 1 or 4 of the HUD Homeless Definition, they offer this service on the streets or at a later time and location that works for the person they’ve encountered. People are not required to access physical hubs to enroll in CE. Outreach workers arrange a time and location that works for the household and are responsible for following up. Haven for Hope has a van that allows for ease in travel, and can provide a bus ticket to a hub if that’s preferred. Beyond this resource, transportation is limited.

Fair and Equal Access

Households who are eligible for the SAHomelink process include households who fit within Category 1 (literally homeless) and Category 4 (fleeing DV) of the HUD Homeless Definition, and reside within Bexar County (stayed in Bexar County last night except people fleeing DV and

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staying elsewhere due to safety). SARAH is looking into expansion of SAHomelink to include prevention resources, which will target those households within Category 2 of the HUD definition (imminent risk of homelessness).

Households are not screened out of the SAHomelink process due to perceived barriers related to housing or services (examples: little or no income, active or a history of substance use, domestic violence history, resistance to receiving services, the type or extent of disability-related services or supports that are needed, history of evictions or poor credit, lease violations, criminal history). Additionally, people in different populations and subpopulations (people experiencing chronic homelessness, veterans, families with children, youth and survivors of DV) in Bexar County have fair and equal access to the SAHomelink process regardless of the location or method by which the access the system. The CE Committee and Membership Council are comprised of providers of these subpopulations and are primary entities helping to design and offer ongoing feedback of the SAHomelink process, which helps to ensure equal access of all eligible households experiencing homelessness.

All Access Points are trained on the following standardized process steps which are elaborated upon in the Assessment section of this manual:

1. Triage – initial standardized questions asked by all Access Points that determine appropriateness for SAHomelink process

2. Client Consent – ensures privacy protections are in place and households dictates what personal information can and cannot be shared within the SAHomelink process. A client consent form is required to be collected by all access points for all new clients entered into HMIS. Consent form can be found in Appendix O.

3. Diversion – service attempted prior to assessment in which all safe alternatives are explored between front door staff and households experiencing homelessness in an effort to assist the household in not entering the homeless system unless absolutely necessary

4. Standardized Assessment – VI-SPDAT (population specific for families or single adults)

5. Data Entry (including by-name list entry) into Homeless Management Information System (HMIS)

The SAHomelink process offers the same assessment approach at all hubs and access points, and all access points are usable by all people who may be experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness. SARAH monitors consistency of hubs through a using the “CE Hub Activities Report” found in the SAHomelink Dashboard within HMIS. Entities who agree to be a Hub or

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Access Point must sign the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) outlining the roles and responsibilities of Access Points. The MOU can be found at Appendix F.

Hubs (physical locations) and Access Points (non-physical locations) in SAHomelink, broken down by population and location, including the following:

Hubs & Access Points

Population Covered

Location of Hub Coverage (hours/days/schedule)

Haven for Hope All people 1 Haven for Hope Way, San Antonio

Monday – Friday | 8:00 am – 3:00 pm

American GI Forum

All people 611 North Flores St., Ste 200, San Antonio

OR206 San Pedro Ave, San

Antonio

Monday – Friday | 8:30 am  – 5:00 pm

Catholic Worker House (Family Endeavors Outreach Team)

All people 626 Nolan Street, San Antonio

Thursdays Only | 9:00 am – 10:30 am

San Antonio Public Library (SAMMinistries Team)

All people 600 Soledad St. (2nd Floor), San Antonio

Thursdays Only | 9:00 am – 1:00 pm

Network Partners: People experiencing homelessness with an open enrollment in any program below will have the opportunity to participate in the CE assessment. Assessment Persistence refers to how long a person will be considered for resources as a function of their project enrollment.

Agency Project Project Type Assessment Persistence

Crosspoint, Inc. Female Veterans Program

Emergency Shelter Ends when project enrollment is closed

Crosspoint, Inc. Male Veterans Program

Emergency Shelter Ends when project enrollment is closed

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Family Violence Prevention Services

Battered Women and Children’s Shelter

Emergency Shelter 120 days from date of assessment generation

Haven for Hope Emergency Shelter Men’s and Women’s Residential

Emergency Shelter Ends when project enrollment is closed

Haven for Hope Emergency Shelter Family

Emergency Shelter Ends when project enrollment is closed

The Salvation Army Dave Coy Transient Program

Emergency Shelter Ends when project enrollment is closed

The Salvation Army Emergency Women and Family Shelter

Emergency Shelter Ends when project enrollment is closed

American GI Forum NVOP RC-TH Transitional Housing Ends when project enrollment is closed

SAPD HOPE Outreach Ends when project enrollment is closed

Haven for Hope Outreach Outreach Ends when project enrollment is closed

Detailed information and updates regarding hub locations and hours of operation are posted at http://www.sarahomeless.org/coordinated-entry/.When a household presents at a hub that is not dedicated to the population within which they fall, the household can easily access an appropriate assessment process that provides enough information to prioritize the household for resources. This is ensured through cross-trained organizations (hubs) who have informally agreed to assess people whether they fall within the organizational mission or not, in order to receive streamlined access to the homeless system. Hubs enter assessment data into the shared database. The hub training and assessment tool is standardized, so people have the same experience regardless of where or how they enter SAHomelink. Families complete the family-specific VI-SPDAT, single adults complete the single adult specific VI-SPDAT; beyond population-specific tools, the process is consistent across the board. Assessments are completed on a walk-in bases; appointments are not provided or necessary. When there will be a wait period at a hub, that hub can inform households about other hub options. The current hub will get an update on other hub’s wait times and inform the households so they can choose to wait or go to another hub. Transportation assistance is not available at this time. If a household chooses to wait at the same hub, it is guaranteed they will be able to complete an assessment that day if they arrive within posted hours.

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Hub Phone Contact Numbers:

Agency Street Address Direct Phone Number

Haven for Hope 1 Haven for Hope Way 210-220-2100

AGIF 206 San Pedro 210-233-8505

AGIF 611 N. Flores Street 210-354-4892

Variations in access and assessment approaches for the following populations must be considered and approved by the CoC Board prior to implementation: single adults, families with children, unaccompanied youth, households fleeing domestic violence/sexual assault, households at risk of homelessness. Variations are only considered if the CoC Board reasonably determines that the variations would facilitate access to the SAHomelink process and improve the quality of information gathered through the assessment. Currently, no variations have been approved by the San Antonio/Bexar County CoC Board:When a reasonable accommodation is requested for a person with a disability, the SAHomelink lead entity (SARAH) is responsible for granting an accommodation, if possible, within three business days.

To ensure effective marketing to and communication with individuals with disabilities, SARAH has ensured the following organizations are aware of SAHomelink and how to connect people experiencing homelessness:

● The San Antonio Chapter of the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI)● The Alamo Area Council of Governments (AACOG) Intellectual and Developmental

Disability Services

Examples of reasonable accommodations may include but are not limited to a mobility impairment request that requires completion of the assessment process at a different location, provision of sign language services for hearing impaired households, information provided in accessible formats including Braille, audio, and large type. Reasonable accommodation requests will not result in access discrepancies; equal access to resources is guaranteed for all people based on the SAHomelink prioritization policy.

When a physical location is not accessible to a person requesting a reasonable accommodation, the mobile team is contacted immediately and schedules an assessment at a location chosen by the requestor, which will be completed within two business days of the request.

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Termination of SAHomelink Partnership

Any CE access point or hub may terminate their participation in SAHomelink by giving written notice 30 days in advance. Housing programs that are required to participate due to HUD guidelines will need HUD approval to terminate participation.

II. ASSESSMENTAccess Points are responsible for implementing a standardized assessment approach that ensures fair and equal access to homeless system resources for all eligible households. The assessment approach provides sufficient information to make prioritization decisions for ESG and CoC-funded housing and service resources, in addition to non-publicly funded housing resources that are participating in SAHomelink.

1. Triage – initial standardized questions asked by all Access Points that determine appropriateness for SAHomelink, limited to the following questions and restrictions:

Question Answers that Result in SAHomelink Screening

Answers that Result in Mainstream Resource Provision but not SAHomelink Screening

Where did you stay last night?

HUD Homeless Definition: ● Category 1: Literally

Homeless● Category 4: Fleeing

DV or Sexual Assault

HUD Homeless Definition:● Category 2: Imminent

Risk of Homelessness (referral to prevention resources as appropriate)

● Category 3: Homeless under other federal definitions

2. Diversion – service attempted prior to assessment in which all safe alternatives are explored between front door staff and household experiencing homelessness in an effort to assist the household in not entering the homeless system unless necessary. Diversion is not yet implemented within SAHomelink but will be implemented by SARAH in the future.

3. Standardized Assessment – Vulnerability Index - Service Prioritization and Decision Assistance Tool (VI-SPDAT), which helps determine the chronicity and medical vulnerability of homeless individuals (population specific for families, single adults

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and transition age youth). The VI-SPDAT helps identify who should be recommended for each housing and support intervention, focusing on who is eligible and in greatest need of that intervention. According to the tool author, OrgCode, “the SPDAT and...VI-SPDAT are the most used suite of products in the world in triaging and assessing the needs of homeless populations. They are created directly with the voice of people with lived experience. They are vetted through experts in trauma, domestic violence, and through lenses of anti-oppression and cultural competency. They are rigorously tested and all grounded in evidence with considerable academic scrutiny.” Information about the tool can be found at http://orgcode.nationbuilder.com/spdat. The tools are located in Appendix M and N. SARAH maintains training records for assessors to ensure they are up to date with Org Code training requirements to conduct VI-SPDAT assessments.

4. Data Entry (including by-name list entry) into Homeless Management Information System (HMIS)

Households are free to refuse questions within the triage, diversion, and assessment process without retribution or limitation of access to homeless housing assistance. When a household refuses to answer a specific assessment process question, if that refused response is associated with an assessment tool point, the score will be manually calculated without that point. Households will maintain their prioritization slot on the SAHomelink by-name list despite refusal to respond to one or multiple questions.

Households who request shelter or assistance after hours will be flagged by the Courtyard staff, and during daytime hours Haven for Hope intake staff will complete an assessment, thereby completing the client record necessary for SAHomelink enrollment.

To ensure SAHomelink process consistency at all Access Points and other entities who complete assessments, the SARAH provides training protocols and at least one annual training opportunity. The purpose of the training is to provide all staff administering assessments with access to materials that clearly describe the methods by which assessments are to be conducted with fidelity to the SAHomelink process, including written policies and procedures. Additionally, SARAH updates and distributes training protocols at least annually.

Privacy Protections

SARAH requires obtaining consent to share and store participant information for purposes of assessing and referring participants through the SAHomelink process. Participants decide what information they provide during the assessment process without retribution or limited access to

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assistance. Services will not be denied if the participant refuses to provide certain pieces of information, unless the information is necessary to establish or document program eligibility per the applicable program regulation, or Federal statute requires collection, use, storage and reporting of personally identifying information as a condition of program participation.

For participants that go through the SAHomelink assessment at a Hub open to the public (but not enrolled in any other homeless program) the Hub will collect signed consent forms but SARAH will store those files for the time as specified by local HMIS policies. SARAH staff will collect consent forms from Hubs no less than once a month.

Participants are not denied access to the SAHomelink process on the basis that they are or have been a victim of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault or stalking. SARAH partners closely with DV providers to ensure the process aligns with the Violence Against Women’s Act and best privacy practices for survivors, and integrates all coordinated entry processes to ensure equal access to DV specific and/or mainstream resources based on household preference.

Records containing personally identifying information (PII) are kept secure and confidential and the address of any family violence project is not made public. Collection and sharing of PII of households fleeing or attempting to flee domestic violence is not required. Name and social security numbers are not collected for any survivors and/or household members entering SAHomelink. Additionally, the gender and birthdates of children or dependents are not collected, and only partial birthdates of the head of household are collected. Only Family Violence Prevention Center (FVPS) knows the identities of Category 4 households participating in SAHomelink. Housing providers receiving a referral using an alphanumeric name in place of the actual name and must contact FVPS directly to get information to contact the program participant.

Households are not asked or required to disclose specific disabilities or diagnosis except when it is need to determine program eligibility to make appropriate referrals (ex: HOPWA). Participants are informed of the ability to file a nondiscrimination complaint through the grievance process, which is outlined at Appendix H.

The SAHomelink process allows and depends on all emergency services operating with as few barriers to entry as possible, independent of the operating hours of the SAHomelink’s intake and assessment process. When a household is experiencing homeless and they connect with the homeless system outside of SAHomelink hours, they are connected to the Haven for Hope

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Courtyard, when appropriate, who provides a place to sleep that night and then connects the households with a SAHomelink assessor at Haven for Hope the following day.

III. PRIORITIZESAHomelink prioritizes households experiencing homelessness within the CoC’s geographic area for referral to housing and services. Priorities are consistent with CoC and ESG written standards established under 24 CFR 576.400(e) and 24 CFR 578(a)(9).

The San Antonio/Bexar County CoC has approved a local prioritization policy based on project type for Transitional Housing (TH) and Rapid Re-housing (RRH). The Prioritization Policy can be found at Appendix I . The CoC adopted CPD-16-11, HUD’s Notice on prioritizing households experiencing chronic homelessness for Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH), which can be found at Appendix L. The CoC has a shortage of housing resources for everyone in need, as do most communities. Current experience suggests that any single adult household who has experienced homelessness for less than one year will not receive a housing referral (RRH or PSH). Transitional Housing is available only to households who are young adults and/or domestic violence survivors.

Case conferencing is a SAHomelink tool that ensures checks and balances are in place, ensures households are prioritized appropriately, and brings key stakeholders together weekly to ensure the most vulnerable households in the community are supported and not slipping through the cracks. Case conferencing is detailed in the REFER section of this manual.

A Grievance Process is available to households who disagree with SAHomelink decisions and wish to submit an appeal. The Grievance Policy can be found at Appendix H.

IV. REFERThe San Antonio/Bexar County CoC has a uniform and coordinated referral process as one of the four primary components of SAHomelink, and it includes all homeless beds, units and services available at participating agencies as listed in Appendix D. CoC and ESG funded projects are required to receive 100% of referrals from the SAHomelink process.

When a service provider has an open bed, unit, slot and/or services are available, they access the SAHomelink dashboard within HMIS. In the “Generate a Referral” module, the provider generates referrals of prioritized participants needing housing resources.

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Once a provider generates a referral: 1. Resolution to the referral (weather accepted or rejected) must occur within 31 days from

the date the referral was provided.2. Providers will case note the progress of the referral acceptance or reasons why the

referral was rejected/terminated.

A referral may be declined if:● The participant could not be located or contacted using 2 different means. There is

no minimum time threshold between attempts, but agencies are required to case note the means they employed to locate the participant.

● The participant refused the program. In the case that the person referred rejects the program, the referral may be closed. The client will remain in SAHomelink, but will not be referred to the same program again. Client refusal must be documented.

● The participant does not meet program eligibility. If the client misreported information needed to fulfill the grant specifications, the referral can be closed. An example would be if somebody reported during their housing assessment that they were a veteran, but could not provide proof of their veteran status.

● The participant is no longer experiencing homelessness (Category 1 or 4).

All referral rejections are reviewed monthly, by project, at Coordinated Entry committee meetings. SARAH may request a housing provider to submit an action plan or documentation if their referral acceptance rate falls below 75%.

The San Antonio/Bexar County CoC is committed to ensuring all people have fair and equal access to homeless system resources and have adopted written standards that prohibit the SAHomelink process from screening people out of the SAHomelink process due to perceived barriers related to housing or services (examples: little or no income, active or a history of substance use, domestic violence history, resistance to receiving services, the type or extent of disability-related services or supports that are needed, history of evictions or poor credit, lease violations, criminal history). The referral process is monitored through monthly dashboards from the HMIS lead entity, published on the CoC lead entity’s website, and analyzed by the CE Committee at monthly meetings. Providers are expected to accept 100% of all SAHomelink referrals; when a provider falls below the 100% acceptance rate, SARAH will provide written notice to agency staff.

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Case Conferencing

Case Conferencing has been established within the SAHomelink process with these primary goals:

o Update/maintain the by-name list through case conferencing team updateso Coordinate services and assign housing navigators based on the prioritized by-

name listo Ensure households aren’t slipping through the cracks of the standard housing

placement processo Troubleshoot challenges that arise during the placement process (ex: housing

location) and take steps to ensure housing is obtainedo Troubleshoot challenges that arise after households are placed in permanent

housing but are at risk of losing housing and the placement agency requests support from the SAHomelink team (eviction prevention)

o Override intervention selection or prioritization based on collateral provided by staff. See assessment score override policy as described in this section.

Case conferencing is the tool that is used by assessors, advocates, case managers and other professionals who are familiar with households that fall within Category 1 and Category 4 of HUD’s definition of homelessness. At times, the assessment tool and/or assessment process does not produce the entire body of information necessary to determine a household’s prioritization. This may be due to the limited nature of self-reported data, withheld information, or circumstances outside the scope of assessment questions that address one or more of the adopted prioritization factors. Prior to implementation of the SAHomelink process, the homeless system was difficult to access and navigate, especially for households with high vulnerability and/or barriers, and the system has historically de-incentivized full disclosure of barriers by people experiencing homelessness, as barriers to entry have existed at every level of the homeless system (from equal access to project level to systemic barriers). Due to the historic reality of our system and the negative experiences of some households experiencing homelessness, the San Antonio/Bexar County CoC SAHomelink process does not operate with reliance solely based on self-reported data collected through the assessment process, but adds a human and professional component to the SAHomelink process through case conferencing.

Within case conferencing, professionals within the homeless system and partnering systems have an opportunity to provide additional information that may not have been captured within the assessment process but is critical to ensuring households are prioritized for the most appropriate resources available. All staff attending case conferencing are required to protect the information

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shared during the meeting in accordance with their agency’s HMIS agreement. Staff attending case conferencing meetings who are representing agencies without an HMIS agreement must sign the data sharing agreement found at Appendix M.

Assessment Score Override Policy: When a case manager or advocate has objective reason to believe that a household has underreported responses to VI-SPDAT questions and that underreporting is limiting their access to housing resources, the professional must bring the situation up at Case Conferencing and demonstrate the specific questions within the VI-SPDAT that were answered inaccurately. The group must agree to move forward with a score override based on objective, professional information, and this may only occur to ensure the most vulnerable households are being prioritized for housing openings (not to decrease a score believed to be too high).

Inactive Policy: Having an Inactive Policy is a critical component of maintaining a real-time by-name list within a highly functioning coordinated entry system. Without this policy, clogs are experienced within the referral system because much time is spent searching for households who haven’t been reached through multiple attempts, often for many months. To ensure efficient referral processes when a housing opening is available, it is important to have an Inactive Policy that defines when households will be moved from the “active” by-name list to an “inactive” list.

However, as soon as a household on the inactive list contacts the homeless system (tracked through HMIS), including outreach workers, drop-in centers, shelters, etc., they are moved from the inactive list to the active list and can be referred to housing openings through SAHomelink. SAHomelink has a 90-day Inactive Policy; households without homeless system contact for 90 days will be moved to the inactive list. If they reconnect with the homeless system (even if an outreach worker simply sees a person living on the streets in the future), the household will be moved from the inactive list to the active list and reconsidered for housing resources per the prioritization policy.

o The Case Conferencing group has access to the inactive list to monitor names and be on the lookout for households who are actively homeless.

Households are free to refuse housing referrals without retribution or limitation of access to homeless housing assistance. When a household refuses to answer a specific assessment process question, if that refused response is associated with an assessment tool point, the score will be manually calculated without that point. Households will maintain their prioritization slot on the SAHomelink by-name list despite refusal to respond to one or multiple questions.

Monitoring & Evaluation

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To ensure ongoing refinement and adjustment based on local learning and experience, the CoC facilitates planning and stakeholder consultation on an ongoing and frequent basis.At least annually, SARAH solicits feedback from participating projects and households who participated in the SAHomelink process (current participation or received a referral within the last year), addressing the quality and effectiveness of the entire SAHomelink experience for projects and households. Feedback obtained through this process is utilized to make necessary updates and improvements to the SAHomelink process, and utilizes the following methodologies:

● SARAH Coordinated Entry staff will conduct focus groups of at least five or more participants every year that approximate the diversity of the local community. Participants will be people experiencing homelessness or have experienced homelessness in the last year. Households will be randomly selected to be interviewed for the purposes of understanding and improving the client experience. SARAH may enlist the help of professional volunteers to assist (marketing or user experience design professionals).

● Membership Council meetings include SAHomelink status update and discussion of proposed changes. Membership Council discusses and approves/denies proposals.

● Monthly CE Committee meetings provide a forum to discuss challenges and potential solutions, and are attended by housing and service providers as well as mainstream service providers including police, health care professionals, the VA, and City Department of Human Services.

● Provider input is informally gathered through various ongoing CoC planning sessions, for example, the community “charrette”, a strategic planning process in 2017.

● Customer satisfaction surveys designed to reach a representative sample of participating providers and households that will be administered by SARAH staff while visiting access points on randomly chosen days with the goal of determining net promoter score. Current version of the customer satisfaction survey can be found in Appendix E.

Evaluation efforts shall be informed by metrics established annually by SARAH in conjunction with the CE Committee and CoC Board. These metrics will be displayed on dashboards located on SARAH’s website and shall include indicators of the effectiveness of the functioning of SAHomelink. Metrics may include:

Assessments (in addition to all assessment tool data elements - demographics, housing info, UDE, assessment questions, etc.)

● Number of households who completed an assessment

● Average wait time for an assessment

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● Breakdown of vulnerability scores

Referrals

● Time from assessment to first referral

● Number of units, by program type

● Average time between referral and agency response (acceptance or denial)

● Number of referrals received per program

● Number of referrals received per agency

● Percent of successful referrals

● Number of successful referrals

● Percent of declined referrals (by provider)

● Number of declined referrals (by provider)

● Percent of declined referrals (by reason for decline)

● Percent of refused referrals (by consumer)

● Number of refused referrals (by consumer)

● Percent of refused referrals (by reason for refusal)

● Percent of referrals with no-show/no-contact outcome

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Appendix A

Homeless Definitions

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Appendix B

Geographic Coverage

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Appendix C

Coordinated Entry Committee Membership

Committee Chair (Appointed by the Board of Directors of South Alamo Regional Alliance for the Homeless)

Luke Leppla – Coordinated Entry Program Manager, SARAH

Committee Membership – Any agency with membership to the South Alamo Regional Alliance for the Homeless Membership Council may delegate a single voting representative for the CE Committee. By default, all CoC and ESG funds recipient/subrecipient have voting membership on the CE Committee.

American GI Forum National Veterans Outreach ProgramHaven for HopeThe Salvation ArmySan Antonio Metropolitan MinistriesFamily EndeavorsCenter for Health Care ServicesSan Antonio AIDS FoundationFamily Violence Prevention ServicesThriveThe San Antonio Housing AuthorityThe Society of Saint Vincent DePaulSt. PJ’s Children’s HomeU.S. Department of Veterans AffairsCity of San Antonio Department of Human ServicesBexar County Division of Community Development and Housing

For more information about committee and workgroup structure and governance please consult the South Alamo Regional Alliance for the Homeless By-Laws found at www.sarahomeless.org.

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Appendix D

Participating Projects Accepting Referrals Through SAHomelink

Agency Project Project Type

American GI Forum AGIF-NVOP Rapid Re-Housing RRH

American GI Forum AGIF-NVOP Permanent Housing PSH

American GI Forum SSVF RRH

American GI Forum AGIF NVOP Residential Center GPD TH

American GI Forum Single Room Occupancy PSH

Center for Health Care Services Permanent Supportive Housing PSH

Family Endeavors Family Fairweather Lodge PSH

Family Endeavors SSVF RRH

Family Violence Prevention Services

FVPS Rapid Re-Housing RRH

Family Violence Prevention Services

Community Based Counseling and Re-Housing RRH

Family Violence Prevention Services

La Paloma TH

Saint Vincent DePaul SVDP - RRH RRH

SAMMinistries SAMMinistries Housing First 2 PSH

SAMMinistries SAMM CoC Rapid Re-Housing RRH

SAMMinistries Permanent Supportive Housing PSH

SAMMinistries SAMMinistries Housing First PSH

SAMMinistries Transitional Living and Learning Center TH

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SAMMinistries SAMM ESG RRH RRH

SAMMinistries TDHCA RRH RRH

San Antonio AIDS Foundation Permanent Supportive Housing PSH

San Antonio Housing Authority SAHA CoC PSH 86 PSH

St. PJ. Children's Home St. PJ - Rapid Re-Housing RRH

The Salvation Army Scattered Sites PSH Program PSH

The Salvation Army TSA-Stepping Forward TH TH

The Salvation Army TSA ESG Rapid Re-Housing RRH

Thrive Thrive Rapid Re-Housing RRH

Thrive Haven for Hope Transitional Housing TH

Appendix E

S A H o m e L i n kCustomer Satisfaction Survey

How did you hear about the homeless services offered here?

______________________________________________________________________ On a scale of 1-10, how easy was it to understand the questions on the survey?

Easy - 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 – Hard Did the staff person helping you with the assessment explain the purpose of the questions?

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Yes No Would you recommend this process to your friends?Yes No We would like to hear any additional feedback or comments that you may have.

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

Surveys are used to improve services and are collected by The South Alamo Regional Alliance for the Homeless. ContactSARAH@Sarahomeless.org.

Appendix FMemorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the South Alamo Regional Alliance for the Homeless (SARAH) and INSERT NAME OF LOCAL CoC PROVIDER AGENCY

BACKGROUNDProvisions in HUD’s Continuum of Care (CoC) Program and Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) Program interim rules require that all CoCs establish a coordinated entry system as required by § 578.7 (a)(8). SAHomelink is the San Antonio/Bexar County CoC Coordinated Entry (CE) system for facilitating access to homeless resources, identifying and assessing the needs of persons experiencing a housing crisis, and referring clients to the most appropriate service strategy or housing intervention. The South Alamo Regional Alliance for the Homeless (SARAH) is the agency responsible for coordinating SAHomelink. SAHomelink is designed to ensure that everybody experiencing homelessness in Bexar County is assessed for services and prioritized

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for federal programs funded through CoC and ESG programs. This MOU ensures clear communication of the SAHomelink program goals, operating principles, and roles and responsibilities.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES OF SAHOMELINK

These principles will guide decision-making and SAHomelink development:

1. Promote client-centered practices – Every person experiencing homelessness should be treated with dignity, offered at least minimal assistance, and participate in their own housing plan. CoCs will provide ongoing opportunities for client participation in the development, oversight, and evaluation of coordinated assessment. Participants should be offered choice whenever possible.

2. Prioritizing Length of Homelessness of participants as the primary factor among many considerations Limited resources should be directed first to persons and families who have endured long periods of homelessness. Less vulnerable persons and families will be assisted as resources allow.

3. Eliminate barriers to housing placement – Identify system practices and individual project eligibility criteria which may contribute to excluding participants from services and work to eliminate those barriers. Barriers could include conditions such as income, sobriety, and case plan participation as eligibility requirements for enrollment.

4. Exercise continuous quality improvement efforts – Continually strive for effectiveness and efficiency and agree to make changes when those objectives are not achieved.

5. Promote collaborative and inclusive - planning during decision making practices, while being transparent when communicating grantee responsibilities and performance reporting.

6. Diversity – Acknowledge and honor the organizational culture of each participating program. Respect cultural differences, linguistic, and philosophical differences.

PURPOSE

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To ensure the consistent implementation of SAHomelink and establish standards for Coordinated Entry participation certification SARAH has developed policies and procedures, including this MOU, to establish standard local agreements for the implementation of SAHomelink. Additionally, this MOU ensures that all providers are using the coordinated entry system in an open, transparent, and consistent way. RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE CoC The South Alamo Regional Alliance for the Homeless (SARAH) will:

PLANNING1) Convene a Coordinated Entry Committee that will meet monthly with the goal of

receiving provider input, reporting program metrics, and develop policy and procedures with stakeholders for continuously making improvements.

2) Coordinate with local ESG recipients to certify coordinated entry participation, provide performance measurement, written standards, and other assistance. SARAH will also coordinate with local ESG funders to report system impact and identify gaps.

3) Coordinate, integrate, and leverage resources to maximize impact of services for individuals who are experiencing homelessness; to include non-housing mainstream services.

4) Manage the daily activities associated with CES planning, implementation, operations, and evaluation.

5) Develop written standards for the CoC, as required by the CoC Program interim rule, which include descriptions of local program components that are in alignment with the SARAH strategic plan.

6) Develop and implement written policies and procedures on how SAHomelink will be operated;

7) Provide initial training for all staff required to conduct assessments or receive referrals and provide at least annual training to all staff.

8) Convene a case conferencing session comprising of local homeless service providers to discuss special cases that may need exception to established policy and procedures and to provide a forum for coordination between housing providers and shelter or outreach staff.

9) Oversee the client grievance process as established in the SARAH policy and procedures.10) Provide a means for certifying CE participation if required by the project’s funder.

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a) Certification will be provided for housing projects if 100% of the households enrolled in the project were referred to that project through the SAHomelink system in HMIS.

b) Certification will be provided for assessment generating projects by a report that shows the number of assessments and assessment outcomes.

ACCESS

● Identify local access points for SAHomelink that cover the CoCs geography and can be accessed by all households in need of assistance;

● Develop an affirmative marketing plan that communicates how local stakeholders can access SAHomelink

● Provide marketing materials to local providers to ensure consistent communication about SAHomelink

● Post signage provided by SARAH to increase visibility and familiarity for people experiencing homelessness.

ASSESSMENT● Incorporate the SAHomelink assessment into HMIS workflows of HMIS-participating

emergency shelters and VA-funded Grant Per Diem programs.● Ensure that the locally defined assessment process includes an assessment tool that is

publicly available, well-crafted, comprehensive, and results in an explicit prioritization for each client homeless within the CoC jurisdiction.

REFERRALS

● Publish local standards for prioritization and referral, and ensure that all participating providers are following these expectations;

● Ensure that local CoC agencies are providing consumers with the opportunity to enroll in CoC component types that are less intensive, but not more intensive, that the SAHomelink referral choice offered;

DATA & EVALUATION

● Work with the Haven for Hope Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) staff to maintain the CoC’s implementation of HMIS, including the SAHomelink workflow;

● Authorize access to the SAHomelink dashboard within HMIS for staff that finish training.

● Provide regular performance reports to agencies participating in SAHomelink.

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● Evaluate at least annually the performance and progress of the CE system. Implement quality improvement adjustments to the CES as necessary.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF PARTICIPATING PROVIDERS

(INSERT LOCAL PROVIDER NAME) will: PLANNING

● Participate in the CoC’s Coordinated Entry committee as established by INSERT LOCAL PROVIDER NAME) leadership;

● Appoint a staff person(s) to be the primary point of contact responsible for SARAH to communicate with for any day-to-day operation needs. Notify SARAH of any changes to staffing that impact SAHomelink operations;

● Ensure that all staff participating in CE assessments or receiving referrals receive at least annual training from the CoC on the system;

● Provide regular supervision of staff participating in CE operations; Specific to (INSERT LOCAL PROVIDER NAME) - Projects Receiving Referrals

● Provide SARAH written standards for project eligibility and enrollment determination to ensure that referred clients match project grant requirements

● Projects accepting referrals through SAHomelink should accept or reject referrals within 31 days of the referral being provided.

● Limit project eligibility requirements to only those required by project funders; HUB OPERATIONS

● Establish regular periods that the agency is open to the public to provide public access to the SAHomelink assessment. Notify SARAH within 48 hours if the schedule needs to be changed or deviated.

● HUB facilities must be maintained as to ensure access to all eligible households regardless of disabilities, including accessible physical locations for individuals who use wheelchairs.

● Ensure operations comply with the SAHomelink policies and procedures.● Assessments are completed on a walk-in bases; appointments are not provided or

necessary. When there will be a wait period at a hub, that hub must inform households about other hub options. The current hub will get an update on other hub’s wait times and

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inform the households so they can choose to wait or go to another hub. Transportation assistance is not available at this time. If a household chooses to wait at the same hub, it is guaranteed they will be able to complete an assessment that day if they arrive within posted hours.

DATA & EVALUATION

● Enter all data on clients in HMIS, as established by local HMIS policies and procedures regarding data timeliness, completeness, and quality standards;

● Review any reports from the CoC on the performance of the agency● Ensure that the agency is meeting local performance standards

CONFIDENTIALITY All parties agree that they shall be bound by and shall abide by all applicable Federal or State statutes or regulations pertaining to the confidentiality of client records or information, including volunteers. The parties shall not use or disclose any information about a recipient of the services provided under this agreement for any purpose connected with the parties’ contract responsibilities, except with the written consent of such recipient, recipient’s attorney, or recipient’s parent or guardian.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY All parties mutually agree to be bound by and abide by all applicable anti-discrimination statutes, regulations, policies, and procedures as may be applicable under any Federal or State contracts, statutes, or regulations, or otherwise as presently or hereinafter adopted by the agency.

TERMS OF AGREEMENT This MOU shall be effective upon adoption by each signatory agency and entity. Annually, this MOU will be reviewed and updated to incorporate changes and clarification of roles and responsibilities. Any party must provide written notice of change ninety (30) days before the annual review date or it will be automatically renewed. This Agreement may be terminated for any reason or no reason by giving all parties ninety (30) days prior written notice.

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INSERT PROVIDER NAME INSERT COC NAME

Signed: Signed:

Print Name: Print Name:

Title: Title:

Date: Date:

Appendix G

SARAH Community Outreach Specialist

About San Antonio Regional Alliance for the Homeless (SARAH): SARAH is a nonprofit that serves as the HUD Continuum of Care (CoC) encompassing San Antonio and Bexar County. The purpose of SARAH is to create integrated, community-wide strategies to prevent and end homelessness; provide coordination among the numerous regional organizations and initiatives that serve the homeless population; act as the lead agency for the annual Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for HUD CoC grant funding; and lead the annual Point in Time Count. SUMMARYThe Community Outreach Specialist is a position designed to help support all local homeless service projects. This will be done by facilitating coordinated entry by sharing information needed for service providers to follow through with referrals made within coordinated entry. Additionally, this position will collect information about locations, demographics, and barriers to services for the unsheltered homeless

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in Bexar County, with a focus on promoting Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) fair housing practices.The Community outreach specialist will also aggregate information collected by outreach specialists and information systems throughout the city and provide training for new outreach staff and organizations within San Antonio on evidence based practices. The Community Outreach Specialist will also coordinate volunteer outreach events sponsored by SARAH and perform all other duties as assigned.ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES1. Collect aggregate information essential to locating unsheltered individuals referred to services through coordinated entry.2. Advertise Coordinated Entry and promote Fair Housing by targeting underserved populations not traditionally targeted by outreach.3. Identify geographic gaps where the unsheltered homeless are not engaged by outreach.4. Work in collaboration with mobile hubs to facilitate coordinated entry assessments. 5. Serve on Continuum of Care committees in Coordinated Entry and Point in Time as well as organize workgroups to address the needs of specific groups.6. Conduct training for service providers on how to locate referrals through coordinated entry.7. Prepare empirical and analytical reports on the unsheltered homeless population. 8. Coordinate and lead volunteer homeless outreach events.9. Provide training opportunities to the community on evidence-based techniques (Motivational Interviewing, Trauma Informed Care, Homeless Diversion)10. Other duties as assigned. EDUCATIONBachelor’s degree preferred. One year of post-secondary education may be substituted for every two years of direct service experience with people experiencing homelessness.EXPERIENCE• Two years’ cumulative experience performing homeless outreach.• One-year experience organizing and supervising volunteers.• Experience as a project manager for a multi-agency collaboration committee or workgroup.

· One-year experience using a Homeless Management Information System (HMIS).KNOWLDEGE/SKILLS/ABILITIES• Presentation skills – Groups and one-on-one• Proficient Computer Skills: Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook• Ability to learn and maintain information systems• Excellent and versatile verbal/written communication skills• Well-developed skills in prioritizing, organization, decision-making, time management, & follow-up.• Strong interpersonal skills resulting in exceptional rapport with partners. Proven success in initiating, promoting and maintaining strong interpersonal relations. Able to interact courteously, professionally, and tactfully with clients, staff, volunteers and community members in a variety of circumstances.• Bi-lingual communication skills are a benefit to the position.MANAGERIAL RESPONSIBILITIES

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This position requires no supervision of employees. Direct program and administrative support when Coordinated Entry Program Manager is unavailable.PHYSICAL DEMANDSWork schedule will be determined by planned outreach and service provider activities. Activities may include evenings and weekends.WORK ENVIRONMENTThe work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.Will need to work some weekends and evenings when there are planned outreach events and volunteer opportunities.

Appendix HGrievance Policy

RationaleClient concerns and grievances should be resolved promptly and fairly, in the most informal and appropriate manner. Agencies should inform clients of the following process for filing a grievance. Clients will be free from Agency interference, coercion or reprisal should they choose to file a complaint. PolicySAHomelink will respond to grievances in the following manner, depending on the nature of the concern or grievance.

A. Housing Program Grievance –Grievances about experience(s) with homeless housing programs will be redirected back to the program to follow grievance policies and procedures of that organization. Agencies should maintain internal documentation of all complaints received. This information should not be sent to SARAH unless requested, either by the client or by SARAH. The foregoing procedures are in addition to, and not in lieu of, the anti-discrimination policies established by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and SARAH.

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If you are not satisfied with the housing program’s response to your grievance, contact the SARAH Coordinated Entry Program Manager following the directions listed in section C below. SARAH staff will review the grievance, and if needed, schedule a grievance mediation. You may make your request by telephone or in writing.

B. Fair Housing Grievance – Grievances about a landlord or property owner’s screening practices which appear to have a discriminatory impact: 1. Contact the City of San Antonio Fair-Housing Program http://www.sanantonio.gov/humanservices/FinanceEmergency/FairHousing

Phone:(210) 207-8189 Address:106 S. St. Mary’s, 7th FloorSan Antonio, TX 78205

C. SAHomelink Experience Grievance – – Grievances about SAHomelink policies and procedures should be sent to SARAH following the procedures below. A grievance is an expression of dissatisfaction about any aspect of the SAHomelink service experience. It is an informal process that can be initiated orally or in writing. Upon receipt of an informal complaint, reasonable assistance will be provided by SARAH staff involved and may include supervisory or administrative staff to help obtain a satisfactory resolution to the concern. ProceduresPlease send your grievance letter to South Alamo Regional Alliance for the Homeless (SARAH) at 4100 E. Piedras Suite 105, San Antonio, TX 78228, or by email to contactSARAH@SARAHomeless.org, or by calling the Coordinating Entry Program Manager at 210-876-0720For all grievance letters, emails, or phone voice messages, please include:1. Your name2. The date3. Your contact information4. The best times and ways you can be reached5. An explanation of your concern/grievance6. What action you believe would solve the problem

SARAH will respond to grievances in writing within 14 days.

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Appendix I

Prioritization Policy: Transitional Housing

Housing Intervention

Prioritization Group

Subpopulation Secondary Prioritization

Transitional Housing

TH - A Households Fleeing Domestic Violence

1. Veteran Status

2. Chronic Status

3. Length of Homelessness

4. VI SPDAT Score (highest

to lowest)

TH – B Homeless Youth < 24 years old

1. Veteran Status

2. Chronic Status

3. Length of Homelessness

4. VI SPDAT Score (highest to lowest)

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Appendix J

Prioritization Policy: Rapid Rehousing

Housing Intervention

Prioritization Group

Subpopulation Secondary Prioritization

Rapid Rehousing RR - A Veterans 1. Length of Homelessness

2. VI SPDAT Score (highest

to lowest)

RR – B Households with Children

1. Length of Homelessness

2. VI SPDAT Score (highest to lowest)

RR – C All 1. Length of Homelessness

2. VI SPDAT Score

(highest to lowest)

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Appendix KPrioritization Policy: Permanent Supportive Housing

Housing Intervention

Prioritization Group

Subpopulation Secondary Prioritization

Permanent Supportive Housing

PSH - A Chronic Veterans 1. Length of Homelessness

2. VI-SPDAT Score(highest to lowest)

PSH – B Chronic Youth

1. Length of Homelessness

2. VI-SPDAT Score(highest to lowest)

PSH – C Chronic Families 1. Length of Homelessness

2. VI-SPDAT Score(highest to lowest)

PSH – D Chronic Singles 1. Length of Homelessness

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2. VI-SPDAT Score(highest to lowest)

PSH – E Non-Chronic Families

1. Length of Homelessness

2. VI-SPDAT Score(highest to lowest)

PSH – F Non – Chronic Singles

1. Length of Homelessness

2. VI-SPDAT Score(highest to lowest)

Appendix L ContinuedPrioritization Policy: PSH (HUD Notice) CPD-16-11 Follows

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Appendix MVI-SPDAT Assessment Tool - Families

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Appendix NVI-SPDAT Assessment Tool - Families

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Appendix O

HMIS Consent Form

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Appendix P

Case Conferencing Data Sharing Agreement For Non-HMIS Users

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