Coordinated Entry
Coordinated Entry is a community-wide system made up of nonprofit homeless service providers that connect people experiencing homelessness and housing instability with the resources they need. Coordinated Entry allows our community to better target available resources to the people who need them the most and connect people to the right program based on their preferences and needs.
Most communities lack the resources needed to meet all the needs of people experiencing homelessness. The Coordinated Entry process helps communities prioritize assistance to people who need it the most based on service needs and length of time homeless.
Coordinated Entry has a “bird’s eye” view of the homeless services provided in suburban Cook County. The Coordinated Entry process provides information about service needs and gaps to help communities plan their assistance and identify needed resources. When implemented effectively, Coordinated Entry simplifies the roles of homeless service providers and shortens the path to permanent housing for households experiencing homelessness.
How to Access Coordinated Entry
Entry Point is the Coordinated Entry (CE) System for the Suburban Cook County Continuum of Care (CoC).
The Entry Point Call Center phone number is 1-877-426-6515. Call Center hours are 8:30am – 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday. If an individual is experiencing or fleeing domestic violence and is seeking shelter, call or text the 24-hour Illinois Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-877-863-6338 (877-TO END DV).
Entry Point flyers can be downloaded below.
Assessment Process
Coordinated Entry follows the Entry Point Phased Assessment to screen for client eligibility, determine appropriate resources, and complete the assessment process for housing.
Overview of the Phased Assessment
Part 1 – Safety Screening (completed at first point of contact)
Part 2 – Diversion Screening (completed by a designated Diversion specialist before a client enters shelter or completes the Universal Intake for a Street Outreach or System Navigator program)
Part 3 – HMIS Initial Intake (completed at program entry or date of engagement in Street Outreach)
Part 4 – Determination to Proceed with Housing Assessment
Entry Point timing guidelines state that the client is eligible for the housing assessment process to begin, and an assessor can reach out to the client:
- As soon as clinically appropriate for all transition aged youth (18-24) households and households experiencing domestic violence
- After 7 days for all households with minor children
- After 5 encounters with Street Outreach for all unsheltered households without minor children
- After 30 shelter nights for sheltered households without minor children
Part 5 – CE Consent and Housing Preferences, History and Other Considerations (completed by a Dedicated Assessor, CE-DV System Navigator, or Young Adult System Navigator)
Part 6 – Eligibility Verifications (completed by Sending Agency staff)
Optional: To better understand client housing needs, additional resources are available for Case Managers to complete with the client, including the Child and Family Needs Assessment and Noteworthy Factors Impacting Service Needs.
Chronic Homelessness
If it is determined that a client is experiencing chronic homelessness (see definition below), additional paperwork is required to document Length of Time Homeless and Disability.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) defines chronically homeless as: (1) A “homeless individual with a disability,” as defined in Section 401(9) of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, who:
- Lives in a place not meant for human habitation, a Safe Haven, or an emergency shelter; AND
- Has been homeless continuously for at least 12 months or on at least four separate occasions in the last 3 years, as long as the combined occasions equal at least 12 months and each break in homelessness separating the occasions included at least 7 consecutive nights of not living as described in (1) above.
These forms can be used to document Length of Time Homeless and Disability Verification:
