|
Background
The Los Angeles County Coordinated Entry System (LA County CES) is a critical component of Los Angeles’ countywide systemic response to ending homelessness. It is a collaborative network that ensures the highest need, most vulnerable households in the community are prioritized for services and that the housing and supportive services in the system are used as efficiently and effectively as possible.
As LA County CES grew, practitioners and participants identified a need for increased consistency and transparency of the system’s operations. To address this need and to comply with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) 2017 federal mandate (titled “Establishing Additional Requirements for a Continuum of Care (CoC) Centralized or Coordinated Assessment System”) regarding coordinated entry, LAHSA alongside community partners has begun formally documenting policies through a transparent policy development process. The process involves two stakeholder groups—the CES Policy Development Work Group and the CES Policy Council. These bodies are tasked with drafting and approving policy on a range of topics organized around the core components of CES: Access, Assessment, Prioritization, Referral (Matching), and Evaluation. Both groups are comprised of members who have knowledge and experience of system operations such as service providers, County health agencies, public housing authorities, persons with lived experience of homelessness, and the philanthropic community (click here for full membership list).
The CES Policy Work Group provides input on draft policies and procedures for LA County CES operations. Policies recommended by the Work Group are posted on LAHSA’s website and shared through the email listserv for public review and comment. The CES Policy Council then reviews the policies and procedures developed by the CES Policy Work Group for revision and/or approval. The Policy Council only reviews policies that have been made available for public comment.
Scope of Policy Development
The broad topics for priority policy development include the Core Elements of Coordinated Entry, as defined by HUD: Access, Assessment, Prioritization, and Referral (Matching). Policies posted for public comment will generally follow this topical order, though some policies are relevant to all elements.
Policy Status
See below for a complete list of CES policies that have been approved, out for public comment, or still in development.
|