Coordinated Entry Redesign Overview

Phase 1: Coordinated Entry Evaluation

In early 2022, HSH began the first phase of improving Coordinated Entry (CE). The primary goals are implementing more equitable CE processes and increasing access to housing and services for people who have been historically marginalized and most disparately impacted by homelessness in San Francisco. HSH engaged in a 3rd party evaluation that gathered broad community input and data on the current system. HSH released the findings in the July 2022 Coordinated Entry Evaluation Report and held 3 public town halls to receive feedback on the findings and ways to redesign CE.

Phase 2: Redesigning Coordinated Entry

In early September 2022, the Local Homeless Coordinating Board (LHCB) and HSH announced an “Invitation to Apply” for a new, voluntary, multi-stakeholder workgroup that will work collaboratively to develop recommendations for redesigning key parts of CE. This workgroup, referred to as the CE Redesign Workgroup, prioritized the inclusion of people who represent groups most disparately impacted by homelessness in San Francisco. This included people who are Black/African American, Latinx, Asian, LGBQ, Transgender, and Gender Nonconforming and were interacting with or seeking access to CE. A cover letter and accompanying flyer were distributed broadly, and targeted outreach was conducted to ensure broad community participation and inclusive representation.

Nomination process and demographic indicators for the Coordinated Entry Redesign Working group:

• English
• Spanish
• Chinese
• Tagalog

Consultants who are experts in designing equitable homeless programs, systems, and CE processes from the Corporation for Supportive Housing and C4 Innovations facilitated and helped formulate recommendations for the Coordinated Entry redesign. The Coordinated Entry Redesign Workgroup members were tasked with dedicating their time, energy, and relevant experience to:

1. Make recommendations about components of program design highlighted in the 2022 HSH CE Evaluation, key performance indicators, and service models for San Francisco Coordinated Entry in the future.
2. Participate in meetings, review and contribute to written materials, and offer edits and suggestions on written materials in a timely manner.
3. Participate consistently in four hours of total work time per week: this included approximately two hours per week of working group meetings and approximately two additional hours for reviewing materials and getting input from community partners and colleagues.
4. Communicate updates and host community discussions with other planning, advocacy, and provider groups in the San Francisco Homeless Response System to get input on topics that the working group was addressing. Please note – members were provided staffing and administrative support from HSH and the technical assistance team hosted broader community discussions.
5. Center the voices of people experiencing homelessness, confront systemic disparities to improve housing outcomes, and work collaboratively towards greater equity and racial justice.

The Coordinated Entry Redesign Workgroup met weekly from October 2022 through January 2023.

Working Group Membership:

Emphasis on Equity and Inclusion

The Coordinated Entry Redesign Workgroup is made up of (21) total members:

• (15) community members from diverse backgrounds who bring their knowledge and experience.
• (6) City/County staff: (4) staff representing Homelessness & Supportive Housing, (1) staff representing Human Services Agency, (1) staff representing Department of Public Health.

Additional information about the selection process and the demographics of the Workgroup members can be found in the link above.

Working Group Recommendations for Coordinated Entry Redesign

The working group developed a full report of recommendations for the Coordinated Entry system:

• English
• Spanish
• Chinese
• Tagalog

Members of the public who would like to provide input can do so by emailing hshcoordinatedentryredesign@sfgov.org. The Local Homeless Coordinating Board were presented these recommendations during a special session on February 23 and voted on these recommendations during their regular April meeting.

Phase 3: Implementation

In May 2023, the LHCB and HSH invited community partners, including people with lived expertise of homelessness, service providers, and key City departments to serve on a new, collaborative Coordinated Entry (CE) Redesign Implementation Committee. Committee members serve on an ongoing basis and are key partners to operationalize the redesign workgroup’s recommendations. More information about the committee and membership can be found here. Also translated versions in Arabic, Chinese, Filipino, and Spanish are available. As with the Coordinated Entry Redesign Workgroup, this group prioritizes the inclusion of people who represent groups most disparately impacted by homelessness in San Francisco. Similar outreach efforts to the first workgroup were done to ensure broad community participation and inclusive representation.

Implementation Committee Membership:

The Coordinated Entry Redesign Implementation Committee is made up of (27) total members:

• (25) external community members from diverse backgrounds that bring their knowledge and experience, including the Chair of the LHCB CE Committee.
• (2) City/County staff: (1) staff representing the Human Services Agency and (1) staff representing the Department of Public Health.

HSH will also staff and participate in the committee. More information about the nomination process and demographic indicators can be found in English, Spanish, Chinese, and Filipino. The group began meeting in August 2023.

• Group’s charter (approved by LHCB on December 4, 2023)
• CE Vision, Mission, and Values (approved by Committee on April 10, 2024)