Equitable Coordinated Entry Systems
When people of color experience homelessness along with trauma, substance use, or mental health challenges, their housing stability is further undermined by racism, discrimination, and stigma. C4 research documented what housing and homeless services providers have long known-while communities of color are overrepresented among those experiencing homelessness, tools used to assess housing needs do not ensure equity across diverse populations.
As a result, coordinated entry systems have built processes to assess, score, prioritize, and house people that perpetuate racism, discrimination, and disparities in access and outcomes. Incorporating racial equity practices is critical to serving communities of color most effectively.
C4 is a leader in shining a light on services, programs, and policies that systematically discriminate against people with diverse racial, ethnic, and gender identities. We start with racial equity because racism permeates every institution and system in the US, denying millions the right to a fair and just society in which they can thrive and prosper.
We work closely with partners to deepen understanding of barriers to equity, design and re-design equitable coordinated entry systems, and implement strategies to drive changes that ensure racial equity and housing stability. C4 staff will partner with you to center racial equity when preventing people from experiencing homelessness, identifying and connecting people for housing assessments, and designing, delivering, scoring, interpreting, and translating how assessments are put into action.
We Can Help You
- Map services, systems, stakeholders, and available data using a racial equity lens to identify drivers of inequity and gaps in data, services, and strategies
- Assess equity progress to date
- Establish, train, and facilitate a team of key stakeholders to inform and support your design/redesign process
- Design, test, and implement questions and actions that enhance current assessment procedures and ensure racial equity
- Develop performance measures and monitoring mechanisms
- Train outreach workers, assessors, housing providers, Continuum of Care decision makers, and key stakeholders on structures, processes, eligibility criteria, tools, skills needed for implementation, and data targets and monitoring strategies
- Provide leadership training, support, and coaching to overcome obstacles and maintain focus and accountability
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Our Experts
Coordinated Entry Equity Demonstration Project
Regina Cannon, C4's Chief Equity and Impact Officer & Vice President of Housing Solutions, conceptualized and is co-leading the Coordinated Entry Equity Demonstration Project through the Office of Special Needs Assistance Programs (SNAPS) at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The goal of the Demonstration Project is to achieve racially equitable housing outcomes by centering the expertise of people of color who have experienced homelessness or housing instability.
Coordinated Entry Systems Racial Equity Analysis of Assessment Data
Nationally, people of color are overrepresented among people who are homeless. Stakeholders and policymakers are examining system-level factors which may be contributing to, reinforcing, and perpetuating these racial inequities.
In partnership with Building Changes and several Continuums of Care, we conducted an analysis to examine potential limits of assessments used by coordinated entry systems to prioritize those with the greatest need. Our research concludes:...
Learn More
- Skilled Management and Supervision Essentials: online course starts April 9, 2024
- Essentials of Person-Centered Case Management-starts May 7
- Race Equity and Homelessness-podcast series
- Morning Cup of Equity-podcast series
- Bringing Racial Equity to Homeless Response Systems
- Equity and Homelessness
- Housing Solutions
- Housing Stability Skills and Supports
- PATH and Street Outreach
- Recovery Housing
- Housing First
More about our expertise and our training and technical assistance approaches and offerings.