A Coordinated Entry System (CES) is an evidence-based strategy that focuses on housing and service coordination designed to link homeless people to the most appropriate housing solution based on their needs.  The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development requires all projects funded under Continuums of Care (CoC) and to utilize CES.  The goals of an effective Coordinated Entry system are to quickly identify homeless people, to prevent homelessness whenever possible, to appropriately assess the needs of consumers that request help, and to connect them to housing and services quickly.

The San Diego Continuum of Care was one of the earliest adopters of Coordinated Entry.  The original system was born out of a federal initiative called 25 Cities Initiative.  The 25 Cities Initiative encouraged Continuums of Care to work with community partners to mobilize existing resources to align housing and services.   While the San Diego Community worked to streamline its processes, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development was also developing and outlining the framework for Coordinated Entry nationwide.  Issued in 2017, with a required implementation date of January 2018, HUD documented Coordinated Entry requirements for communities receiving CoC, ESG and HOPWA funding in an effort to ensure a more fair and equitable process for distributing limited local resources to vulnerable households in need.

CES integrates Housing First, Harm Reduction, and Trauma Informed Care approaches into its housing and supportive services.

• • Housing First focuses on moving people experiencing homelessness into housing and providing additional support and services each person needs and wants to stabilize.

• • Harm Reduction focuses on reducing and minimizing risky behaviors and consequences associated with drug and alcohol use.

• • Trauma Informed Care focuses on understanding, recognizing, and responding to the effects of all types of trauma.

CES Policies and Procedures

• • CES P&P document – updated August 2023

All training videos and materials, forms, and workflows are only accessible by parties who have been or need to be trained in navigating the CES with clients and within Clarity. You may view the HUD CES 101 Brief Presentation for a general overview.

• • Click here to see currently available CES access site locations

• • CES VI-SPDAT Messaging (Sept. 2019)

DV CES Resources

• • DV CES Process Overview Video

• • DV CES Composite Score Offline Workbook

• • San Diego Coordinated Entry Submission Form for Victim Service Providers

• • Single Adult VI-SPDAT Fillable Form

• • Family VI-SPDAT Fillable Form

• • Transitional Age Youth VI-SPDAT Fillable Form

211 Pocket Resource Guides

• • Central San Diego
  • East San Diego
  • North Inland San Diego
  • North Central San Diego
  • North Coastal San Diego
  • South San Diego

This training held on 7/27/2021 covers information on how to Identify clients for case conferencing, an assessment of the current BNL, and ensuring composite scores are reflective of data in accordance to the community standards.

• • The PowerPoint slides can be found by clicking here.

• • The full training can be accessed by clicking here.

The first step for any HMIS User who needs access to enter data related to the Coordinated Entry System (CES) in Clarity (including entering information into the CES triage tool for clients you are working with and/or accepting referrals to permanent housing program) must submit an access request to support@rtfhsd.org.

Once an access request has been submitted, instructions on how to access the 2024 San Diego Coordinated Entry training series and instructions to complete the FY 2024 CES Quiz. A passing score of 90% is necessary to gain access to the CES agency.

As soon as you complete the FY 2024 CES Quiz, with a score of at least 90%, email support@rtfhsd.org to obtain access to the CES agency and program.

Office Hours and Ongoing Support

Please check our Events page for any upcoming Office Hours sessions.

If you have any questions or need support around the new CES workflow, please reach out to us at support@rtfhsd.org.  Inquiries received will also help build our FAQ sheet for community reference. The office hours discussions will inform and help to build the FAQ.   

We thank you for the commitment you make in helping people move into housing. It’s the connections you make, the rapport you build that support our fellow San Diegans in building the relationships and support network they need to sustain their success in moving towards housing. It’s important to remember that while we use tools like CES it is the work you do every day with our clients that ultimately get them housed. Systems don’t house people, people house people.

The most recent guided, step-by-step instructions on how to enter client(s) into the CES into the HMIS can be found here.