What is Coordinated Access?
A coordinated access system is the process by which individuals and families who are experiencing homelessness or at-risk of homelessness are directed to community-level access points where trained workers use a common assessment tool to evaluate the individual or family’s depth of need, prioritize them for housing support services and then help to match them to available housing focused interventions.
Quality coordinated access systems share several features, including a centralized database that collects and displays real-time data on clients and available housing and supports; clear access points of entry; common assessment; standardized protocols; and resources (for example, staff) focused on ensuring that people can connect with appropriate housing and housing supports in an efficient manner.
Definitions:
- Access: the engagement point for the individual or family experiencing a housing crisis. This may include emergency shelters, mobile outreach teams, day centres, other community-based organizations and hotlines.
- Assessment: the process of gathering information about an individual or family accessing the crisis system.
- Prioritization: the process of determining the individual’s or family’s priority for housing based on information gathered through the assessment.
- Matching and referral: the process whereby the individual or family is matched to and offered housing based on project-specific eligibility, needs and preferences.
The City of Abbotsford is currently in the process of updating this system, building on the former Coordinated Intake and Referral System, to align with Reaching Home program guidelines and is mandated to have an updated system in place by March 31, 2023.
About the CIR
The Coordinated Intake and Referral System (CIR) was a 3 year federally funded project. Using best practices from other cities, the CIR was working with social support agencies in Abbotsford allowing the city to improve its ability to better serve the needs of homeless individuals. Overall, the results of the project provided a sustainable foundation on which Abbotsford launched a Housing First approach and provided a useful template for other similar-sized cities to do the same.
The CIR System was co-developed by the City of Abbotsford in partnership with BC Housing, the Fraser Health Authority, Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction and included Seven Memorandum of Understanding partners: Raven's Moon Resource Society, Salvation Army, Abbotsford Community Services, SARA for Women, Look Out Society, Positive Living Fraser Valley, and Cyrus Centre.
CIR Final Reports:
