Coordinated Entry

Coordinated Entry is a person-focused process which asks that “communities prioritize people who are most in need of assistance” and “strategically allocate their current resources and identify the need for additional resources” (Coordinated Entry Notice, p. 2). Coordinated Entry is a consistent, streamlined process for accessing the resources available in the homeless crisis response system. Through Coordinated Entry, a CoC ensures that 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.

Who Does Coordinated Entry Serve?

Coordinated Entry is a HUD-funded program which serves individuals and families based on the categories below. Staff provide case management and referral services to ensure individuals and families are connected with housing and supportive services for which they are eligible. Are you experiencing homelessness or are at-risk of becoming homeless? Contact us today!

Definitions of Homelessness

Category 1: Literally Homeless? (§ 578.3)

Individual or family who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, meaning:

  1. Has a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not meant for human habitation; or
  2. Is living in a publicly or privately operated shelter designated to provide temporary living arrangements (including congregate shelters, transitional housing, and hotels and motels paid for by charitable organizations or by federal, state and local government programs); or
  3. Is exiting an institution where (s)he has resided for 90 days or less and who resided in an emergency shelter or place not meant for human habitation immediately before entering that institution.

Category 2: Imminent Risk of Homelessness (§ 578.3)?

An individual or family who will imminently lose their primary nighttime residence, provided that:

  1. Residence will be lost within 14 days of the date of application for homeless assistance;
  2. No subsequent residence has been identified; and
  3. The individual or family lacks the resources or support networks needed to obtain other permanent housing.

Category 3: Homeless Under Other Federal Statutes (§ 578.3)?

Unaccompanied youth under 25 years of age, or families with Category 3 children and youth, who do not otherwise qualify as homeless under this definition, but who:

  1. Are defined as homeless under the other listed federal statutes;
  2. Have not had a lease, ownership interest in permanent housing during the 60 days prior to the homeless assistance application;
  3. Have experienced persistent instability as measured by two moves or more during in the preceding 60 days; and
  4. Can be expected to continue in such status for an extended period of time due to special needs or barriers

Category 4: Fleeing/Attempting to Flee Domestic Violence (§ 578.3; VAWA 2022)?

Any individual or family who:

  1. is experiencing trauma or a lack of safety related to, or fleeing or attempting to flee, domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, or other dangerous, traumatic, or life-threatening conditions related to the violence against the individual or a family member in the individual's or family's current housing situation, including where the health and safety of children are jeopardized;
  2. has no other safe residence; and
  3. lacks the resources to obtain other safe permanent housing.

Client Resources

Coordinated Entry Core Elements

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We are working tirelessly to eradicate homelessness in Mississippi. Join us in helping to make homelessness a thing of the past in our great state. Together, we can!