Coordinated Entry

What is Coordinated Entry?

Coordinated Entry (CE) is part of a federal initiative to create a consistent, community-wide process to assess the vulnerabilities of a person or family experiencing homelessness and refer them to community resources that are the best fit to serve them.

CE uses a standard, confidential tool that not only gages the vulnerabilities of the person or family but helps to prioritize them for program openings in our community. Information from this assessment is kept in a “Master List”; this coordination improves the targeting of housing resources CoC-wide and reduces the need for people to travel distances seeking assistance at every provider separately. When a unit/bed becomes available, the CE Manager sorts through the list and selects those with the most need and the best fit to be referred to that program opening. Participating programs accept referrals from the system; when participating programs do not have enough space to accept all referrals from the system, people are prioritized for services based on need. You will be contacted as soon as a referral is ready.

Tracey York
COORDINATED ENTRY MANAGER
610-372-7222, ext. 203
Email: tracey@bceh.org

Where to get assessed

What is the assessment?

The assessment takes about 15 minutes to complete. The questions have primarily “yes” or “no” answers or can be answered in a few short words. You do not have to answer any questions that you are uncomfortable answering, but a non-answer could prolong your wait on the Master List.

If you choose not to complete the assessment, you are still eligible for referral to services that do not use CE.

How do I update my information?

If you are selected for a referral but we cannot locate or contact you, you will be removed from the Master List and we will have to pass your referral to the next person. Therefore, it is critical that you update us with your most current contact information or consistently check in with us.

If you are removed from the Master List, you can contact us to get connected again. Before we reinstate you on the list, we will have to ensure that all of the information from your previous CE assessment is still accurate.

If your circumstances have changed, you can contact us for a new assessment. However, be aware that some changes may elevate your chances for referral while other changes may decrease them.

What's next after assessment?

2-1-1 Reports

2-1-1 is a free, accessible, 3-digit telephone number available to everyone. Anyone who calls will have easy access to customized health, housing, and human services information in one place. The 2-1-1 telephone number is a 24 hour, 7 day a week hotline, available when you need to find help. Below are reports on 2-1-1’s assistance in Berks County

Coordinated Entry