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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1 Fresno Madera Continuum of Care CES Partner Agreement January 2019 wit...1 Fresno Madera Continuum of Care Coordinated Entry Participation Agreement PURPOSE The purpose of this Participation Agreement is to document and communicate guidelines for the establishment of the Fresno Madera Continuum of Care Coordinated Entry System (FMCoC CES). FMCoC CES is a collaborative initiative designed to create a more effective and efficient homeless response system, as well as assure compliance with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) mandates. By agreeing to be an FMCoC CES partner, your agency agrees to:  Utilize the Fresno Madera Continuum of Care CES policies, processes, and tools  Provide your program eligibility criteria in writing to the FMCoC CES Committee  Accept referrals based on the eligibility criteria and program preferences your agency provides to the FMCoC CES Committee and FMCoC  Cooperate with the evaluation of FMCoC CES, including honest communication about the reasons why any clients are denied entry to a program  Attempt to reduce barriers to housing access  Maintain timely access to housing and services Your agency maintains the right to: Focus on a target population, to provide feedback about who is a good fit for your program, and to reject applicants who do not meet eligibility criteria required by the program’s funding sources  Provide input to the development and implementation of FMCoC CES  Receive support and training from the FMCoC and FMCoC CES Committee  Access FMCoC aggregate data collected through CES (except where data would identify a specific agency, person or household, or affect the safety of participants) By signing this Agreement, participating organizations formally acknowledge the guidelines, roles and responsibilities outlined in this Agreement and the FMCoC CES Policy and Procedures. Further, the undersigned organization agrees to adopt and comply with the Agreement in order to participate in FMCoC CES. BACKGROUND & HISTORY The Fresno Madera Continuum of Care has a long history of trying to coordinate services for the region’s homeless population. The coordinated entry system is an evolution from these efforts intersecting with Federal and State mandates and initiatives to shift from managing homelessness to preventing and ending homelessness. The mission of the FMCoC is that all individuals and families facing homelessness in Fresno and Madera cities and counties will have access to safe, decent, affordable housing with the resources and support necessary to sustain it. The FMCoC: • Is a member organization made up of community agencies and individuals who serve people experiencing homelessness. • Members include approximately 30 organizations and individuals. • Makes recommendations for local funding priorities. Body responsible for decisions made regarding Coordinated Entry In May 2009, President Obama signed the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act into law. The Hearth Act amended and reauthorized the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act with substantial changes. One of these changes, the Continuum of Care Program Interim Rule, was published on 2 July 31, 2012. This rule established requirements for the administration and implementation of Continuum’s of Care, including Coordinated Assessment. A coordinated assessment system is defined as a coordinated process designed to coordinate program participant intake, assessment, and provision of referrals, which covers the entire geographic area. It must be easily accessed by individuals and families seeking housing or services, well-advertised, and include a comprehensive and standardized assessment tool. Additionally, Congress mandates CoC’s to “collect an array of data on homelessness in order to prevent duplicate counting of homeless persons and to analyze their patterns of use of assistance, including how they enter and exit the homeless assistance system and the effectiveness of the systems.” GUIDING PRINCIPLES 1. Promote client-centered practices – Every person should be treated with dignity, offered at least minimal assistance, have easy access to the system, have options and choices for housing and services, and participate in their own housing plan. Participants will not be mandated to leave family and other support networks to access housing. 2. Prioritize most vulnerable – Limited resources should be directed first to persons and families who are most vulnerable. Less vulnerable persons and families will be assisted as resources allow. 3. Eliminate barriers to housing placement – Identify system practices and individual project eligibility criteria which may contribute to excluding clients from services and work to eliminate those barriers. 4. Transparency – Deliberate, make decisions and communicate directives openly and clearly. 5. Focus on evaluation and adapting to meet the current needs of providers and consumers – Continually strive for effectiveness and efficiency and agree to make changes when those objectives are not achieved. 6. Accountability – Accountable to clients to provide the best service possible and to funders to make the best use of resources. 7. Promote collaborative and inclusive planning and decision-making practices. 8. Diversity - respect cultural, regional, programmatic, and philosophical differences. GOVERNANCE FMCoC CES in the Fresno Madera geographic region is governed by the Fresno Madera Continuum of Care Coordinated Entry System Committee and the FMCoC Board. The role of the FMCoC CES Committee is to make recommendations on implementing CES and is responsible for training and evaluating the coordinated entry system. The committee will make recommendations based on input from all stakeholders and other FMCoC Committees. The FMCoC Board will have final approval on all FMCoC CES policies, forms and tools. GEOGR APHIC SERVICE AREA Fresno Madera Continuum of Care Region – serving the counties of Fresno and Madera. PARTNER ROLES Partners agree to the following, as well as specific partner roles and responsibilities laid out in the CES Policy and Procedures. COO RDINATED ENTRY SYSTE M COMMITTEE PARTICIP ATION Section 6 of the Fresno Madera Continuum of Care Bylaws states: “The Coordinated Assessment Committee organizes and evaluates the effectiveness of Fresno and Madera's Coordinated Assessment/Coordinated Entry process. The Coordinated Assessment Committee has also inherited the work of the Rapid Results Committee and 3 the Outreach Committee. The Coordinated Assessment Committee shall meet at least monthly unless otherwise resolved by a formal decision of that Committee or of the Board.” Currently, the Coordinated Entry System committee meets twice a month and is responsible for the design, implementation, success, and on-going evaluation of the FMCoC Coordinated Entry System, specifically how the system triages clients, prioritizes them for service, and tracks clients through the Continuum of Care. Coordinated Entry System Committee members agree to:  Attend at least (1) CES committee meeting a month  Participate in the design, implementation, and on-going evaluation of the FMCoC CES  Provide CES training/education/presentations to CoC and community partners  Provide feedback for annual CES evaluation ACCESS (PHYSICAL SIT E AND/OR STREET OUTR EACH) An existing agency (access site) or point-of-contact (street outreach) where households facing a housing crisis learn that coordinated entry exists and how to access services. Access Sites (physical site and/or street outreach) will complete the CES Diversion & Homelessness Prevention Screening Tool to help determine if the household can be diverted from entering the homeless response system by utilizing mainstream resources. Access sites will make referrals to mainstream services and assist in navigating services to the extent possible. If the household is unable to be diverted, the household will be referred to prevention or emergency shelter services (shelter, dv shelter, safe house, or motel voucher). Access sites will consider the unique rights and needs of all populations including people experiencing chronic and/or literal homelessness, veterans, families with children, youth, survivors of domestic violence, and individuals/families at imminent risk of homelessness. Access Sites (physical site and/or street outreach) are expected to agree to the following:  Ensure compliance with data privacy and policies.  Provide Diversion & Prevention Screening Tool for all households who request entry into the homeless response system. a. If entry meets criteria for diversion, provide information or referrals to prevention and diversion resources. b. If entry into the homeless response system is necessary, link directly to Emergency Shelter, and/or to Assessment site.  Track and share documentation of screenings by entering the completed Diversion & Homelessness Prevention screening tool in HMIS within 72 hours of completion.  Attend required FMCoC CES trainings.  Ensure that no referrals for homeless services are made without first completing the Diversion & Homelessness Prevention Screening Tool and a Homeless Verification form/request.  Provide feedback for annual CES evaluation. ASSESSMENT FMCoC CES uses the Vulnerability Index-Service Prioritization Decision Assistance Tool (VI-SPDAT) as the initial standard assessment triage tool to assess vulnerability when a person presents to the crisis response system. The VI-SPDAT is completed in HMIS with individuals and families who are homeless under HUD’s definition of homelessness. The assessment can only be conducted by a qualified agency or program assessor participating in CES and trained in HMIS. A trained and approved assessor will conduct the Vulnerability Index-Service Prioritization Decision Assistance Tool in order to identify linkage to appropriate housing intervention (Prevention, Transitional Housing, Rapid-Rehousing, Permanent Housing or Permanent Supportive Housing). Assessment Sites are expected to:  Ensure compliance with data privacy and policies.  Follow FMCoC CES Process to complete VI-SPDAT as part of process for determining appropriate service connections, linkages, and referrals. 4  Enter VI-SPDAT into HMIS.  Attend required FMCoC CES and/or Assessor trainings.  Provide feedback for annual CES evaluation. NAVIGATION The Navigator will identify and build rapport with homeless individuals and families living on the street, emergency shelter, triage center, or in other places not meant for human habitation. The Navigator will assist clients in breaking the cycle of homelessness by moving from the street to temporary housing, accessing necessary social services, and rapidly obtaining permanent housing. The Navigator will provide individualized client support throughout this entire journey by helping each client address any barriers to obtaining permanent housing. Navigators are expected to agree to the following:  Assist clients with procuring necessary documents and services such as identification card, birth certificate, social security income, disability income/verification, certification of homelessness, and other documents as needed  Follow CES Process to track and update each household until the household is linked to an appropriate housing intervention, or until services are no longer needed.  Enter data and updates into HMIS per instructions.  Attend required FMCoC CES and/or Navigator trainings  Provide weekly updates to the Master By Name List  Participate in weekly case conferencing meetings.  Provide feedback for annual CES evaluation. HOUSING PROVIDERS Housing Providers will collaborate with FMCoC Approved Access, Assessment sites, Navigators, and the Housing Matcher to streamline access to ALL homeless dedicated housing programs and beds. Housing Providers are expected to:  Ensure compliance with data privacy and policies.  Provide program eligibility criteria in writing to FMCoC CES.  Respond to all weekly e-mails from the Housing Matcher alerting them of current vacancy or lack thereof,  Utilize the FMCoC CES process to fill all program vacancies based on priority scoring, eligibility criteria, and program funding commitments a. Follow-up with Navigator to ensure a smooth transition to the program and to coordinate notifying and offering housing to household. b. If denied, follow the FMCoC CES process for denials including follow-up with CES Navigator.  Keep household information updated in HMIS according to the CES Process (ex. entry date, service transactions, and exit date).  Keep program information update in HMIS according to CES Process.  Attend required FMCoC CES trainings.  Provide feedback for annual CES evaluation. DATA QUALITY & SHARI NG By signing this agreement, your agency agrees to: 1. Participate in required HMIS, CoC and CES data sharing trainings as applicable. 2. Agree to HUD, state, HMIS and CES data privacy, data rights, and data quality requirements as applicable to follow local, state, and/or federal regulations. 5 3. Ensure data is accurate and timely (entered into HMIS within 72 hours of collection), responding to any data quality, completeness or privacy concerns addressed by HMIS Administrator, CES or Continuum of Care. 4. Follow CES process to ensure Client Privacy Rights are followed. 5. As per HUD mandate, Domestic Violence service providers must enter data into a comparable database, when entry into HMIS is prohibited under federal law. GENERAL TE RMS Terms. This Partnership Agreement will begin upon execution. This Agreement will be reviewed annually and updated to incorporate changes and clarification of roles and responsibilities. Any party must provide written notice of change thirty (30) days before the annual termination date or it will be automatically renewed. Otherwise, this Agreement may be terminated in accordance with the section on Termination below. Termination. Any party may terminate this Agreement for any reason or no reason by giving the other party thirty (30) days prior written notice. The party wishing to terminate this agreement must provide a written intent to terminate notice to the party in breach or default. Note that termination of this Agreement may affect future FMCoC Collaborative Applications and has the potential to lower the FMCoC Collaborative Application Scoring, impacting both state and federal funding opportunities for homeless programs, housing and services. Non-discrimination. There shall be no discrimination of any person or group of persons on account of race, color, creed, religion, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, age, handicap, ancestry or national origin in the operation of FMCoC CES. Amendments. This Agreement may be amended only in writing and as authorized by the designated representatives of the respective agencies. 6 FMCOC CES PARTNER SI GNATURE P AGE If you wish your name and agency to be added the FMCoC CES Partner Partnership Agreement, please print off this page, sign and date it, scan and email it to info@fresnomaderahomeless.org Any staff changes/updates to this agreement must be submitted within 30 days of the change/update. Primary FMCoC CES contacts: Name Title Email Address/Phone Number CES Committee Member (Y/N) ( ) - ext._______ ( ) - ext._______ *Note: If Agency has no representative on the FMCoC CES committee, primary contacts will be added to CES committee email list serve and will receive all CES committee meeting invites and updates. Type of Coordinated Entry System Participation  Access – Physical Site  Access – Street Outreach (HOME TEAM)  Assessment  Navigation  Housing Provider  CES Committee Participation (if other than CES contacts, please list name _________________________) Please enter the names, titles and email addresses of all CE staff at your agency. Also check “x” for all staff who already have an HMIS user license. Staff Name CES Role (Check all that apply) Email Address/Phone Number Current HMIS user  Access site staff  Access street outreach  Assessor  Navigator  Housing Provider ( ) - _ ext._______ _____ Yes _____ No  Access site staff  Access street outreach  Assessor  Navigator  Housing Provider ( ) - ext._______ _____ Yes _____ No  Access site staff  Access street outreach  Assessor  Navigator  Housing Provider ( ) - ext._______ _____ Yes _____ No  Access site staff  Access street outreach  Assessor  Navigator  Housing Provider ( ) - ext._______ _____ Yes _____ No 7  Access site staff  Access street outreach  Assessor  Navigator  Housing Provider ( ) - ext._______ _____ Yes _____ No  Access site staff  Access street outreach  Assessor  Navigator  Housing Provider ( ) - ext._______ _____ Yes _____ No  Access site staff  Access street outreach  Assessor  Navigator  Housing Provider ( ) - ext._______ _____ Yes _____ No *Attach additional page if more CES staff will be participating Please print clearly and sign and date in ink. This sheet will be retained in the FMCoC CES files. Agency or Organization: Authorized Representative: Title: Email: Phone: Mailing Address: IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned, duly authorized representatives of the respective Partner Agencies, have signed this Partnership Agreement: ____________________________ _________________________ _______________ FMCoC CES Agency Partner Authorized Signature Date ____________________________ _________________________ _______________ FMCoC CES Committee Chair Authorized Signature Date ____________________________ _________________________ _______________ FMCoC Board Representative Authorized Signature Date Thank you for being an FMCoC CES Partner!