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Coordinated Entry System

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The Balance of State (BoS) Continuum of Care (CoC) has established a Coordinated Entry System. Coordinated Entry is a process developed to ensure that all people experiencing a housing crisis have fair and equal access to resources and are quickly identified, assessed for, referred, and connected to housing and assistance, based on the person’s needs. Sometimes communities use other terms when describing Coordinated Entry, such as Coordinated Access System (CAS), Coordinated Assessment System (CAS), Coordinated Assessment and Housing Placement System (CAHPS), and others.

Provisions in the CoC Program Interim Rule at 24 CFR 578.7(a)(8) require that CoCs, in consultation with the Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) program, establish and operate a centralized or coordinated assessment system (i.e., Coordinated Entry) that provides an initial, comprehensive assessment of the needs of individuals and families for housing and services. Additional federal requirements about Coordinated Entry can be found in 24 CFR 578.7.

Per U.S. Department of Housing (HUD) requirements and the CoC Program Interim Rule at 24 CFR 578.7(a)(8), BoS CoC implemented Coordinated Entry on January 23, 2018. 

BoS CoC Coordinated Entry Participating Agencies List: This document lists all the agencies currently participating in the BoS CoC Coordinated Entry System.

  • Introduction to the BoS CoC Coordinated Entry. This document provides a brief overview of the BoS CoC Coordinated Entry System. BoS CoC regions can use this document to understand and collaborate on the BoS CoC Coordinated Entry System. 
  • BoS CoC Coordinated Entry Policies and Procedures, Version 2.15. The BoS CoC Governing Board approved the Coordinated Entry Policies and Procedures in June of 2020 and the BoS CoC Coordinated Entry Committee made updates in June of 2022. The Policies and Procedures document outlines the BoS CoC Coordinated Entry requirements. The Coordinated Entry Committee is consistently working to update the document, as informed by Coordinated Entry implementation throughout the BoS CoC.
  • BoS CoC Coordinated Entry Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), Version 2.1. All agencies participating in Coordinated Entry must sign an MOU and be listed on the BoS Coordinated Entry Release of Information (ROI). The MOU may be modified by each region, but the modified MOU must be used consistently by every agency in the region. Regions should use the MOU on this website as their template. The MOU is Appendix E in the BoS CoC Coordinated Entry Policies and Procedures document. 
  • BoS CoC Diversion and Prevention Tool. The Diversion and Prevention Tool was designed to identify households that should not enter into Coordinated Entry, and should instead access other immediate resources that can assist them in maintaining housing. The Diversion and Prevention Tool is Appendix F in the BoS CoC Coordinated Entry Policies and Procedures document. 
  • BoS CoC Release of Information (ROI). All agencies participating in the BoS CoC Coordinated Entry System must use this BoS CoC ROI. Regions may not modify the ROI, except where the form states to “**Please list local agencies here**” and to add the local website participants can visit for a full list of participating agencies. The ROI is Appendix G in the BoS CoC Coordinated Entry Policies and Procedures document.
  • BoS CoC Client Intake Forms: Please use this link to find the updated Balance of State Client Intake Forms available on the COHMIS Help Desk. These updated forms can be used for any HMIS project type, including Coordinated Entry.
  • VI-SPDAT Tools. VI-SPDAT Tools are listed in the "VI-SPDAT Training and Documents" sections of this website and in Appendix H of the BoS CoC Coordinated Entry Policies and Procedures Document.
  • BoS CoC Coordinated Entry Regional Decision & Contact Guide. This Decision & Contact Guide can be customized by each BoS CoC subregion to set-up and implement regional Coordinated Entry decisions. The content of this document aligns with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) guidance regarding what is decided by a region versus the BoS CoC as a whole.
  • BoS CoC By-Name List Template. The BoS CoC is working toward utilizing the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) to organize Coordinated Entry in BoS CoC subregions, with a system for Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) Domestic Violence Survivor Service Organizations. Until then, subregions have been customizing this By-Name List Excel template, adopted from the Northern Colorado CoC, to begin implementing Coordinated Entry. Brief instructions for the By-Name List are on the first tab of the document.

VI-SPDAT 3.0 Training

Guidance from Indigenous Partners and for Survivors of Violence and Domestic Assault

The guidance documents below are required reading and understanding prior to administering the VI-SPDAT 3.0.

VI-SPDAT 3.0 Related Trainings (Updated 4/2022)

The VI-SPDAT V3 (Singles and Families) Training videos, as well as updated versions of other VI-SPDAT tools and support documents, can be found below. 

The BoS CoC Governing Board approved the “Coordinated Entry System (CES) for Youth & Young Adults: Policy and Process for Youth Focused Partners” in February of 2020, to be implemented once partners are appropriately trained on the process. Until that time, regions should continue to follow local guidance as well as guidance from the BoS CoC Coordinated Entry Policies and Procedures. The documents below contain the policy and process for CES for Youth & Young Adults.