Chicago Coordinated Entry System (CES)
Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) Housing Provider Workflow
Step 1: Create a Counts Report to monitor incoming referrals to your project. Counts Reports are an easy way to manage the flow of referrals to your project. In addition, they provide a quick means of accessing the client record directly.
- A. From the HMIS Home Page, click the
icon next to Customize Home Page Dashboard.
- B. Click Add Counts Report.
- C. Click the icon
in the Counts Report Dashlet to bring up the settings.
- D. Set the Report Name to Outstanding Incoming Referrals, set the Dates to All Dates, set the Provider Type to Provider, and set the Provider as the specific project that will be receiving referrals (i.e. All Chicago - PSH Project), then click OK.
Note: Please do not select the parent provider. For example, select All Chicago - Transitional Housing Project instead of All Chicago.
- E. You can display 4 different Counts Reports. If you are receiving referrals for multiple projects, repeat C and D, while making sure to change the position of your report so as not to overwrite your previous reports.
- F. Once completed, you will see the number of referrals your project has received. You can click the number to display the list of Client IDs corresponding to the individuals referred to your project, and click the Client ID to view the individual’s Client Profile.
Step 2: View the Assessment data to gain contact information to begin to attempt to contact the client to complete an intake. View and download any documentation you need, which has been uploaded by a Skilled Assessor.
- A. When a referral is made to your project, the Matching Team will allow you to view the client’s Assessment data gathered in the Chicago CoC Standardized Housing Assessment. On the Client Summary Tab , click on the
icon next to the client’s entry into the Chicago Coordinated Entry System (CES) Skilled Assessor Project , and then click Save & Continue.
- B. Scroll down to view the client’s assessment, but please do not change any data. View the client’s contact information, and follow the contact protocol to get in touch with the client.
- C. To view documentation that Skilled Assessors have uploaded, returning to the Summary Tab, click the Client Profile Tab, scrolling down to File Attachments, and click the
icon next to the documentation you wish to download.
- D. Click Download to download the file to your computer.
Step 3: Update the Need Status within two business days of referral, and keep the client’s Need Status updated throughout the housing process.
Need Statuses are the primary communication mechanism to track progress through Coordinated Entry. Need Statuses have two purposes: they help both people experiencing homelessness access housing and help projects keep their units filled. Providers are expected to keep need statuses updated throughout the housing process. This includes any activity that occurs after enrollment—if, after enrolling a client, something occurs that prevents the project from housing them, please update the referral need status to the relevant need status so the client can be rematched and/or exited from coordinated entry. Updates to Need Status need to occur within 2 business days.
30 second demo:
- A. From the Summary Tab, click the Service Transactions Tab.
- B. Click View Entire Service History.
- C. Click the Referrals Tab, and then click the
icon next to the referral to your project
- D. Click the icon next Need Information.
- E. Frequently update the Notes section to keep the CES team updated about important developments during the housing process. Choose the appropriate Need Status from the drop-down list and click Save & Exit.
- F. See the Glossary: Referral Need Status for more detailed information about the appropriate use of Need Statuses.
Step 4: All project types will request a transfer by creating a CES Transfer Request to indicate that the individual or family appears to need a different level of support.
- A. From the Summary Tab, click the Entry/Exit Tab. Then click on the
icon under the Interim heading associated with your project’s entry.
- B. Click on Add Interim Review.
- C. Select CES Transfer Request from the drop-down menu and click Save & Continue.
- D. Ensure that the Chicago Coordinated Entry System (CES) Transfer Request Form is chosen from the Assessment menu.
- E. Complete the form ensuring that your request follows the Program Transfer Policies. You can find Program Transfer Policies by clicking here.
- F. Click Save & Exit and await a decision regarding the transfer from the CES Matching Team.