State Homeless Prevention (SHP) providers receive referrals of cases from the Providers will receive referrals of cases from the Homeless Prevention Call Center (HPCC) through the HMIS.
Participants must:
- Call HPCC
- Be assessed for eligibility
- Be referred to a Homeless Prevention provider.
Providers may serve walk-in clients in line with the expectations in their contract
When participants are found eligible for assistance, providers can follow the provided contact protocol to ensure:
- Participants are provided sufficient time and support to connect them to their requested assistance.
- Providers are able to communicate application statuses.
- The community is able to better understand what happens to participants as they move through the program.
There are two main ways SHP Providers will communicate about participants:
For any questions regarding the State HP program requirements, please contact Liza Duchesneau at lduchesneau@allchicago.org
Direct Contact
Providers will directly be working with the client. After receiving the referral and locating the client's contact information, use the following guidelines:
If households lose contact with the service provider, the provider should the following steps:
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Document at least 3 attempts to contact the client, with at least 2 days in between each contact
- After completing at least 3 attempts, update the Referral Needs status to SHP: Not Able to Contact
- If the client is re-engaged before 30 more days, update the Referral Needs status again to the appropriate status. This is likely “SHP: Client Enrolled”
- If more than 30 days has elapsed since the last successful contact or the date of first contact if not previous contact was made, the client should be instructed to contact the call center to ensure that the client continues to meet basic eligibility.”
Contact Protocol During Enrollment:
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If contact is lost during enrollment, follow contact protocol
- If after the required 3 attempts, the provider is unable to regain contact, exit the client.
- If the client was re-engaged within 30 days of the exit, create a new HMIS enrollment.
- If the client re-engages after 30 days, they should be referred back to HPCC for an updated referral.
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Support clients in securing relevant documentation or a new housing plan, if necessary
- Provide 3 weeks of case management assistance.
- Provide an extra 30 days, if necessary.
- Exit the client from their HMIS enrollment at the end of extension.
- If client returns after deadline, instruct to contact call center for a new referral.
Referral Needs Status
Need Statuses are the primary communication mechanism to understand referrals for State Homeless Prevention projects. They allow providers to communicate and document the current status and outcome of the referral within the HMIS. See the following for a detailed explanation: Referral Need Status
Referral Needs Status must be updated each time changes occur in the case, such as:
- The client progresses through the program
- The provider loses contact with the client and have exhausted the protocol
- The provider re-engages the client within 30 days of losing contact
The table below provides a description for each Need Status SHP Providers must use:
| Need Status | Description |
| Identified | This is the Need Status for referrals that have been sent to the provider but have not been contacted yet. |
| In Progress |
Worker is attempting to contact client; this should be used to acknowledge the referral is being worked on but contact protocol is not complete.
Clients should not be in this status for more than 7 business days from the date of referral. |
| SHP: Client Declined | Client was contacted but chose not to proceed. This indicates the referral was unsuccessful. |
| SHP: Not Able to Contact | Client could not be contacted. This should be used if a client is unable to be reached after the 3 attempts. This indicates the referral was unsuccessful. |
| SHP: Client Ineligible* | Client was met with, and case was found ineligible. This status would be used after a client has been enrolled in the project. A reason must be entered when entering this need status. This is a final need status that indicates the client’s enrollment should also be closed. |
| SHP: Client Enrolled | Client was contacted and is being worked with on their case. Client should have an open enrollment. |
| SHP: Client Funded | Client funding request was submitted and approved by All Chicago. This is a final need status that indicates the client’s enrollment should also be closed. |
| SHP: All Chicago Denied Request | This would be used for clients for whom a fund request is submitted, but All Chicago denies the request |
| SHP: No Funding Available |
This would be used later in a fiscal year for referrals that are started but unable to be served because the funding runs out |
If their Need Status is SHP: Client Ineligible, then a reason must also be selected. Use the table below for the reasons designated for State Homeless Prevention providers:
| If need is not met - Reason | Description |
| SHP: Client had ineligible crisis | This indicates the client’s temporary crisis did not meet eligibility criteria. |
| SHP: Client had insufficient income | This indicates the client’s ongoing income was insufficient to cover their monthly expenses. |
| SHP: Client could not document eligibility | This indicates the client could not provide sufficient documentation. |
| SHP: Submitted documents were fraudulent | This indicates the client submitted documents, but they were assessed to be fraudulent. |