CalWORKs

44-211.57 Coordinated Entry System for Families

Purpose

(  ) To release a new policy

(  ) To release a new form

(  ) To convert existing policy to new writing style only – No concept changes

(X) Revision of existing policy and/or form(s)

What changed?

Effective July 1, 2017, the Homeless Family Solutions System (HFSS) has been renamed to Coordinated Entry System (CES) for Families.  Under the CES for Families, one of the Family Solutions Center (FSC) agencies has changed in Service Planning Area (SPA) 6.  Special Services for Groups, Inc. has replaced Weingart Center as the FSC agency in SPA 6.  In addition, Legal Services has been added as a service under “Prevention Service” through the CES for Families.

Note:  Changes are shown highlighted in grey throughout the document.

Policy

Effective July 1, 2014, HFSS was implemented in all eight SPAs throughout Los Angeles County.  The CES for Families (formerly HFSS) consists of at least one FSC in each of the eight SPAs.  The FSCs provide a service delivery system specifically for homeless and at risk of homeless families that will provide for better coordination and access to needed resources while keeping families within their own communities.  The FSCs allow various communities to meet the needs of their own homeless and at risk of homeless families and provide the structure to ensure that families are not referred to other communities for resources.  Homeless and at risk of homeless families can be connected to an FSC as follows:

DPSS HCMs can refer the following CalWORKs families to an FSC:

Literally homeless families are to be referred to the FSCs for “Rapid Re-Housing” services and the at risk of homeless families are to be referred to the FSCs for Prevention Services.

Note: If the Customer Service Center (CSC) receives inquiries from homeless or at risk of homeless CalWORKs participants, the CSC staff should refer the family to the CalWORKs district office in order to meet with an HCM. 

The FSCs are located in the SPAs as follows:

DPSS HCMs are collocated at the FSCs in order to:

1.     Provide the WtW and non-WtW status of CalWORKs families to the FSC staff;

2.     Provide what DPSS Homeless Benefits and Services are available to CalWORKs families; and

3.     Connect CalWORKs families to DPSS Benefits and Services.

HCMs are collocated at the FSC sites as follows:

In addition to the collocated HCMs, Department of Public Health (DPH) Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Counselors and Department of Mental Health (DMH) staff are collocated at the FSCs in order to ensure homeless families are provided/connected to SUD and/or Mental Health (MH) services. 

Background

The Chief Executive Office (CEO), in collaboration with the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA), Shelter Partnership, Inc., 211 LA County, the City of El Monte, the City of Compton, and DPSS, worked to design and establish the FSCs.  The FSCs were implemented on February 1, 2013, as a service delivery system specifically for homeless families that will provide for better coordination and access to needed resources while keeping families within their own communities. 

In February 2013, FSCs were implemented in six of the eight SPAs.  Although there were seven main FSC agencies, there were some sub-offices that totaled 11 FSCs throughout the six SPAs.  The FSCs function is to ensure the linkage and/or the provision of the following services:

Originally, DPSS designated one HCM to be collocated at four of the FSCs.  The primary responsibility of the collocated HCMs is to connect families to DPSS benefits and services.

On June 4, 2013, the BOS instructed DPSS to work with the CEO and other departments to develop a seamless CalWORKs Homeless Program, with the goal of maximizing resources to improve services to homeless families.  The workgroup expanded/redesigned the FSCs and developed the HFSS.  As part of the redesign, DPSS terminated its Homeless CalWORKs Families Project and the Emergency Shelter Services effective June 30, 2014.  Funding for these two programs was shifted to the HFSS effective July 1, 2014.

In July 2014, the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) received authority to launch a new Housing Support Program (HSP).  CDSS requested proposals from County Welfare Departments interested in implementing or expanding an HSP to address homelessness and housing instability within the CalWORKs Program.  The goal of the program is to resolve the housing crisis of CalWORKs families who are experiencing homelessness or housing instability through the use of evidence-based models, including, but not limited to, those established as part of the Housing and Urban Development’s Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program.  Los Angeles County DPSS submitted a proposal in order to provide services to the high volume of CalWORKs families who are homeless or at risk of homeless throughout Los Angeles County.  Our goal is to expand the resources available through Los Angeles County’s current CES for Families, which uses a Housing First approach to provide Countywide coordinated entry and targeted housing and services (including progressive case management based on each family’s strengths and needs, housing identification, and temporary housing-focused financial assistance).  HSP funding is used to serve homeless CalWORKs non-WtW families.

In November 2016, Prevention Services were funded by Fraud Incentive funding to provide Prevention Services through the FSCs to CalWORKs WtW and non-WtW families as well as some non-CalWORKs families.  In April 2017, Legal Services was added as a component under Prevention Services.

Definitions

Requirements

FSC Equipment

1.   Provided by the FSC Agency

The FSC agency will provide the following for the collocated HCM(s):

2.   Provided by DPSS

Each collocated HCM will be assigned a laptop computer and printer.  The HCM will use the laptop computer to access the LEADER Replacement System (LRS), Permanent Housing Assistance Services (PHASE), MEDS and Outlook (email).

At the end of each work day, the HCM must store the laptop computer in a locked cabinet in the HCM’s work area.

Verification Documents

N/A