Action 4: Coordinate Municipal Services to Address Homelessness

Objective

Connect municipal services designed to address homelessness with the region’s Coordinated Access Network.

Complementary Actions

  • Strengthen Municipal Workforce Capacity to Address Homelessness
  • Consistently gather, share across systems and accurately interpret data to improve municipal and regional responses to and proactively prevent homelessness.

What to do

Step 1

Work with your municipality’s Coordinated Access Network (CAN) to enable a standardized assessment and referral process to connect people experiencing a housing crisis or homelessness with community resources.  Collaboration with the CAN could include: designating point-people between the municipality and the CAN and/or formalizing how the municipality will participate in CAN operations and decision-making.

Submit: A letter, contract, or other written articulation designating the municipal point person responsible for connecting people experiencing a housing crisis with the CAN and identifying which municipal resources, if any, will be allocated to/aligned with CAN priorities; samples forms or process workflow the municipality and CAN will use to implement the assessment and referral process.

Timeframe for Credit

Engaging Partners

Sustainable CT encourages regional collaboration and other forms of partnership. For every action, please complete the “Partners” box in your submission, indicating the name(s) of any municipalities and/or organizations you partnered with (if any) and a brief description of your municipality’s role. For additional information, please see the “Partners Guidance Document”.

Potential Municipal and Community Collaborators

Human services, Youth Services and Youth Service Bureaus, Senior Services, library staff, law enforcement, tax collection, public works, the registrar of voters, parking enforcement. Community Partners including business districts or downtown associations, healthcare providers, hospital emergency departments, soup kitchens or pantries, churches and congregations, courthouses, school districts, mental/behavioral health providers, community non-profits, and cultural centers. Regional entities including Coordinated Access Networks, DEMHS regional coordinator, Local Health Department, Local Mental Health Authority, Council of Governments, AMTRAK and state police troops, state parks. 

Funding

Resources

Toolkits, Calculators, Guidance Documents

Organizations and Relevant Programs

Benefits

Close collaboration between municipalities and the Coordinated Access Networks allows our system to identify people in needs of services and efficiently connect them with available resources.

CT Success Stories