CAHP
The Coordinated Entry (CE) ensures that all people experiencing a housing crisis have fair and equitable access and are quickly identified, assessed for, and connected to housing and other services based on their strengths and needs. CE is a system that utilizes coordinated, comprehensive, and uniform assessment tools and practices to immediately respond to participant needs for housing services across the community. CE uses a locally designated population-specific assessment, a centralized data system, and a prioritization method. CE informs the Continuum of Care by gathering data and providing gap analysis and CE performance outcomes to ensure system accountability and inform change.
CE, in Washington, DC, is referred to as Coordinated Assessment and Housing Placement (CAHP), and the vision of CAHP is to ensure that individuals and households at-risk of or experiencing homelessness will have an equitable and centralized process for timely access to appropriate resources, in a person-centered approach that preserves choice and dignity.
In a data-driven and evidence-informed manner, providers across the District of Columbia are establishing strategic partnerships to better serve our fellow community members experiencing homelessness.
How does CE work?
The entire CAHP system intentionally utilizes a decentralized “no wrong door” approach, while doing so through a standardized process from initial engagement to housing placement. This system is designed to allow anyone who needs assistance to know where to obtain services, to be assessed in a standard and consistent way, and to connect with the housing services that best meet their needs. It ensures clarity, transparency, consistency, and accountability for participants experiencing homelessness, referral sources, and homeless service providers through the assessment and referral process. The system facilitates exits from homelessness to stable housing as rapidly as possible, given available resources. Lastly, it ensures that participants gain access as efficiently and effectively as possible to the type of intervention most appropriate to their immediate and long-term housing needs.
The District of Columbia is committed to the continuous improvement of the Coordinated Assessment and Housing Placement (CAHP) as a key strategy to ensure homelessness in the District is rare, brief and non-recurring. It facilitates the continued evolution and coordination of all components of the homeless service system toward ending homelessness.