Collaborating to Find Housing Solutions

Goal

Different actors in the emergency homelessness response system have different roles to play to end homelessness. including outreach workers, shelter case managers, police departments, hospitals, housing authorities, and others. These actors need to communicate with one another about clients in the system, but established channels for clear communication may not always exist. As the backbone organization responsible for supporting the homelessness response system in western Connecticut, The Housing Collective sought to ensure all these actors were consistently and effectively communicating and collaborating with one another.

Approach

Almost ten years ago, The Housing Collective began hosting bi-weekly, in-person meetings known as Housing Solutions Meetings within each of the two Coordinated Access Networks (CAN) in Western Connecticut, in Fairfield County and Northwest CT. The CAN refers to the group of agencies that work together in each region to connect people experiencing homelessness with local services and assistance.

During the meetings, all the different actors and agencies in the homelessness response system come together to identify housing opportunities for people experiencing homelessness, following a standardized statewide framework. Resources are targeted to serve people with the highest needs for and greatest barriers to housing. These meetings are an opportunity for providers in each CAN to discuss current and future housing vacancies, resolve barriers, and make decisions about priority and eligibility. They serve as a forum for case conferencing and critical collaboration, where otherwise agencies may work in isolation of one another.

The Housing Collective maintains the “By Name List,” a centralized and prioritized list of all individuals, families, and youth experiencing homelessness in the Fairfield County and Northwest CT CAN. All providers in the CAN have access to the list, and they share updates with our Housing Solutions Managers about individual clients on a rolling basis, especially during the bi-weekly meetings. Our Housing Solutions Managers then use that information to help identify and fill appropriate vacancies. In addition, the group can brainstorm different housing solutions for clients, which may include community resources, reconnecting with family or friends, or any other appropriate means to help resolve homelessness.  

Through this process, the CAN ensures clients are matched with appropriate housing resources. For example, if a client has challenges with mobility, these meetings help ensure the client is not placed into a fourth-floor walk-up apartment. The meetings also help providers quickly address challenges like evictions, or transfers between one housing provider and another. Further, they provide an opportunity for community providers to ask questions and share knowledge, breaking down silos and bringing cohesion to the response system.

Impact

The Housing Solutions Meetings connect all the links in the chain of homelessness response in Western Connecticut. The meetings help ensure providers are sharing resources, collaborating with one another, and identifying suitable housing opportunities for our most vulnerable residents. As a result of the collaboration that takes place in these meetings, The Housing Collective and our partners were able to house 358 households during the spring and summer of 2024. Collaboration is the difference-maker, providing clients with housing resources that truly suit their needs.