Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently released interim Continuum of Care regulations under the new Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act. These regulations contain more information about the requirement that communities establish a centralized or coordinated assessment system that conducts an initial assessment of the needs of individuals and families for housing and services in order to best match each household entering the homeless assistance system with the most appropriate resources available.
HUD has specifically identified individuals and families fleeing domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking as a population that should access services through a coordinated assessment process. HUD is currently accepting comments on whether or not victim service providers should be exempt from participating in the same coordinated assessment process as other homeless assistance providers. However, it appears that even if victim service providers are allowed to opt out, there will be a separate, but comparable system required. In either case, communities must be prepared to be responsive to and address the housing needs of domestic violence survivors, whether they present within the domestic violence system or at the homeless assistance system.
Coordinated assessment systems can be adapted to best suit various populations’ needs. For example, coordinated assessment need not require that people go to one location. Referrals are made to each household based on their own individual need, meaning that domestic violence survivors in need of specific crisis-oriented services can be accommodated. Additionally, data sharing agreements and other confidentiality procedures can ensure that private information is protected and seen only by those who have the rights to view it.
Some communities are already considering or implementing one coordinated assessment process for the entire system, rather than separate coordinated processes for domestic violence and homeless assistance providers. A singular coordinated assessment process that includes both domestic violence and homeless assistance resources and programs can facilitate access to the range of housing and service interventions available in the community, which may include rapid re-housing, emergency shelter, transitional housing and other housing services. Many domestic violence survivors are already served by the homeless assistance system. One combined system, if properly designed, could ensure the safety of survivors that are presenting as homeless, increase cooperation and collaboration between domestic violence and homeless assistance providers, increase understanding of domestic violence issues by assessment and case management staff in non-victim service provider organizations, and ensure that survivors of domestic violence are able to access the same housing resources available to the rest of the consumers served by the Continuum.
This document is a checklist for Continuum of Care to use to make certain that they are considering and incorporating the needs of households fleeing domestic violence and other similar forms of assault and harassment into their coordinated assessment processes. In addition to addressing the individual items below, systems should ensure they are including domestic violence providers in the discussion of how the assessment system is structured from the beginning. For more information on serving domestic violence survivors effectively, please see the Domestic Violence section of our website.
HUD has specifically identified individuals and families fleeing domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking as a population that should access services through a coordinated assessment process. HUD is currently accepting comments on whether or not victim service providers should be exempt from participating in the same coordinated assessment process as other homeless assistance providers. However, it appears that even if victim service providers are allowed to opt out, there will be a separate, but comparable system required. In either case, communities must be prepared to be responsive to and address the housing needs of domestic violence survivors, whether they present within the domestic violence system or at the homeless assistance system.
Coordinated assessment systems can be adapted to best suit various populations’ needs. For example, coordinated assessment need not require that people go to one location. Referrals are made to each household based on their own individual need, meaning that domestic violence survivors in need of specific crisis-oriented services can be accommodated. Additionally, data sharing agreements and other confidentiality procedures can ensure that private information is protected and seen only by those who have the rights to view it.
Some communities are already considering or implementing one coordinated assessment process for the entire system, rather than separate coordinated processes for domestic violence and homeless assistance providers. A singular coordinated assessment process that includes both domestic violence and homeless assistance resources and programs can facilitate access to the range of housing and service interventions available in the community, which may include rapid re-housing, emergency shelter, transitional housing and other housing services. Many domestic violence survivors are already served by the homeless assistance system. One combined system, if properly designed, could ensure the safety of survivors that are presenting as homeless, increase cooperation and collaboration between domestic violence and homeless assistance providers, increase understanding of domestic violence issues by assessment and case management staff in non-victim service provider organizations, and ensure that survivors of domestic violence are able to access the same housing resources available to the rest of the consumers served by the Continuum.
This document is a checklist for Continuum of Care to use to make certain that they are considering and incorporating the needs of households fleeing domestic violence and other similar forms of assault and harassment into their coordinated assessment processes. In addition to addressing the individual items below, systems should ensure they are including domestic violence providers in the discussion of how the assessment system is structured from the beginning. For more information on serving domestic violence survivors effectively, please see the Domestic Violence section of our website.
