Standard Street Outreach

Street Outreach projects are intended to locate and provide services to individuals sleeping in "places not meant for human habitation" such as cars, abandoned buildings, doorways, and encampments. The HMIS Street Outreach workflow starts when an outreach worker first meets a potential client and essential components of the workflow include documenting interactions (contacts) and the Date of Engagement.

Enrolling a household

  1. Funding sources, including HUD ESG, require that outreach workers create an enrollment for everyone they are working with, even if they know very little about the individual or their long term needs. The enrollment screen may initially be incomplete and is updated over time as additional information becomes known.
  2. The first step is completing a thorough search for an existing Clarity profile. When no matching client can be found Create a New Client. Providers may need to create a profile for someone using visual or geographic identifiers such as "Red Jacket" or "Bike Path #1" when first outreaching a potential client. As more is learned about the individual, check for duplicate profiles and reach out to your ICA System Admin to have them merged.
  3. Next, select the appropriate Street Outreach project under the Program tab and Create a Program Enrollment for the client and any additional household members. Please note that:
    1. Street Outreach eligibility typically requires a client's Prior Living Situation on the enrollment screen to be "a place not meant for human habitation."
    2. Often times the Date of Engagement will be left blank when an enrollment is initially created. This field is used to document when "an interactive client relationship results in a deliberate client assessment or beginning of a case plan." Engagement rates are used to assess project performance so it is important that staff fill out this field as soon as a client is "engaged" in services. This is also the date that staff are expected to ask a client about any remaining unanswered fields on the enrollment screen.
  4. Funder and/or CoC specific guidance
    1. PATH projects have two additional fields to complete on the enrollment screen: Connection to SOAR and PATH Status Determination.
    2. RHY funded outreach projects have additional enrollment screen questions.
    3. YHDP funded projects have additional enrollment screen questions.

  5. Outreach staff should enter a Current Living Situation (CLS) assessment for every client interaction, including one for the initial contact which will coincide with the enrollment start date.

While enrolled

  1. Outreach workers should document every contact with a client using the Current Living Situation assessment.
  2. Follow your CoC's guidance for connecting guests with Coordinated Entry and other housing search supports.
  3. Some agencies or funders, including RHY and PATH, require documentation using Notes and Services / Referrals. Talk to your manager if you have questions about your project's expectations.
  4. Use Status Assessments to document changes to a client's income and benefits while enrolled.
  5. Update the Date of Engagement field on the enrollment screen when a previously non-engaged client agrees collaborate on housing and related goals.
  6. Annual Assessments should be completed on the anniversary of the head of household's start date.

Program exits

  1. Follow CoC and/or funder specific guidance for when to Exit a Client from street outreach. The exit date should match the date of last contact (ie the final CLS assessment) not the date the exit is being entered. Reasons for exiting a client may include:
    1. The client obtained permanent housing.
    2. The client is connected with other supportive services and has expressed a desire to stop receiving services from this project.
    3. Project staff have been unable to contact the client in a given amount of time (for some CoC's this is 90 days).
  2. When exiting a household, pay particular attention to the Exit Destination field which is used for both project and system performance measures. Avoid using "other" when completing this field.
  3. If the Head of Household exits, but other household members will remain in the project, a new head of household must be designated.
  4. If it becomes known that the client is deceased, please indicate so on the profile screen. See Death and Deceased Documentation Guide.

Reporting, data clean up, and project analysis

  1. ESG funded Street Outreach projects submit the ESG CAPER. This report can also be used for data clean up and project analysis. 
  2. The Data Completeness - ESG Street Outreach report is a custom Looker Data Analysis based report built specifically for Street Outreach project review.
  3. In addition to the Data completeness report, the Potential Exits report is a useful tool for identifying clients who might be exited.
  4. The Street Outreach Monthly Contacts can be used to monitor contacts over time.
  5. The Households Connected to CE Housing Queue report is a custom Looker Data Analysis based report that displays whether enrolled clients in a project are also connected to CE.
  6. Additional guidance and resources for using reports for data clean up and project analysis can be found on this Project Oversight page.

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