Coalition Update – Coordinated Access Project
Communications Admin • April 3, 2014
In January, Houston began Phase 1 of Coordinated Access. Coordinated Access is a new and more efficient delivery system to quickly end homelessness for individuals and families. Previously, the homeless services delivery system in Houston has been focused on answering the question of “does this client fit into my program,” and as a result, clients could enter the system from a large number of points and often received the wrong intervention. What Coordinated Access does is answer the question “what housing and/or service intervention is best for this client,” through a smaller number of entry points and a standardized, coordinated effort between local service providers. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is requiring Continuums of Care (CoCs) to develop and implement a Coordinated Access System for all CoC and ESG (Emergency Solutions Grant) funded programs, because research has shown that coordinated access systems help communities quickly and efficiently end homelessness.
The mission of the Coalition for the Homeless is to provide leadership in the development, advocacy, and coordination of community strategies to prevent and end homelessness. A large part of this leadership and coordination is done by program staff members at the Coalition who work with homeless service agencies, government entities, and other groups to foster collaboration and drive the process of creating real change to prevent and end homelessness in Houston. One such staff member is Ana Rausch, who serves as the Coordinated Access Project Manager at the Coalition for the Homeless. Her main function is to guide the implementation of this new delivery system, and work with those staff members who are working on the frontlines, with everything from assessment through housing the client.
Coordinated Access team members have come from local homeless service agencies that have amended certain grant contracts to reassign existing employees to work on behalf of Coordinated Access. Currently, there are three Housing Assessors who perform the intake process with a standardized questionnaire to determine what program or intervention will end an individual’s homelessness. There are also two Housing Navigators who, once a client is assessed and matched with housing, will assist the client with any appointments and paperwork it may take to get them housed, and see them through until they are housed. Through this process, Housing Navigators build an incredible amount of trust with their clients, so the Navigators work to transfer that trust to the client’s case manager who, once the client is housed, works with the client to ensure that they are successful in housing for the long term.
Phase 1 of Coordinated Access began on January 6, and in this soft rollout, 24 clients were assessed by Housing Assessors and assigned a Housing Navigator who ensured that these clients were housed. To highlight early successes of Houston’s Coordinated Access system, the first client to participate was housed within seven days of his initial assessment. From January 6 through March 31, 11 additional clients were housed and an additional 7 have pending approval. The remaining 5 households are still working with Housing Navigators to be matched with appropriate housing and resources.
Phase 2 of Coordinated Access began on April 1, and Rausch anticipates approximately 80 or more households to be assessed and housed (Phase 2 will run through July). Rausch also hopes to increase the Coordinated Access team by continuing to work with local agencies to reassign staff to contribute to this new and more efficient system. Existing outreach teams in the community will also be trained as assessors. Currently there are two physical locations where Coordinated Access assessments are being performed, but Rausch says that this will eventually increase to meet the need created by Houston’s large geographic area. Assessments will also be performed virtually (over the phone) using the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) database managed by the Coalition. “Even though there will be multiple hubs where individuals can be assessed, through Coordinated Access, there will still be one standard assessment, one waiting list, and one system,” says Rausch.
Rausch says that she really enjoys her job because she sees the value in having an impartial party to help guide the process. “Since the Coalition for the Homeless serves tose who serve the homeless we are really once removed from providing direct service. This means that we can help develop best practices and stand by the Coordinated Access team members who are working with the clients to help them figure out this new system.” Furthermore, the greatest thing that Rausch has witnessed so far has been the collaboration between agencies and seeing “everyone working toward a common goal.” We are proud at the Coalition to play a part in helping foster collaboration and working together to end homelessness in Houston.
When someone experiences homelessness, the right solution is not always a long-term housing program. Sometimes a person needs help replacing an ID, reconnecting with family, finding an affordable shared home or overcoming another immediate barrier. That idea guided CFTH Presents: Building Better Pathways — Creating Faster Routes to Stability . The Coalition for the Homeless of Houston/Harris County (CFTH) hosted the discussion with leaders who oversee and carry out Rapid Resolutions across The Way Home, the Houston region’s homeless response system.
When most people think about homelessness, they picture someone sleeping outside or staying in a shelter. But homelessness often begins much earlier. A new survey from Rice University's Kinder Institute estimates that more than 140,000 adults across Harris, Fort Bend and Montgomery counties experienced temporary homelessness during the past year. Many of these individuals never slept outside. They stayed with friends or family because they had nowhere else to go, paid for motel rooms when they could, slept in their vehicles or found other temporary ways to get by. For those of us working in Houston's homeless response system, the estimate did not come as a surprise. What stands out is the scale. Our 2026 State of Homelessness report found that nearly 36,000 people interacted with The Way Home, Houston's regional homeless response system, during 2025. The Kinder estimate shows a much larger group of households struggling before they ever reach organizations like ours. Those numbers do not compete with one another. They tell the story of different points along the same continuum. By the time someone decides whether to enter a shelter or sleep outside, opportunities to prevent homelessness have often passed. The homeless response system helps people regain stability after they are in a shelter or on the street. Prevention happens months earlier, while people are still trying to hold on to their housing. Most people do not ask for help at the first sign of trouble. They work extra hours. They borrow money from family. They juggle bills. They hope next month's paycheck will solve this month's problem. Like most of us would, they try to solve the problem themselves. By the time they reach out, they often need far more help than they would have needed just a few months earlier. That is why Houston's prevention network is so important. Organizations like United Way of Greater Houston connect residents with rental assistance, utility assistance, benefits navigation and other resources that help stabilize households before they lose their housing. If you are struggling to keep up with rent, utilities or other essential expenses, do not wait until you have exhausted every option. Reaching out early gives providers more opportunities to help and gives families more options to stay housed. The Kinder research also reinforces another reality facing our region: We need more affordable housing. More than 140,000 adults experienced temporary homelessness in a single year because too many households live one unexpected expense away from losing their housing. That number points to a much larger population searching for homes they can afford long before they need homeless services. Houston's homeless response system continues to produce strong outcomes. More than 2,100 households moved into permanent housing during 2025, and 85% of those who exited homelessness two years ago remain housed today. At the same time, more than 7,100 people slept in shelters or on the street for the first time in 2025. Those numbers show that while our homeless response system continues to help thousands of people regain stability, new households continue to enter homelessness every day. The Kinder research gives Houston something we have not had before: a clearer picture of the households struggling before homelessness becomes visible. The Way Home will always play a critical role in helping people regain stability, but we also need to help more people before they ever need those services. That means strengthening prevention programs, expanding affordable housing and making it easier for people to ask for help early. Houston has repeatedly shown that when our community understands a challenge, it comes together to solve it. This research gives us a better understanding of where the next challenge begins.
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