Chester County 2022 Coordinated Entry System Efficacy

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Sep 27

Written By Chester County Department of Community Development

Coordinated entry supports fair, equitable, and rapid access to housing assistance and stability services. All services in the coordinated entry system are tracked through the Chester County Homeless Management Information System to help generate data that informs system improvement. Each year, we evaluate this data looking for markers of success and areas for improvement.

According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, an effective coordinated entry system ensures that assistance is allocated as effectively as possible and is accessible no matter where or how people present.

Download the Report

How do we measure success?

To measure the efficacy of our system, we look for:

an overall decrease in the number of people experiencing homelessness,
a decrease in the length of stay in emergency shelters and safe havens,
an increase in retention of permanent housing, and
a decrease in the rate of returns to homelessness

System Performance 2017-2021

Returns to Homelessness from Emergency Shelters

What does the data tell us about system performance?

Thanks to the work of our network of partners, we have seen a steady decrease in the number of people entering participating emergency shelters in our community over the past five years, from 1,707 in 2017 to 1,165 in 2021 (a 32% decrease). We know that more resources are needed to meet the need in our community, but we are hopeful for the future.

The data shows us how effective the coordinated entry system and Housing First, an approach that prioritizes permanent housing, can be in connecting people experiencing housing instability and homelessness to housing and long-term stability.

32% decrease ⬇

in the number of people entering participating emergency shelters over the past five years.

35% decrease ⬇

in average length of stay in emergency shelters from 2019 to 2021.

The average length of stay in emergency shelters has decreased by 35% from 99 days in 2019 to 64 days in 2021. This decrease in the average length of stay could be attributed to successful prevention efforts, such as the eviction moratorium, emergency rental assistance program, eviction prevention court, and a continued decrease in evictions, keeping people in housing and out of emergency shelters. It could also be a sign that people referred through the coordinated entry system are finding housing options faster, being successfully placed in permanent housing, and staying housed longer.

83% remained housed

people who exited an emergency shelter to permanent housing remained housed two years later

85% remained housed

people who exited transitional housing to permanent housing remained housed two years later

In fact, we have seen high rates of permanent housing retention for individuals exiting from emergency shelters and transitional housing. The Housing First approach supports stable housing and individual choice as a foundation for meeting basic needs, accessing support services, and achieving long-term goals, which has been attributed to greater rates of housing retention and overall improved quality of life.

View the Chester County Coordinated Entry System performance measures data

One county. One commitment. One vision to see our community housed.