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Need Housing Help?

Guidance for people experiencing homelessness or a housing crisis in Northeast Minnesota.

Start Here: Housing Benefits 101
​Housing Benefits 101 (HB101) is a helpful place to start if you're not sure what kind of help you need. It can help you:​

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  • Find a Coordinated Entry (CE) Access Point to get connected to homeless programs.

  • Learn about housing options and support services. ​

  • Explore what programs you may qualify for.

  • Make a plan toward long-term housing stability.​​​​​

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About Coordinated Entry

What is Coordinated Entry?

Coordinated Entry (CE) is a process that helps people experiencing homelessness connect to housing programs in a fair and consistent way. Rather than applying to multiple agencies, you complete one assessment and get placed on a shared priority list for housing programs in your area.

Who is Eligible for Coordinated Entry?

You may qualify for Coordinated Entry in the NE CoC if you are:

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  • Unsheltered - Living on the streets or in places not meant for habitation (like a camper of fish house without heat or water) 

  • Staying in emergency shelter

  • At imminent risk of losing their housing within the next 14 days 

  • Temporarily staying with friends or family and have to leave in the next 14 days 

  • Leaving a domestic violence situation 

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If you aren't sure if you qualify, contact one of the CE Access Points listed below. They will complete a screening assessment with you to help figure out if you are eligible for CES programs and to refer you to other resources that can help you.  

Coordinated Entry Priorities

To make sure that people with higher needs have access to resources, Continuums of Care are required to prioritize people for homeless programs based on their needs.

 

In the NECoC, people are prioritized based on the following criteria:
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  1. Chronic Homeless - If a person has experienced homelessness for at least a year – or repeatedly – while struggling with a disabling condition such as a serious mental illness, substance use disorder, or physical disability. 

  2. Length of Time Homeless - How many months a person has experienced homelessness. 

  3. Disability Status - Whether the person has a disability of long duration such as a serious mental illness, substance use disorder, or physical disability. 

  4. MN Long Term Homeless - If the person has been without a home for a year or more OR has had at least four episodes of homelessness in the past three years.

  5. Length of time on the Coordinated Entry Priority List  - How long a person has been on the NE CoC Coordinated Entry priority list. ​

A Guide to Coordinated Entry in the NE CoC

Step 1: Reach out to an access point in your county.

 

  • Find your local access point on HB101.

  • The access point staff will complete a prescreen with you to see if you are eligible for Coordinated Entry programs and give you referrals for other resources that might help you.

  • If you are eligible, make sure to let the access point know if you would prefer an in-person or phone appointment for your assessment.

  • Please be aware that some agencies are only able to offer phone assessments.

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Step 2: Complete a Coordinated Entry assessment with a trained assessor.

 

  • Depending on where you live, you might do your assessment right after talking to the access point staff or make an appointment with an assessor for the near future.

  • Make sure to come prepared with helpful information like your housing history (where you've stayed over the past 3 years).

  • This assessment will help identify if you are eligible for programs through Coordinated Entry and what housing and supports might be most helpful based on your needs and choices.

 

Step 3: If you qualify, your name and housing assessment information will be added to the NE CoC Coordinated Entry Priority List.

 

  • Be sure to stay in touch with your assessor regularly while you are waiting to let them know if your contact information or living situation changes.

  • If your assessor doesn't hear from you after a certain amount of time, you will be removed from the priority list until they hear from you again.

  • It's important that you continue to look for housing on your own. Program placement through Coordinated Entry is not guaranteed.

    • ​If you find a housing unit, contact your assessor to see if they can help with resources that you need to move in such as rent and utility deposits.

  • Tell your assessor if you find housing or if you no longer want to be considered for homeless programs through Coordinated Entry. They will remove your name from the priority list.

 

Step 4: If a housing program has an opening for you, you will meet with them to make sure it's a good match - that it meets your needs, you want to participate in that specific program, and that you meet all of the program's eligibility requirements.

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