Coordinated entry
Metro Lutheran Ministry is the primary Coordinated Entry (CE) Access Point in Region 4 of the Missouri Balance of State Continuum of Care (MO-606), serving the following counties: Clay, Platte, Clinton, Ray, Caldwell, Carroll, Livingston, Grundy, Mercer, Harrison, Gentry, Worth, Holt, Atchison, & Nodaway in NW Missouri. If you are experiencing literal unsheltered homelessness and need to be assessed for placement on the Housing Prioritization List, please contact us at 816.285.3125 to schedule a Coordinated Entry assessment. Appointments may also be scheduled by email at jordansimms@mlmkc.org.
CE is not a housing program, and an assessment does not guarantee housing placement. CE is the first step in potential referral to a local HUD or state funded housing program, and provides resources for assistance in your area.
If you are experiencing homelessness in another geographic area in Missouri or Kansas in the KC metro area, please see the list of CE access resources below.
What is Coordinated Entry?
Coordinated Entry is a process where assistance agencies and housing programs cooperate to work from one combined list of people in need of housing assistance. Multiple “Access Points” add households to a “Prioritization List” (sometimes called a “By Name List”) and multiple programs pull from that list when they have openings. Each HUD defined Continuum of Care, serving a specific geographic area, has its own Coordinated Entry process and Prioritization List.
Coordinated Entry...
- Reduces the number of times you have to tell your story to different providers
- Helps connect you with multiple housing options that best match your needs
- Can identify resources to assist you with other basic needs while you’re working towards stable housing
- Uses a secure database to share your confidential information only with specially trained staff
- Is NOT a guarantee that housing assistance resources will be available
- Identifies and prioritizes households with the greatest needs and risks to be served first
- Can be accessed in a way that keeps your name and other details private
- Is a process that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires for some types of housing programs and federal funding sources
- Does NOT include every housing assistance program that you may be eligible for
In order to serve those with the greatest need using limited resources, HUD has designated certain categories of homelessness. Most HUD-funded homeless assistance programs are limited to those who are “Literally Homeless” (Category 1) or those who are “Fleeing or attempting to flee Domestic Violence” (Category 4).
HUD Categories of Homelessness
Identifying the Literally Homeless
- Where did you sleep last night?
- Does that place have an adequate bathroom, an adequate kitchen, AND working utilities (water, electric, heat)?
A Coordinated Entry (CE) Assessment is a standard set of questions that helps us get a clear picture of your situation. The questions also help to identify certain circumstances that may be a priority to address along with your housing needs. Each CoC decides what set of standard questions they will use, and what situations they want to prioritize within their geographical area.
An assessor will ask questions about:
- Family structure and circumstances
- You and your family’s health and wellness
- Ability or challenges to accessing basic resources (food and water, bathrooms, shower, laundry, medications)
- Vulnerabilities, risks, and dangers (interactions with crisis and emergency services)
- Up to 3 years of housing history (who stayed where, number of times homeless)
- Barriers you may have to getting into your own housing or keeping that housing
Some questions are very personal and may make you feel uncomfortable. That’s ok – you have the option not to answer a question. However, being as honest as you feel you’re able will help us to understand your circumstances more fully and better address your unique situation. An assessor will always treat you with dignity and respect.
There is no easy answer for this. The wait to be referred could be as short as a week, or as long as several months. Coordinated Entry does not use a waiting list with fixed or estimated times, but a Prioritization List. Someone who’s been staying in their car for a year may come into the List higher than someone who just got evicted last week. The different CoCs may also prioritize the same set of circumstances in different ways, and that mix can change over time.
Completing an assessment for Coordinated Entry is NOT a guarantee that you’ll get into a housing assistance program. Being referred to a housing program is NOT a guarantee that you’ll get into housing. While we do try to work with as many people as possible, we also recommend you keep looking for solutions and programs while you’re waiting.
The wait to be referred to a program with an opening can vary widely depending on your circumstances, how many households are seeking assistance, and how often programs have openings.
Who do I contact to complete a Coordinated
Entry Assessment?
See the map below to find the HUD CoC that covers the area in which you are experiencing homelessness in the greater KC metro area.
The Greater Kansas City Area is served by several different HUD defined Continua of Care (CoCs). The CoC you should contact for a CE Assessment depends on where are experiencing homelessness, and where you want to find housing. Some agencies have service areas in more than one CoC, and can potentially provide a CE assessment to place you on multiple Prioritization Lists.
Please note, some agencies and housing programs (especially those that are privately funded) are not required to use the Coordinated Entry System. So, even though you’re on a Prioritization List, you may still need to apply for other programs that keep their own private waitlists.
Buchanan, Andrew, DeKalb Counties, MO
- Interfaith Community Services (InterServ)
5400 King Hill Avenue / St Joseph, MO – (816) 238-4511 - Hillcrest Transitional Housing
2050 Plumbers Way, Ste 180 / Liberty, MO – (816) 866-6119 - Community Action Partnership (CAP-StJoe)
817 Monterey St / St Joseph, MO – (816) 233-8281 - Catholic Charities of KC & St Joseph
902 Edmond St / St Joseph, MO – (816) 232-2885 - Northwest Health Services
2303 Village Dr / St Joseph, MO – (816) 232-4417
1515 St Joseph Ave / St Joseph, MO – (816) 233-3338 - Salvation Army
602 Messanie St / St Joseph, MO – (816) 232-5824
Jackson County, MO; Wyandotte County, KS;
Complete the Screening Tool at https://bit.ly/findhelp-gkcceh. After some initial screening, they will connect you with an agency to continue the full CE Assessment if you are eligible.
Metro Lutheran Ministry has staff available through Street Outreach who can perform CE assessments in Jackson & Wyandotte Counties. Contact the Street Outreach case manager at 816.285.3131.
KC Northland & Northwest Missouri
Metro Lutheran Ministry – Kansas City, MO 1100 NE Vivion Rd. / Kansas City, MO 64118
Call (816) 285-3125 to schedule an assessment by phone or in-person. (In-person limited to Clay & Platte Counties.)
- Catholic Charities of KC & St Joseph – St Joseph & Maryville, MO
1123 South 10th / St Joseph, MO 64503 – (816) 232-2885
(limited to natural clients presenting for services only) - Hillcrest Transitional Housing
2050 Plumber’s Way, Ste 180 / Liberty, MO 64068 – (816) 866-6119
(limited to natural clients presenting for services only) - A Turning Point
1900 NE Englewood Rd. / Gladstone, MO 64118 – (816) 702-6801
(limited to natrual clients presenting for services only) - Synergy Services
*Dedicated Domestic Violence Access Point*
(816) 321-7050 (24/7 DV Hotline) / (816) 741-8700 (24/7 Youth Crisis Hotline)
Counties to the South and East of Kansas City
- Pettis County Community Partnership
1400 S Limit Ave #29 / Sedalia, MO 65301
Call (660) 287-2228 to schedule and complete an assessment by phone. This homeless hotline serves 9 counties in West Central Missouri.
https://www.pettiscountycommunitypartnership.com/ - West Central Community Action Agency
106 W 4th St / Appleton City, MO 64724 – (660) 476-2185 This agency also operates public housing communities in several counties. - Catholic Charities of KC & St Joseph
123 E Gay St / Warrensburg, MO – (816) 344-3699
- Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas (Overland Park):
9806 W 87th St
913-384-6608 - Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas (Olathe):
333 E. Poplar
913-782-4077 - Salvation Army (Olathe Corp):
420 E Santa Fe
913-782-3640 (Ask for social services) - Johnson County Mental Health Center:
6440 Nieman Rd, Shawnee
913-826-4079 (Leave a message) - Metro Lutheran Ministry:
816-285-3129
Kansas Statewide Homeless Coalition
2001 Haskell Avenue / Lawrence, KS 66046
(785) 764-2067
Virtual Access Point – covers the entire CoC (https://www.kshomeless.com/ces-access-points.html)
Northeastern Kansas — Region 5
Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas
716 N 5th St / Leavenworth, KS 66048 – (913) 651-8060
502 Kansas Ave / Atchison, KS 66002 – (913) 367-5070
Lawrence, KS / Douglas County — Region 6
Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas
1525 W 6th St, Lawrence, KS 66044 – (785) 856-2694
East Central Kansas — Region 7
My Father’s House Community Services
1004 N Pearl St / Paola, KS, 66071 – (913) 294-3600
Updates and other locations for CE Access in Kansas can be found here:
https://www.kshomeless.com/ces-access-points.html
- Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas
234 S Kansas Ave / Topeka, KS 66603 –
(785) 233-6300
https://catholiccharitiesks.org/where-we-work/topeka/ - Community Action Partnership
455 SE Golf Park Blvd / Topeka, KS 66605
(785) 836-4500
https://www.wefightpoverty.org/
Coordinated Entry Forms (MO Balance of State & St. Joe only)
MO BoS CE Forms:
Participant-Rights-Packet
Digital-Client-Brochure
ICA-HMIS-Informed-Consent-Release MO-BOS
MO-BoS-CoC Coordinated Entry Release
Disability-Verification (Only needed if requested)
