1. Practice Standards, Program Guides, and CES Operations Manual
August 15, 2019
Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority 

2. Overview Practice Standards - establish uniform baseline standards
LAHSA is preparing to release of three new release of system alignment tools - 
Prompted by guidance from HUD
recommendations by the AD HOC Report on Black People Experiencing Homelessness
and ongoing feedback from service providers and the community at large 
These system alignment tools to offer guidance on how program components should operate within the system and how the Coordinated Entry System should function as a whole.
Practice Standards - establish uniform baseline standards
Program Guides - offer detailed instruction for individual programs on implementation of practice standards
CES Operations Manual - serves as the 'how-to' document with best practices and detailed system processes

3. Practice Standards Deliverable:​​
Minimum baseline requirements for homeless system components​​ ​
Applicability:​​
All programs regardless of funders and funding administrators​​
Purpose: ​​
Support alignment of program guidance and contractual requirements across all programs, regardless of funder,
as well as alignment with national best practices
Practice standards will set the minimum baseline requirements for the operation of programs in Los Angeles County. 
The primary goal for developing the minimum Practice Standards was to reduce confusion around multi-funder requirements and instead, create a uniform baseline for programs. 
These minimum standards were developed by a LAHSA team along with a team of the other funders of each of the component programs (RRH, PSH, IH) to bring more consistency to how our programs are operating.
Since these are the first year of the use of these Practice Standards, we fully expect them to be “living documents” for the next couple of years while we work together as a community to find exactly the right language to ensure our components programs are the best they can be.

4. Approved Practice Standards: Interim Housing & RRH

5. Program Guides Deliverable:
More detailed instruction for individual programs
Applicability:
Specific to each funder’s programs (currently LAHSA only)
Purpose: 
Provides program contractors with additional program guidance that aligns with the baseline Practice Standards including best practices, helpful hints, etc. 
Specific to LAHSA-funded homeless system components (housing and supportive services), Program Guides will be an intuitive, interactive, and iterative body of guidance and information designed to assist agencies with executing administrative and programmatic activities, as well as align with the baseline Practice Standards and best practices.

6. CES Operations Manual Deliverable:​
Details procedures for CES policies, which describe system components and system flow such as access, assessment, and matching​ ​
Applicability: ​
CES participating agencies and referral partners (includes agencies funded by LAHSA, DMH, DHS, DPSS, DCFS, etc.)​
Purpose: ​
To clarify and align how CES functions across populations and SPAs to:​
Ensure transparent access ​
Support flow through ​
Use limited resources strategically for those most in need 
CES Operations Manual
The CES Operations Manual will offer a detailed "how-to" guide for collaborating CES partners providing services and/or housing in the context of the Coordinated Entry System. The purpose of the CES Operations Manual is to:
Streamline CES functions across all subpopulations and SPAs 
Ensure clear and equitable way to access the system 
Clarify expectations and support flow through the system 
Ensure limited resources are used strategically for the most vulnerable members of our community

7. Target Implementation Dates
Interim Housing: Fall 2019
RRH: Fall 2019
PSH: TBD
Practice Standards
Interim Housing: ongoing, starting Fall 2019
RRH: ongoing starting Fall 2019
PSH and others: TBD
Program Guides
Phase 1: Fall 2019
Phase 2: Spring 2020
CES Operations Manual
Practice Standards will be released by program type:
Interim Housing: available Fall 2019
Rapid Rehousing: TBD
Permanent Supportive Housing: TBD
Standards will be reviewed on an ongoing basis and may be amended to reflect current best practices, priorities, and stakeholder feedback. 
Program Guides are expected to be published on LAHSA's website and will be accessible with MyOrg login details: 
Interim Housing: ongoing, starting Fall 2019
Rapid Rehousing: ongoing, starting Fall 2019
The CES Operations manual is expected to be released in two phases:
Phase 1 - Access, Assessment, CES Participating Agencies: Fall 2019
Phase 2 - Matching, Prioritization, Case Conferencing, and Care Coordination: Spring 2020

8. Communication & Training Plan
What ​
Method​
Who​
Introductory overview (definitions, applicability, purpose)​ ​
In person presentations​
Webinars 
CES Connection newsletter​
Policy Council; Homeless Deputies; LAHSA Commission; SPA Coalitions; Providers; Community at large​
Specialized content training (in development)​
In person ​
Webinars​
Online portal​
Providers, by agency type and system function ​
In developing these system alignment vehicles, LAHSA has sought council and public comment from CES Leadership, CES Policy Council, Housing Providers, the Lived Experience Advisory Board, and the Homeless Youth Forum of Los Angeles to identify the appropriate channels of communication which include the following:
Providing in-person presentations (including Quarterly Meetings across all SPAs)
Offering training webinars 
Developing a centralized online portal

9. After Implementation Technical Assistance​
Technical assistance support will be provided for partners and other stakeholders​
 Feedback & User Testing​
Online portal for submitting questions​
FAQ site ​
Program Component Coordinators at LAHSA
Training and Technical Support
To support the implementation of these new tools, LAHSA will be offering training sessions beginning August 2019 through Spring 2020.
Training dates will be released as soon as they are finalized and will be communicated through all traditional channels. For assistance with troubleshooting, LAHSA will also be dedicating points of contact for additional support.

10. Questions?
For questions regarding Rapid Re-housing, please contact Charisse Mercado at
For questions regarding Interim Housing, please contact Andrew Hill at
For questions regarding the CES Operations manual, please contact us at