What is a Coordinated Access System? 

A Coordinated Access System is the process through which individuals and families experiencing homelessness or at-risk of homelessness, are provided access to housing and support services, based on a standardized set of procedures for intake, assessment of need, matching and referral to housing.

    • Ensure fairness and prioritize people most in need of assistance

    • Guide people through the system more efficiently

    • Reduce the number of new entries into homelessness

    • Improve data collection and quality

  • For our community, coordinated access is a key element in moving towards an integrated systems approach with a common decision-making process and common goals, rather than a collection of service providers making individual decisions. It helps to highlight areas where there are gaps in services, reduces service duplication, and overall allows for seamless service delivery for individuals.

    • In November 2018, eleven organizations signed an Memorandum of Agreement to come together and develop a coordinated housing system

    • In June 2019, the Data Lead and Community Lead for CHAT were chosen by the Thunder Bay Urban Aboriginal Advisory Committee and Thunder Bay Housing and Homelessness Coalition , who act as the Designated and Indigenous Community Advisory Boards (CABs) for CHAT. Lakehead University was chosen as the Data Lead and Alpha Court as the Community Lead

    • Between 2019-2020, the CHAT Working Group chose an assessment tool (VI-SPDAT), identified prioritization criteria, created Policies and Procedures, formatted a Governance Structure and finalized Entry Point Locations

    • In September 2020, CHAT was officially launched in our community

  • The following housing support and service provider organizations are currently involved in CHAT:

    • Matawa First Nations

    • Beendigen

    • Alpha Court

    • CMHA

    • John Howard Society

    • Elizabeth Fry Society

    • Dilico Anishinabek Family Care

    • Elevate NWO

    • Ka Na Chi Hih

    • St Joseph’s Care Group

    • Lutheran Community Care Centre

    • Salvation Army

    • Shelter House

    • Thunder Bay District Social Services Administration Board

    • Ontario Native Women’s Association

 
Governance Structure
Entry Points
Local Events
 

If you are a Community Entity or part of a Community Advisory Board, and would like more information about CHAT, please feel free to contact us. Fill out the form below and someone will be in touch shortly.