HomeFirst Gwinnett
Gwinnett Coordinated Entry System
Gwinnett County is full of people who want to help others. This is reflected in the numerous non-profit and religious organizations that work to provide people with shelter and housing resources throughout Gwinnett County. In fact, there are so many that it can often be a challenge to find out which one to connect with to get help. That is why HomeFirst Gwinnett provides Housing Navigators to help people through the process as part of the Gwinnett County Coordinated Entry System. Below is a description of how the system typically works when resources are available.
A family can no longer afford their extended stay hotel and end up spending the night in their car. They reach out to HomeFirst Gwinnett for help by phone, email, online, or in person and complete the application for assistance. From their, a Housing Navigator will reach out them to learn more about their situation so they can identify the appropriate emergency shelter resources. We work as quickly as we can to get people into emergency shelter and most of our partners provide between 1 and 4 weeks of motel assistance due to the very limited shelter space in Gwinnett County. As part of this assessment, the Housing Navigator will discuss an applicant's housing history and review common barriers to housing to determine if they are eligble for any ongoing housing support such as Rapid Rehousing.
If the assessment shows that the family is eligible for additional housing support, they will be placed on a prioritization list. This list is used to make sure the most vulnerable members of our community are assisted first and the prioritization standards are set by the Georgia Balance of State Continuum of Care.
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Once that family becomes eligible based on the prioritization standards, we make a referral to the appropriate organization. We call and email the family to let them know that the referral has been made and to expect the organzation to contact them directly. We also encourage them to gather any documents that the partner organization may need to verify eligibility. This referral is not a guarantee of service and the family may choose to decline the referral.
Once the referral is accepted and the family is enrolled with the program, they have completed the coordinated entry process and will continue to work with the organization to secure permanent housing.
You can learn more about Coordinated Entry by visiting the Georgia Department of Community Affairs Balance of State website.
Once the referral is accepted and the family is enrolled with the program, they have completed the coordinated entry process and will continue to work with the organization to secure permanent housing.
You can learn more about Coordinated Entry by visiting the Georgia Department of Community Affairs Balance of State website.