HomeMy WebLinkAboutFamily Solutions Collaborative - 2023-10-27 (2) er FAM I LYSOLUTIONS
Cm) COLLABORATIVE
MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING
BETWEEN
FAMILY SOLUTIONS COLLABORATIVE
AND
CITY OF HUNTINGTON BEACH
CLOSED FAMILY ACCESS POINT
OCTOBER 2023
This Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is entered into by and between: FAMILY
SOLUTIONS COLLABORATIVE (herein known as FSC) and CITY OF HUNTINGTON BEACH
(herein known as AP).
A. PURPOSE
The purpose of this MOU is to define the roles and responsibilities of the FSC and AP to continue
the reciprocity, working relationship and common goals (as outlined below) for the collective
impact work of preventing and ending family homelessness in Orange County in an equitable,
coordinated and timely manner.
ACCESS POINTS are defined as "entry points" in the Orange County Family Coordinated Entry
System (FCES) that offer access to Prevention, Diversion, Service Navigation and Assessment.
As a CLOSED Access Point, AP commits to serving families of the specified target population:
Families residing in the city of Huntington Beach.
B. GOALS OF THE FSC AND ACCESS POINTS
1. Improve the speed, accuracy and consistency of screening and intake to reduce the average
length a family experiences homelessness and ensure that family homelessness is brief and
non-recurring.
2. Enhance Orange County's family homeless-serving system's ability to utilize resources
efficiently and without duplication of services.
FSC Access Point MOU 2023
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3. Support and enhance Orange County's family homeless response system and advance
systems changes.
4. Ensure programs and community response to family homeless needs are best-practice, data-
informed and community-needs driven.
5. Improve collaboration and communication between Orange County Systems of Care,
Providers, Community and Stakeholders.
6. Shall be committed to Diversity, Cultural Competency, Inclusion and Nondiscrimination in the
Provision of Services.
C. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Family Solutions Collaborative:
1. Shall provide data reports, including but not limited to:
a. Family Coordinated Entry System Dashboard (Monthly)
b. Access Point Data Quality Report (Monthly)
c. Access Point Caseload Report (Frequency Varies)
2. Shall facilitate the weekly Family Housing Placement Match Meetings for CES participating
agencies and send out meeting records in a timely manner.
3. Shall coordinate and facilitate the monthly Access Point Network Meeting and quarterly Directors
Level Access Point meetings and send out notes in a timely manner.
4. Shall develop materials and trainings, facilitate additional meetings, and provide technical
assistance.
5. Shall dedicate a Family System Specialist to the Access Point to provide ongoing support, training,
technical assistance, case conferencing, HMIS data support, data analysis, reporting and
additional resources as needed.
6. Shall provide orientation and onboarding to new Program Managers, Program Directors by the
FSC Family Systems Administrator; and/or Executive Directors/CEO's by the FSC Family
Systems Director/Executive Director.
7. Shall facilitate annual Access Point Certification Meetings with each Access Point to review
updated MOUs and may include:
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a. Review of Access Point Policies and Procedures,
b. HMIS standards, policies, and protocols for Family CES project,
c. Provide feedback and identify successes, opportunities, and challenges.
8. Shall provide one-on-one ongoing weekly or bi-monthly (every other week) training, support and
technical assistance to the identified Access Point Staff either in-person or on teleconference and
respond to requests within two business days.
9. Shall provide comprehensive onboarding and training to any new Access Point Staff as needed,
on topics such as:
a. Prevention and Diversion Strategies
b. Family Coordinated Entry System
c. Family Service Request Form
d. Family Access Point Manual
e. Bed Reservation System
f. Technical Assistance and HMIS Support
g. Case-conferencing
h. Other training support as needed
10. Shall develop relevant data reports and disseminate to Access Points.
11. Shall provide data analysis and ongoing feedback to ensure continuous quality improvement and
system-wide best-practices to the Access Points.
12. Shall provide timely communication regarding Match Meetings, Access Point Network Meetings,
emails and meeting notes.
13. Shall disseminate Process Information Notifications (PINs) in a timely manner via email when
system processes change.
14. Shall ensure Family CES maintains high level of integration into CES county wide-system.
15. Shall identify performance goals for regional Family Access Points and work with Access Point
staff to assure performance goals are being met.
16. FSC shall respond to all emails and phone calls from Access Points within two (2) business days.
City of Huntington Beach Access Point:
1. Shall be committed to follow the CES Policies and Procedures (see Attachment C), CES
Standards and Best Practices (see Attachment D), training and guidance provided by the Family
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Solutions Collaborative as the administrators of Family CES, through the materials such as the
Family Access Point Manual (see Attachment A),and Family CES training videos.
2. Shall hold specific days and hours of operation and inform the Family System Specialist at the
FSC via email of any office hour changes, including holiday schedules, at least seven (7) days in
advance.
3. Shall immediately inform the FSC of any changes to facilities (point of contact change, phone
number, email, etc.).
4. Shall identify (at least) one committed Access Point Staff to work with the Family Coordinated
Entry System. If multiple Access Point Staff are identified, a primary Lead Access Point Staff shall
be designated, and shall be the primary point of contact for the FSC for all correspondence,
updates, and data corrections.
5. At least one Access Point Staff shall be committed to attend the following:
• Weekly Housing Placement Match Meetings (Family and, if applicable, TAY)
• Monthly Access Point Network Meetings
• Access Point Check-in's
• Additional trainings and meetings as identified
6. If the Lead Access Point Staff member is not able to attend one of the aforementioned meetings,
another trained staff member from the agency shall attend on their behalf. This substitute staff
member shall be prepared to share any relevant information about the families being served by
AP Agency during the meeting and shall relay all relevant information that was provided during
the meeting back to the Lead Access Point Staff member who was absent.
7. Access Point Staff shall participate in the following training and/or onboarding to Family CES:
• HMIS Trainings required to be granted access to the Family Coordinated Entry System as
identified in the Family CES Onboarding process
• Coordinated Entry Policies and Procedures training with established confidentiality
parameters
• Diversion Strategies training; and
•
• Other trainings as identified
8. Lead Access Point Staff shall commit to meet weekly or bi-monthly (twice per month) with their
dedicated Family System Specialist, and shall be prepared to address and discuss the following
utilizing the Access Point Review Report (see Attachment G):
• Review of Access Point Caseload Report to case conference, review their movement through
the system, and connect to shelter/permanent housing as quickly as possible; and
• Review data accuracy and timeliness.
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9. Access Point shall inform FSC as soon as possible when any of the following occur:
• Staffing changes including newly hired Access Point Staff;
• Access Point Staff who will be out of the office for more than one business day (vacations,
sick days, etc.) and the contact information of point of contact should be for the FSS; and/or
• If Access Point Staff is unable to attend a regularly scheduled meeting with their FSS (out
sick or unexpected vacation day).
10. Access Point shall commit to serving families of the specified target population and who meet
the eligibility requirements for Family Coordinated Entry System as outlined below:
a. Families with at least one minor child, or expects to have at least one minor child when
housed (i.e., pregnant mothers, families in reunification process)
b. Families who meet one of the Categories of HUD's Homeless Definition.
11.Access Point shall screen all families contacting their Agency for Family CES eligibility, even if the
family is not specifically requesting FCES services. If families are eligible, Access Point shall serve
as the family's Access Point or connect them to another Access Point, only if appropriate.
12.Access Point shall only refer a family to another Access Point if:
a. The family includes a Veteran and needs to be connected to a Veteran Access Point. The
family shall be directed to call 2-1-1 and request to be connected to a Veteran Access Point;
or
b. The family is not eligible for the specified target population of the Closed Access Point. The
Access Point shall assist the family with completing the Family Service Request form; or
c. The family has an Active enrollment in the Family Coordinated Entry System Project in
HMIS. Access Point shall do a warm hand-off and connect the family back to their current
Access Point when appropriate.
13.Access Point shall connect any families still in need of services through Family CES to another
Access Point if the household no longer meets the target population criteria by:
• Confirming in which city the family will be residing upon being exited from AP's caseload;
and
• Connecting the family to an Open Access Point in the appropriate Service Planning Area
prior to the family's exit from AP's caseload. For assistance with this, AP should reach out to
their assigned FSC Family System Specialist.
14.Access Point Staff shall work with families to:
a. Complete the OC HMIS Intake Packets and OC HMIS Exit Packets (see Attachments E and
F) and/or use live data entry for each family enrolled into the Family Coordinated Entry
System Project in HMIS;
b. Build relationships with referred families;
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c. Through assessment, identify and address needs;
d. Assist with linkages to direct services using Diversion First Strategy;
e. Continue engagement with family to ensure diversion strategies are successful, linking to
shelter or matched to housing; and
f. Follow outlined practices in the Family Access Point Manual (see Attachment A).
15.Access Point shall utilize all standardized assessments as approved by the CES Policies and
Procedures (see Attachment C) including but not limited to completion of the Family CES
Assessment and Family Bed Reservation Assessment.
16.Access Point shall attempt to contact families at least three (3) times over a period of ten (10)
business days, with a few days between each attempt. If contact cannot be established after those
three attempts, the family may be exited from the caseload and the Family CES project in HMIS.
17.Access Point shall participate in HMIS and comply with data entry standards as outlined in the OC
HMIS Policies and Procedures.
18.Access Point may offer additional support services may include but are not limited to, however
these are not required:
• Furniture assistance
• Food services
• Education services
• Employment support
• Health support
• Counseling
• Rent / Utility assistance
19.Access Point shall ensure timely completion within seven (7) days, unless otherwise specified in
writing, of data quality corrections, updates, and data entry as requested by the Family Solutions
Collaborative.
20.Access Point shall support the development, refinement, and operational excellence of the Bed
Reservation System (see Bed Reservation Manual, Attachment B) and Family Coordinated Entry
System by offering shelter and housing resources through these systems to families and providing
ongoing feedback as requested to make system-wide improvements.
Note: Should there be changes throughout the year related to this MOU (e.g. updates to FCES
eligibility, changes to processes, policies, procedures, etc.), a Process Information Notification (PIN)
will be disseminated by the FSC to provide written updates to this information. The information outlined
in those PINs will supersede the information contained within this MOU and be updated in the
subsequent year's MOU, when applicable.
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D. TIMEFRAME
This MOU shall commence immediately upon signature of both approved agency representatives
and shall remain in effect for one year, unless there are considerable changes to this MOU.
This Memorandum of Understanding, while not a legally binding document, does indicate a
voluntary agreement to assist in the implementation of the plans described in this Access Point
Network MOU. Failure to meet the requirements of this MOU by either party may result in
termination of the MOU.
This MOU may be terminated by either party, for any reason, by giving a 30-day written notice to
the Executive Director of the Family Solutions Collaborative.
This MOU shall be reviewed annually for updates and edits and shall be tracked accordingly.
E. EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
1. The Family System Specialist and Access Point staff shall work together to facilitate problem-
solving ideas and ways to cooperatively work together. If this is unable to occur,
communication may be escalated to the Family Systems Administrator and/or FSC Executive
Director.
2. Access Points shall follow the CES Standards and Best Practices (see Attachment D).
ATTACHMENTS •
Family Access Point Manual, Attachment A
Bed Reservation Manual, Attachment B
CES Policies and Procedures, Attachment C
CES Standards and Best Practices: Referral Standards, Attachment D
OC HMIS Intake Packet, Attachment E
OC HMIS Exit Packet, Attachment F
Access Point Review Report, Attachment G
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•
City of Huntington Beach(AP]'—authorized person to execute MOU on behalf of the
agency: {�
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Name and title
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Signatu D e
Family Solutions Collaborative (FSC)—authorized person to execute MOU on behalf of the
agency:
Carrie Buck, Executive Director
Name and title
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! f= 10/27/23
Signature Date
REVISION HISTORY
Revision: Date: Description: Requested by: Approved by:
1.0 2018. Initial MOU
FSC Access Point MOU 2023
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2.0 10.2020 Added Roles and FSC Executive Nikki
Responsibilities Committee Buckstead
3.0 7.2022 Clarification of K. Rodriguez Nikki
Responsibilities of Buckstead
FSC and Access
Points
4.0 4.2023 Clarification of R. Garcia Katherine
Responsibilities of Rodriguez
FSC and Access
Points
FSC Access Point MOU 2023