Background

Current Living Situation (CLS) assessments must be completed by case managers as part of the 2020 HUD Data Standards. The purpose is to record each contact with people experiencing homelessness by street outreach and other service projects and to provide information on the number of contacts required to engage the client, as well as to document the client's current living situation.

Instructions

The Current Living Situation assessment is required for all Heads of Households and Adults enrolled in one of the following project types:

 

• ESG-funded Street Outreach
• ESG-funded Night-by-Night Emergency Shelters
• PATH-funded projects (all project types)
• Coordinated Entry System

 

The first Current Living Situation record with the client must be recorded upon enrollment. The assessment date should match the client's Project Start Date and the information about the client's living situation should match the information given on the enrollment page regarding the client's living situation immediately prior to Project Start. Subsequent Current Living Situation assessments should be added under the following circumstances depending on the project type and funding source:

 

• ESG-funded Street Outreach projects: After every contact made with the client.
• ESG-funded Night-by-Night Emergency Shelters:  Only when the interaction between the shelter personnel and client went beyond a basic provision of shelter services.
• PATH-funded projects (all project types): Create a Current Living Situation assessment after every contact made with the client. Only the following options are available on the Living Situation Options list:
  • ​​​​​Place not meant for habitation (e.g. a vehicle, an abandoned building, bus/train/subway station/airport or anywhere outside) (16)
  • Emergency shelter, including hotel or motel paid for with emergency shelter voucher, or RHY-funded Host Home shelter (1)
  • Safe Haven (18)
  • Other (17)
  • Worker unable to determine (37)
• Coordinated Entry System*:
  • When a Coordinated Entry Assessment or Coordinated Entry Event is recorded
  • When the client’s living situation changes; or If a Current Living Situation assessment hasn’t been recorded for longer than 90 days.

 

*Please note that if you are entering a Current Living Situation (CLS) assessment for the Coordinated Entry System, you must switch agencies to the County of Orange to add CLS to individual or Family CES from the Agency drop down in the upper right corner prior to completing a Current Living Situation Assessment.   Simply click the dropdown arrow next to your main agency's name and select the appropriate agency.  See screenshot example, below :

 

 

Completing a Current Living Situation Assessment

 

Step 1: Search for the client, click the Programs tab, and click the Edit button next to the enrollment that you want to record the Current Living Situation assessment for.

 

 

Step 2: You will be taken to the enrollment's History tab. Click on the Assessment tab, locate the _Current Living Situation assessment,_ and click Start.

 

 

Step 3: In the popup window, select the clients that you want to update this information for. Remember that this information must be collected for Heads of Household and Adults. Once the clients are selected, click Add Current Living Situation.

 

 

Step 4: On the new screen select CA-602 from the Living Situation Verified By drop down, and select your project from the list of projects in the CoC.  Please note:  the CES project should be verifying the living situation if the client is not being served in a program by your agency (e.g. emergency shelter, street outreach, etc.).  Access Points may need to use the CES as the project verifying the CLS under these circumstances.

 

 

Step 5: Select the appropriate Current Living Situation from the dropdown. If a temporary or permanent housing situation is selected, answer the additional housing status questions to support the determination of imminent and at-risk of homelessness housing statuses based on HUD’s definition of homelessness. Then, select Save & Close.

 

 

Step 6: Optional Geolocation

 

This field is intended to be a supplement to the required assessment questions. The geolocation field will not replace any of the Current Living Situation questions required by HUD. Geolocations can be added using a street address or the location of wherever you are when you are completing the client’s current living situation assessment.

 

To add a geolocation, click the Add Location button next to the Optional Geolocation label:

 

 

A popup window will appear with a map and a search bar. To enter a location using an address, type the address into the search bar. To have the field automatically ping your location, click the Current Location button. Click Add in the bottom right corner to save your geolocation. If you need to edit the geolocation after you save it, you can click the Edit button in the top right corner of the geolocation map, adjust the location, and click Add again:

 

 

Just like the other data in the Current Living Situation Assessment, geolocations will also cascade the next time you complete a Current Living Situation Assessment for this enrollment. If the location hasn’t changed you can leave it as is, or to enter a different location for this subsequent Current Living Situation Assessment click the Edit button in the top right corner, adjust the geolocation, and click Add again.