Youth Coordinated Entry System (YCES) Lead
Safe Place for Youth is the YCES Lead Agency for SPA 5, the Westside of Los Angeles County.
YCES is a decentralized, “no wrong door” method to serving houseless youth, by connecting them to organizations providing shelter, housing, and services, in a fair, systematic, and efficient manner. CES is practiced throughout Los Angeles County, which is divided for service provision into 8 distinct geographical Service Planning Areas (SPAs).
What: Regionally coordinated, client-centered system that streamlines access to developmentally appropriate housing and support services.
Who: Youth and young adults ages 16-24 experiencing houselessness and housing instability in LA County.
Why: Because young adults enter into, experience, and exit houselessness differently than older adults. Previously existing systems were not adequately addressing the needs of youth.
How: The system is designed to meet youth where they are, providing access to appropriate support, based on a three-phased process of engagement, assessment, and connection to housing and services, detailed below.
As the YCES Lead for SPA 5...
- SPY’s Access Center is the lead entry point to YCES in SPA 5
- SPY Staff are trained to administer the Next Step Tool
- SPY participates in the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS)
- SPY convenes the Westside Homeless Youth Partners forum, a regular Care Coordination meeting for youth
- SPY provides case management, emergency services, and other stabilizing services to support youth
- SPY refers or connect houseless youth to the appropriate housing resources of their choice
In addition to leading the effort to connecting youth in our SPA to housing, as YCES Lead we are tasked with liaising with community service providers and countywide agencies to ensure system updates are communicated.
Westside Homeless Youth Partners
Safe Place for Youth also convenes SPA 5’s monthly Westside Homeless Youth Partners meeting, a forum open to all community service providers on the Westside, with the intention of sharing resources, discussing CES updates and changes, and Case Conferencing to help connect and coordinate housing for youth.
For more info regarding Westside Homeless Youth Partners or to be added to the email distribution list, Click Here.