Emergency Shelter Clearinghouse
For the last 18 years, the Council has managed the Emergency Shelter Clearinghouse. The Emergency Shelter Clearinghouse Hotline handles the screening and referral process to emergency shelter as a service to the area’s shelters, and refers callers to other service resources in Clark County. The Hotline is the one direct service program operated by the Council that provides staff and volunteers with a clear line of communication to the population it serves. Through it, the Council determines trends, recognizes times of crisis, identifies causes of homelessness and recommends appropriate assistance.

One of the advantages of the Clearinghouse system is that because of the Hotline’s intake and referral process, homeless people are not required to queue for shelter beds. This is not only a more humane system for homeless people, but it is a system that supports community livability overall. The statistical information collected during the referral process is distributed to, and compiled in, another program administered by the Council: the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS).

The services provided by the Clearinghouse continue to evolve to meet changing needs. The Clearinghouse provides not just referral to homeless people seeking shelter, but also works to solve problems in obtaining housing and other assistance for individuals and families. By networking with local churches, shelters and other providers to assess needs and services, the Clearinghouse acts as an advocate for the homeless, predicting trends, and making recommendations to the Continuum of Care to assess needs and make recommendations for future funding needs.

The Clearinghouse is managed by one full-time Coordinator, and staffed by generous volunteers who collectively donate thousands of hours each year to staff the Hotline. Through them, we expand our relationships with homeless and at-risk people, following them through their experience of emergency shelter, efforts to get or keep housing, use of program services, and assessing advocacy needs. In 2007, the Clearinghouse Hotline received nearly 15,000 calls and helped more than 3,700 clients.

The Clearinghouse is funded by the Clark County/City of Vancouver Human Service Fund, the Emergency Shelter Grant, and foundation and donor support. We could not do what we do without the generous support of our volunteers, and our work-study students from Clark College.

Homeless Management Information System
The Council also administers the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), a wide-ranging data collection and reporting system. The HMIS program has been a priority of the Continuum of Care and has been funded with McKinney-Vento funds. The City of Vancouver is also providing CDBG funds to expand the system.

As of October, 2004, all agencies that receive federal McKinney-Vento funds are required to have access to a HMIS system. The Clark County system has been online for over two years, and continues to be refined to provide more comprehensive data reporting. The Council provides computers, DSL connections, licensing, and training to HMIS partners. There are currently 9,300 plus client files in the system.

The Council’s goal is to connect all partners (mainstream, faith-based, nonprofit, et al.) who serve homeless people with shelter, food, rent assistance, motel vouchers, bus passes, and other services so that we have thorough data on the needs of, and services to, the homeless population of Clark County. Accurate and detailed data is essential for short and long-term planning to address homelessness in our community.

HMIS’ Monthly Client Service Reports detail calls to the Emergency Shelter Clearinghouse, as well as statistics relating to homeless clients of other HMIS partners. This information is delivered to the Council for further distribution to public and nonprofit agencies seeking data on the local homeless population, for the purpose of assessing needs, trends and to recommend changes in services, funding and planning.

HMIS is currently partnered with: Agape Manor; Columbia River Mental Health; Mental Health Northwest; Open House Ministries (family shelter, transitional housing); Share (Two family shelters, men’s shelter, Share Homes); Share Outreach (Project Access); Share ASPIRE; Vancouver Housing Authority (Operation Homestretch); YWCA/SafeChoice Domestic Violence Shelter; and, YW Housing (Story Street, Wisemoves).

Future partners will include: Affordable Community Environments (ACE); Children’s Home Society (family resource center) Janus Youth Program (Oakgrove, Oakbridge, M.Y. House); and, St. Vincent de Paul.

Among the most recent accomplishments of the HMIS are the additions to the system of four additional Share, Inc. programs, four new service agencies, training of nearly 20 new HMIS users from service provider sites, and full data collection from the Winter Hospitality Overflow program.

HMIS also conducts an annual “One Day Homeless Count”, an unduplicated system-wide count of the homeless population of Clark County. Formerly conducted in the month of March, the "Count" is now conducted every January, as required by Washington state law.