The Implementation of Coordinated Access to End Homelessness in Ontario, Canada

Abstract

To receive federal homelessness funding, cities in Canada must adhere to federal policy directives associated with the government of Canada’s Reaching Home program. These directives include the implementation of a homelessness management information system (HMIS) and a Coordinated Access process. In this article, we draw on 90 in-depth interviews and extensive policy and institutional analysis to assess the implementation of Coordinated Access in one Ontario city. Our findings suggest that none of the four pillars of Coordinated Access (access, assessment, prioritization, matching, and referral) work as intended. Structural and systemic challenges (e.g., related to housing stock, staff turnover, inaccessibility of shelters, criminalizing municipal bylaws, and the reliability of the assessment tool) undermine the efficacy of the process as a means of improving transparency, service coordination, and housing outcomes. Despite being an early adopter of the Coordinated Access process, this Ontario municipality continues to struggle with a growing housing affordability crisis and an unhoused population.