IMPACT will no longer lead Coordinated Entry services for the county. These services provide a starting point for people experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity in Milwaukee County. (Photo by Jonathan Aguilar / Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service / CatchLight Local)
By PrincessSafiya Byers
This story was originally published by Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service, where you can find other stories reporting on fifteen city neighborhoods in Milwaukee. Visit milwaukeenns.org.
As of the end of the year, IMPACT, commonly referred to as IMPACT 211, will no longer serve as the lead operator of the county’s Coordinated Entry system.
Coordinated Entry services provide resources for people experiencing a housing crisis to try to help them achieve stability and also connect them to other community partners. IMPACT leadership recently made the decision not to submit a bid when the contract was placed out for competitive procurement.
“As we progressed over the year, we decided we are not going to bid to be the continuing provider of the coordinated entry services,” said John Hyatt, IMPACT president and CEO. “It was through no easy decision that we landed where we did.”
A shift in system leadership
For years, IMPACT has served as the Coordinated Entry lead for the Milwaukee Coalition on Housing and Homelessness, helping to operate a centralized hub where people navigate assessment and referral for emergency shelter, rapid re-housing, permanent supportive housing and other supports.
In September, the coalition issued a request for proposals inviting agencies to apply for three leadership roles, including to serve as lead for the Coordinated Entry program.
According to David Nelson, chair for the Milwaukee Coalition on Housing and Homelessness, the board issued a request for proposals to ensure a thorough evaluation of agencies capable of leading the coordinated entry system.
Nelson said the coalition wanted to assess interest from other organizations and see if a new agency might bring fresh perspectives or improvements to the process. The request for proposals allows the board to determine if continuing with the current leadership or selecting another organization is the best choice for the community.
“It’s important to note that the (request for proposal) doesn’t mean a change in leadership,” Nelson said. “Submitted proposals are currently being reviewed and scored by an independent peer review group.”
According to Hyatt, IMPACT evaluated the opportunity and chose not to submit a bid for the next contract period, effectively stepping aside from the lead role.
Why the decision was made not to pursue the contract
IMPACT’s decision was driven by a number of internal and external factors, according to Hyatt.
He said IMPACT chose not to bid to continue as the Coordinated Entry lead because of significant financial challenges and complicated funding streams.
Over time, he said, available grants and funding sources from the city, county and federal government were reduced or restricted. This made it impossible to maintain adequate staffing and sustain the service level required. Despite attempts to raise funds independently, the limitations and restrictions tied to the different funding streams meant it could not allocate staff as needed.
As a result, IMPACT determined it was no longer feasible to continue in the role and made the difficult decision to step back from bidding for the service, he said.
Impact on those in need
For individuals and families seeking help, this change means that when the new contract kicks in, they will interface with a different entity overseeing the entry system.
But, Nelson said, the goal is seamless transition.
“There is no expected change for people being served by the Coordinated Entry system. What we want is a process that we can be proud of,” Nelson said. “It’s the idea of never wanting to lose sight of the mission that we’re here to support people who are unhoused and at risk for being unhoused.”
According to data from Kimberly Liptow, Coordinated Entry manager for IMPACT, 3,216 client interactions have been logged from March through Nov. 5 of this year. These include shelter referrals, Safe Haven referrals, and interactions with families, youths, veterans and others.
Coordinated Entry is the starting point for those experiencing homelessness to access emergency shelter and housing resources.
“They are our front door to all homeless programming,” said Wendy Weckler, executive director of Hope House, a homeless shelter.
She said Coordinated Entry has a hard job and she is hopeful the next people to pick up the program will be just as good as IMPACT has been at it.
“It’s a really hard thing having to determine who out of all the people in our community is the most in need, and IMPACT has been great at being very collaborative about it,” Weckler said. “I hope whoever comes next can do it well also.”
What’s next for IMPACT
IMPACT says that it will remain engaged in the homelessness and housing support ecosystem.
As the designated provider of 211 information and referral services in southeastern Wisconsin, the organization will continue to serve as a 24-hour access point for those experiencing housing instability and seeking housing resources including emergency shelter.
Individuals and families who meet program eligibility requirements will be referred to the new Coordinated Entry provider beginning in January.
Jonathan Aguilar is a visual journalist at Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service who is supported through a partnership between CatchLight Local and Report for America.