If a client has been staying with a friend for one month and requests a shelter referral via Coordinated Entry, are they eligible for a shelter referral?

If a client has been staying with a friend for one month and requests a shelter referral via Coordinated Entry, are they eligible for a shelter referral?

• A. Yes.
• B. No.
• C. Only if they report unsheltered in HMIS.
• D. Depends on shelter availability.

Answer: (B)

Coordinated Entry shelter referrals are built on housing status. The client is staying with a friend, which means they have a place to sleep and are not currently without a nighttime residence. In this scenario, they do not meet the homelessness criteria used for shelter referrals, so they are not eligible right now. If their situation changes—such as losing that temporary arrangement or facing an imminent threat of losing housing—they could become eligible. Being truly unsheltered would indicate homelessness and would make them eligible, but simply couch-surfing with a friend does not. Shelter availability does not override the eligibility criterion, and reporting unsheltered would reflect a different status than the one described.

Coordinated Entry shelter referrals are built on housing status. The client is staying with a friend, which means they have a place to sleep and are not currently without a nighttime residence. In this scenario, they do not meet the homelessness criteria used for shelter referrals, so they are not eligible right now.

If their situation changes—such as losing that temporary arrangement or facing an imminent threat of losing housing—they could become eligible. Being truly unsheltered would indicate homelessness and would make them eligible, but simply couch-surfing with a friend does not. Shelter availability does not override the eligibility criterion, and reporting unsheltered would reflect a different status than the one described.