Getting help

Coordinated entry on Oʻahu: how people are matched to housing

Getting help · Published 2026-10-24

On Oʻahu, most permanent housing set aside for people experiencing homelessness is not filled first come, first served. It is filled through the Coordinated Entry System, a shared process that assesses people's situations and refers those with the highest needs to the programs that fit them. If you are homeless, or helping someone who is, understanding it can save weeks of confusion.

Why coordinated entry exists

Before coordinated entry, each housing program kept its own waiting list. People had to apply separately to many agencies, and those best able to navigate paperwork often got places ahead of those with the greatest need. HUD now requires every Continuum of Care that receives its homelessness funding to operate a coordinated assessment and referral process. On Oʻahu, that process is run by Partners in Care, the island's Continuum of Care, which the State describes as overseeing the Coordinated Entry System for homeless resources.

"No wrong door"

Partners in Care says Oʻahu uses a "No Wrong Door" approach: individuals and families can enter the system through any participating access point. In practice that means a shelter, an outreach team, a drop-in center or another participating provider can start the process. There is no single office everyone must visit.

Some groups have their own routes:

• Youth aged 18 to 24 have dedicated access points at RYSE and Hale Kipa.
• Survivors of domestic violence are directed to victim service provider hotlines, although regular access points can also refer them. The Domestic Violence Crisis Line listed by Partners in Care is (808) 266-7233.
• Veterans are served through the same system, alongside VA programs.

The system covers single adults, families with or without minor children, youth and veterans.

Step by step

1. Contact with an access point. Usually through outreach or a shelter. Partners in Care publishes an outreach map and help page listing contacts by area and population.
2. Assessment. A staff member asks about housing history, health, disabilities, household members, income and safety. The answers are entered into the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) so that the person does not have to repeat the story at every agency. Assessment tools have changed over the years; ask the worker which one is used now.
3. Document readiness. Housing programs need proof of identity, income and, for some programs, disability or chronic homelessness. Partners in Care provides a chronic homeless verification packet for providers. Gathering documents early speeds everything up.
4. Prioritization. Referrals follow the CES prioritization policy, with the stated aim of connecting the highest-need, most vulnerable people to housing. People are not ranked by when they first asked for help.
5. Referral and move-in. When a place opens in a program, the person at the top of the relevant list who meets its eligibility rules is referred. Program staff then help with applications, inspections and the move.

Case conferencing

Some people do not fit neatly into a program: someone with complex medical needs, a large family, a person whose documents were lost in a sweep. Partners in Care runs case conferencing meetings where providers "collaborate on complex cases, remove barriers, and strategize housing pathways." Providers add clients through a case conference form; the guidance to staff is "When in doubt, fill it out." Separate meetings handle the Number Next List before referral and coordination with housing programs after referral.

What coordinated entry is not

• It is not an emergency shelter line. Shelter beds are found through outreach and the shelters themselves; see finding shelter on Oʻahu.
• It is not the Section 8 waitlist. The City and State voucher lists are separate, lottery-based and currently closed; see our Section 8 guide.
• It is not a guarantee. Coordinated entry allocates the housing that exists. When there are far fewer openings than people, many wait a long time, which is reflected in Oʻahu's long average stays in temporary programs.

Tips for people waiting

• Stay reachable. Give a phone number, an email address or a trusted service provider as a contact. Referrals can be missed if the person cannot be found.
• Keep documents safe. Store copies with a case manager if possible. If identification is lost, outreach teams can help replace it; the City's CORE outreach program lists ID replacement among its services.
• Update your situation. A new diagnosis, a pregnancy, a change in household or a safety issue can change priority. Tell your worker.
• Ask about every option. Shelters, kauhale, family reunification, rapid rehousing and Medicaid-funded tenancy support (see our guide to CIS+) may be available while waiting for permanent housing.

Criticisms and limits

Prioritizing by vulnerability is widely accepted as fairer than first come, first served, but it has trade-offs. People who are struggling but score lower may wait indefinitely while their situation worsens; assessment tools have been criticized nationally for measuring vulnerability imperfectly; and the whole system can feel opaque to the people inside it. Hawaiʻi's ʻOhana Zones funding has been used on the neighbor islands specifically to create housing for households who would not otherwise qualify through coordinated entry because of lower priority, according to the State's January 2026 report.

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