Tools & Resources

Don’t let fear of HIPAA stop you from providing people with the highest standard of care!

In the Northern Colorado CoC, as in many places, healthcare stakeholders are investing more and more in the social determinants of health. Healthcare systems are funding case coordinators, navigators, and community workers in unprecedented numbers, often increasing outreach capacity far above what housing providers have provided in the past — but they’re serving many of the same people!

Partnering with healthcare systems can be daunting because of the greater standard of confidentiality those systems are held to: the highly revered HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act).

The key to unlocking a strong partnership between healthcare and homeless services system is having the right Release of Information (ROI). The real key to Northern Colorado’s ROI/Interagency Agreement is that the language it adheres to enables them to have health care stakeholders — namely the care coordinators from their regional Medicaid plan — participate in case conferencing. All they have to do is have the client sign the ROI and each member of the case conferencing team sign the Interagency Agreement.

The Colorado statewide group was interested in disseminating this ROI to other BFZ communities in hopes that they copy this model to integrate their region’s health care case managers/outreach workers into case conferencing and/or HMIS use. 

Skagit County’s Public Schools Coordinating Protocol

Skagit County’s Public Schools Coordinating Protocol, stands out because of its detail. It is clear how homelessness is defined across systems, how unaccompanied students should be referred and supported, and what resources are available. Key components include: 

• Clear definitions of homelessness
• The names of participating school districts
• Obligations of McKinney-Vento liaisons under the McKinney-Vento Act that supports students experiencing homelessness
• How students should be referred to the homeless crisis response system, including an outline of the process and a self-referral form for school district staff
• A detailed list of services and resources available to unaccompanied students
• A commitment to review the coordinating protocol annually

How to use the Coordinating Protocol template

Coordinating protocols are intended to outline how the work actually happens across systems on a day to day basis. While MOUs focus on formalizing partnerships, coordinating protocols are more operational, helping staff understand exactly how to identify, refer, and support young people across systems in real time. Communities may already have informal processes and strong working relationships that are effective. While coordinating protocols are not required to answer “yes” to this scorecard question, communities may choose to further formalize these practices to support consistency and sustainability.

This template is designed to help communities clearly define the referral pathway between schools systems and the homeless response system for unaccompanied youth. The most important elements to tailor are: 

• How young people are identified, 
• How referrals are made (including self-referrals), 
• Who serves as the point of contact, and 
• How consent and data sharing are handled in alignment with local policies and laws.

Communities should adapt this protocol to reflect their local context, including specific partners, available services, and HMIS consent practices. It can be used as a living document to guide coordination, support staff onboarding, and ensure consistency in practice, and should be reviewed and updated regularly based on feedback from partners and young people.

AYA Youth Collective Partnership Framework

AYA Youth Collective’s Partnership Framework offers a practical framework for building, formalizing, and sustaining partnerships across youth-serving systems. It is especially helpful for communities working to strengthen coordination with child welfare, juvenile justice, schools, and other partners who may identify young people experiencing homelessness or housing instability before they connect with the homeless response system. 

This resource highlights the importance of moving beyond simple referral relationships and into true partnerships. AYA frames partnerships as a shared responsibility, with a focus on clear pathways, mutual accountability, consistent communication, and youth-centered decision making. Key components include:

• A step by step framework for building partnerships, from initial engagement and identifying needs to formalizing Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs)
• Core components of effective MOUs, including clearly outlined roles and responsibilities, referral processes, communication protocols, and data sharing guidelines
• Ready to use MOU templates for partnerships with child welfare, juvenile justice, and referral partners serving unaccompanied minors
• Replication guidance and key lessons learned for other communities looking to implement the model

How to use the Partnership Framework and MOU templates

Communities can use this resource to think through both the relationship-building and operational sides of partnerships. The framework walks communities through the full partnership development process, from identifying the need and engaging the right partner, to defining the workflow and formalizing the partnership. It emphasizes the importance of clarity before collaboration and focuses on how youth move through the system, not just whether referrals are made.

The accompanying MOU templates help communities put that framework into writing. Communities may already have informal processes and strong working relationships that are effective. While MOUs are not required to answer “yes” to this scorecard question, communities may choose to further formalize these practices to support consistency and sustainability.

Together, the framework and MOUs give communities both the planning structure and formal agreement language needed to make partnerships more clear and sustainable. The most important elements to tailor are:

• How young people are identified, 
• How referrals are made (including self-referrals), 
• Who serves as the point of contact and who is responsible at each stage, and 
• How consent and data sharing are handled in alignment with local policies and laws.

Additionally, communities should consider:

• What resources it will take to pilot, implement and sustain the project and partnerships.
• Current or needed resources, including staffing, relationships, and capital

Communities should adapt this framework and accompanying MOUs to reflect their local context, including specific partners, available services, and HMIS consent practices. It can be used as a living document to guide coordination, support staff onboarding, and ensure consistency in practice, and should be reviewed and updated regularly based on feedback from partners and young people.

Clark County’s Juvenile Justice MOU

Clark County’s Juvenile Justice MOU, drafted by Janus Youth Programs, stands out because of its specificity. It is clear what each organization’s function and responsibilities are when it comes to identifying and serving unaccompanied youth. Key components include: 

• Commitments to providing relevant screenings and creating Individual Service Plans
• Providing active enrollment in HMIS and the Youth By-Name List
• Providing case management services
• Commitment to maintaining open and direct communication and sharing relevant information
• Contact information

How to use the MOU template

Formalizing agreements and referral processes through Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) and service agreements can help ensure the longevity of these connections throughout staff transition and turnover. That said, a formal MOU or signed agreement is not required to answer “yes” to this scarecard question. Informal partnerships and established referral processes can be sufficient, particularly when they are already functioning well in practice. Over time, communities may choose to work toward formalizing these relationships to strengthen sustainability and consistency.

The most important content in an MOU is outlining each organization’s responsibilities. In this case, each organization should be specific about how referrals across systems will be made when a young person has been identified as needing housing support when exiting a system of care. 

This MOU example and template provided are meant to serve as a starting point. Communities should adapt them to reflect their local partnerships, processes, and use them alongside coordinating protocols to support both formal agreements and day to day coordination.