For people experiencing homelessness, sharing their story is often the first step toward getting help but it has not always been easy to capture them in a way that truly reflects their lived experience and their needs.
This spring, the Calgary Homeless Foundation introduced the Coordinated Entry Tool (CET), an important enhancement to Calgary’s Coordinated Access & Assessment (CAA) system. The CET is designed to better capture each person’s story in a more holistic and trauma-informed way. By moving beyond rigid scoring and placing greater emphasis on lived experience, the tool supports a deeper understanding of each person’s housing needs.
By centering lived experience, the CET helps ensure that people feel heard, respected, and that they are connected to the right housing and supports more quickly.
What is changing?
The CET replaces the Needs & Services Questionnaire (NSQ) and will now guide how people are assessed, prioritized, matched and placed in supportive housing programs across Calgary.
In simple terms, the CET helps ensure people are connected to the right supports as quickly as possible.
Why this matters
Not everyone experiencing homelessness has the same needs. Some people need urgent or more complex support, while others need shorter-term help.
The CET is designed to:
- Better identify people with the greatest needs
- Reduce the chances of people being overlooked
- Improve how decisions are made across the system
- Create a more trauma-informed experience for clients
A living tool
The CET is designed as a tool that will keep evolving to reflect feedback from frontline agencies, housing strategists, Indigenous partners, and people with lived experience of homelessness.
We also heard clearly from Indigenous partners and Elders that a separate, Indigenous-specific approach is needed alongside the CET. This is important to support cultural safety, self-determination, and relationship-based care. Work on this is ongoing and will continue in partnership with the community.
Working together
Collaboration across the system will be key to making sure the CET is used effectively and delivers the best outcomes for people in Calgary. To ensure a seamless transition, community organizations, government partners, and housing providers have been informed about this change.
Have any questions? Send them to [email protected].
