Guidance and Information For Shelter Providers

ICHH has been working closely with EOHLC and MassHealth to better align expectations for acute care hospitals, behavioral health facilities, and individual shelters in order to decrease the number of individuals who are discharged from these facilities directly to shelters.

This web page provides shelters with information about these efforts and Interagency Council on Housing and Homelessness (ICHH) and the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC)’s expectations and requirements for homeless shelter providers’ collaboration with hospital discharge staff.

Information to Support Communication and Collaboration with Discharge Planners

• ICHH Letter to State Agency Stakeholders: This letter provides the context for the renewed focus on the intersection between facility discharges and homelessness.
• EOHLC Letter to Individual Emergency Shelter Providers: PDF | Word This letter outlines EOHLC’s expectations and requirements for homeless providers that operate emergency shelters for individuals with regards to communicating and collaborating with hospital discharge staff.
• Reporting Form for Inappropriate Discharge to Adult Individual Shelter: This Reporting Form can be completed by shelter staff for any situations in which an individual may have been inappropriately discharged from a hospital to an emergency shelter. While this form will not be used to troubleshoot specific cases, the information collected will help guide future policy discussions.
• Triage Questionnaire for Individual Shelters: PDF | Word: This series of questions can be used by shelter staff to help collect information from hospital discharge workers and determine the appropriate next step.
• Discharge Flowchart for Individual Shelters:  PDF | Word: This document lays out the steps that shelter staff should follow when working with hospital discharge workers.
• For patients in need of MassHealth coverage, information on the application process can be found at Apply for MassHealth coverage for seniors and people of any age who need long-term-care services. For further assistance with coverage or eligibility issues, please contact the MassHealth Customer Service Center [phone] or (TDD/TTY: 711).
• Housing Consumer Education Centers: Housing Consumer Education Centers (HCECs) offer answers to a wide range of questions about all types of housing problems.
• Applying for Rental Assistance in Massachusetts to Avoid Eviction: Resources available to renters and homeowners.  
• Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT) program: RAFT provides short-term financial assistance to low-income families who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.
• MassHealth Webinars for Homeless Providers: A series of informational webinars designed for shelters and homeless providers regarding MassHealth resources