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Dear CAS Assessors,
I hope this message finds you well. Here are important updates regarding the upcoming changes to assessments and access within our system.
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Availability of Assessments: Starting 10/22/24, CAS-related assessments will no longer be available under your home agencies. Please inform all HMIS End Users on your teams (who have accessed HMIS in the last 90 days) that they will need additional training to retain access to shelter and housing assessments.
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Assessment Clarifications:
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The VI-SPDAT assessment has been phased out and replaced by the Housing Conversation Tool (HCT). This assessment will determine eligibility and prioritization for all CAS-participating housing programs. You can use this assessment with households at-risk of or currently experiencing homelessness.
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The Shelter Survey has been phased out and replaced with the Crisis Assessment. This assessment will determine eligibility and prioritization for all CAS-participating shelter, case management, (and eventually Problem Solving Access Point [PSAP]) programs. You can use this assessment with households at-risk of or currently experiencing homelessness.
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Impact on Current HMIS Users: Current CAS Assessors (HMIS end users with access to complete shelter and/or housing assessments) will be most affected. All users wishing to retain the ability to complete CAS assessments must complete this recertification process. PSAP agencies will see fewer changes, primarily regarding coordinated entry events, detailed in the mandatory 9/30/24 HMIS training. Zoom registration is required at the link.
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Training Recordings: Training materials, including the recordings, will be available for direct service providers who may have missed any of the CAS Assessor Recertification three-part training series held in September 2024. You should revisit these resources to support your quiz preparations and ongoing services. They will be available for on-demand access after the live sessions on our Training Opportunities webpage.
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Approval Process: To get recertified and access the new CAS agency, where all CAS Assessments are available, users must attend or view training, pass the quiz, and submit the CAS Assessor Agreement form.
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Quiz Details:
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The quiz will be available beginning on 10/4/24.
- Assessors will complete the recertification form and take the quiz via Jotform – a link will be provided to CAS Assessors on 10/4/24.
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It is expected to take 20-30 minutes to complete.
- A passing score is 100%, and users will have three attempts to get a perfect score.
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Access Timeline: After passing the quiz, users can expect to gain access to the CAS Agency (and assessments) no earlier than 10/22/24, with most users activating between 10/22 and 10/25.
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Future Training Plans and Onboarding Freeze: We are planning a broader training plan for new CAS Assessors starting in 2025. Please note that no new CAS Assessors will be onboarded between 10/14/24 and 1/17/25.
SSF reserves the right to adjust these timelines as necessary and will share new CAS Assessor training information as the date approaches. As a reminder, please never share your HMIS login information with anyone.
Please contact us if you have any questions or need further clarification. We will also be available to answer questions during our regularly scheduled office hours.
Thank you for your attention to these critical updates.
Best regards,
Peter Bell
Planning and Strategy Director
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