Working together to strengthen how homelessness services are planned, coordinated and improved.
What is the Alignment Project?
The BC and Federal Coordinated Access System and Homeless Individuals and Families Information System (HIFIS) Expansion Alignment Project (Alignment Project) is a partnership between Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada, the Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs, BC Housing and community leads.
The project helps communities better coordinate homelessness services through:
- Clear roles and responsibilities
- Shared priorities and planning
- Better data and information sharing
- Stronger local coordination and governance
Working with partners
Our goal is to prevent and reduce homelessness by ensuring that if it occurs, it is rare, brief, and one-time.
BC Housing is working with:
- Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada (HICC)
- Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs
- The Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness (CAEH)
- Community and Indigenous partners (see below)
Together, we're improving tools, processes, and partnerships so communities can provide better support to people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
Participating communities
The Alignment Project is underway in 10 priority communities.
Work includes:
- Establishing Homelessness Response Leadership Tables
- Expanding community use of HIFIS
- Training Community Administrators
- Strengthening privacy and security practices
Each priority community has local BC Housing staff working with a community lead:
- Abbotsford: City of Abbotsford
- Chilliwack: City of Chilliwack
- Cowichan Valley: United Way BC
- Kamloops: City of Kamloops, Lii Michif Otipemisiwak Family & Community Services
- Kelowna: Central Okanagan Foundation, City of Kelowna, Ki-Low-Na Friendship Society
- Nanaimo: United Way BC
- Nelson: Nelson Cares Society
- Penticton: United Way BC, City of Penticton
- Prince George: Prince George Nechako Aboriginal Employment & Training Association
- Greater Victoria: Capital Regional District
Greater Vancouver is doing similar work on a separate timeline.
How we define success
- People only need to tell their story once
- Information is stored securely in one system
- Accessing housing and supports is simpler and more consistent
- Reliable data is used to improve services and decision-making
What has been completed so far?
Preparing to expand access to HIFIS
The Homeless Individuals and Families Information System (HIFIS) is a free, secure tool provided by the Government of Canada. It helps service providers coordinate supports and better understand community needs.
Historically, HIFIS access in B.C. was limited to BC Housing-funded organizations. Access is now being expanded to community partners in the 10 priority communities, regardless of funding source.
HIFIS:
- Protects privacy through role-based access and client consent
- Supports coordinated service delivery
- Helps communities use data to improve programs and funding decisions
With HIFIS, service providers can:
- Record services provided, such as shelter stays and meals
- Track client needs and service history
- Share information with authorized partners to improve support
Establishing Homelessness Response Leadership Tables
Leadership Tables have been created in all 10 communities to support local planning, implementation, reporting, and funding alignment efforts to support homelessness response.
What's next?
Implementing Coordinated Access
Coordinated Access is a community-wide system that organizes how people connect to homelessness services, housing, subsidies and supports in a consistent, transparent, efficient and effective way. Coordinated Access helps people experiencing or at risk of homelessness access the right support through one shared process.
Instead of repeating their story to multiple organizations, people complete a common assessment that helps service providers identify needs and connect them to appropriate housing and supports.
Vacancy Matching Standards
New Vacancy Matching Standards are being introduced across the 10 priority communities.
These standards will create a more consistent approach to matching people with housing, subsidies, and supports through a Coordinated Access system.
Implementation begins this fall in one community, with a phased rollout across the remaining communities through 2027 and full implementation expected by September 2027.
The standards are intended to make vacancy allocations:
- Fairer
- More consistent
- More transparent
- Better informed by data while still allowing flexibility for local needs
Access and Triage Standards
Access and Triage Standards are now being developed. These standards will guide how people:
- Enter the Coordinated Access system
- Provide consent
- Access services
- Receive support to obtain housing and prevent housing loss
Assessment and Community Coordination Standards
Assessment and Community Coordination Standards will be developed in 2027 to support consistent assessments and stronger coordination between service providers.
Learn More
Building an operating system to end homelessness (YouTube video)