Coordinated Entry Training Series: Parts 1 and 2

Realigning Assessments and Transforming Engagement Through Lived Expertise for Outreach Professionals in New Jersey and Nationwide

The homelessness response system depends on tools that actually work. Coordinated entry assessments and outreach engagement methods are two of the most critical. Yet both consistently fall short when they are disconnected from lived reality, authentic relationship-building, and the real barriers individuals face every single day. Pringle's Training Services designed this two-part series to close that gap completely and permanently within your organization.

Developed and delivered by Dr. Theresa Pringle H.C., each session brings lived experience, deep field knowledge, and genuine humanity directly into your team's practice. The principle that drives every training Pringle's offers applies here more powerfully than anywhere else: Make It Make Sense. CHANGE THE MINDSET. CHANGE THE OUTCOME.

Part One and Part Two are each complete, standalone sessions. They are most powerful when taken together as a paired series

Part 1: Coordinated Entry Assessment Training

Realigning the Coordinated Entry Assessment Through Lived Expertise to Address Real-Time Barriers and Needs to Obtain Stable Housing

Part One takes a critical and compassionate look at how coordinated entry assessments are currently administered and where they consistently fall short. Participants explore what the coordinated entry process was designed to accomplish and why the gap between intention and reality exists so frequently across agencies and systems.

This training introduces the concept of realigning the assessment process through the authentic lens of lived experience and real-world barriers. That means understanding the fears, traumas, and day-to-day survival realities that individuals bring to every assessment encounter with your staff, and building a practice that meets them there.

What You Will Learn

How the coordinated entry assessment process works and why it so often misses the full picture of individual need
The most common barriers individuals face during the assessment process and how to proactively address each one
How trauma, distrust, literacy challenges, and housing instability directly shape how individuals respond to assessments
Practical techniques for building authentic rapport before and throughout each assessment encounter
How to adapt your assessment approach based on the specific needs and reality of each individual you serve
Strategies for generating assessment data that is accurate, actionable, and genuinely reflective of individual circumstances

Key Outcomes

Participants leave with a deeper and more nuanced understanding of the coordinated entry assessment landscape. Your team will be better equipped to conduct assessments that capture real barriers, real needs, and real individual circumstances. Organizations will see measurable improvement in the quality, accuracy, and equity of their assessment data and housing outcomes. Every participant receives a certificate of completion from Pringle's Training Services.

Part 2: Coordinated Entry Assessment Training

Building the Engagement Skills That Create Real Change for Individuals Experiencing Homelessness

Part Two goes deeper into the engagement skills that elevate your team's practice from transactional to truly transformational. This training builds directly on the foundation established in Part One. It focuses on three areas that develop staff capacity and directly remove barriers in the client experience: the Life Lens simulation experience, the Motivational Interviewing foundation, and real-time application of the OARS method.

The Life Lens module opens this training with a fully interactive, real-time simulation unlike any traditional training approach. It places staff inside the lived experience of individuals navigating homelessness, creating powerful and lasting shifts in perspective and empathy. Participants then move into a deep and practical introduction to Motivational Interviewing, an evidence-based communication approach proven to support meaningful individual change. The final component equips participants to actively implement Motivational Interviewing using the OARS method through guided simulation and real-time practice.

What You Will Learn

Life Lens: How to experience the daily realities of individuals experiencing homelessness through interactive simulation
Why perspective-taking is a critical and trainable skill that directly improves staff engagement outcomes
What Motivational Interviewing is, where it comes from, and why it produces measurable results in outreach settings
The four components of the OARS method: Open Questions, Affirmations, Reflective Listening, and Summaries
How to implement the OARS method in real outreach encounters, intake sessions, and coordinated entry assessments
How to use Motivational Interviewing to support individuals through resistance, ambivalence, and lasting personal change.
A comprehensive and useful foundation in person-centered planning philosophy, intention, and practical application is given to participants in "Person-Centered Planned."

Key Outcomes

Participants leave equipped to use the OARS method consistently and skillfully in every client interaction. Staff will approach outreach with measurably greater empathy, cultural awareness, and professional effectiveness. Your organization will see stronger engagement rates, reduced drop-off, and deeper relationships with individuals experiencing homelessness. Every participant receives a certificate of completion from Pringle's Training Services.

Session Format and Availability

These sessions are offered as a half-day session, lunch-and-learn, 90-minute workshop, or multi-session series. Part Two is also available as a standalone half-day session. Offered in person in Newark, NJ, and virtually for organizations statewide, nationwide, and internationally. The two-part paired series is strongly recommended for maximum impact and skill transfer across your team.

Who Should Attend

Outreach workers, case managers, intake specialists, housing navigators, frontline staff, and program staff are participating in the coordinated entry system. Nonprofit agencies, shelters, and community organizations serving individuals experiencing homelessness across New Jersey and nationwide. Supervisors and program leads coached coordinated entry staff. Any organization committed to equity-centered assessment practice and evidence-based engagement will find this training series essential.

Phone: (973) 996-8212

Email: pringlestrainingservices.pro@gmail.com

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