Administering the SPDAT


The SPDAT, or Service-Prioritization-Decision-Assistance-Tool, is an evidence-informed approach to assessing the acuity of an individual’s or family’s homelessness. The tool is used to help case workers and service providers to prioritize who to serve next based on their need and identifying the areas in the person/family’s life where support is most likely necessary in order to avoid further homelessness and housing instability. The SPDAT assesses clients based on a variety of components ranging from health to daily living activities to prioritize them for housing assistance interventions, sequence clients to receive those services, allocate the time and resources from staff, and assist with case planning and tacking of needs.

The SPDAT should only be administered by those who have attended a full training. The SPDAT was designed by Community Solutions and OrgCode and more material and resources on administering the SPDAT can be found here.


When to Administer the SPDAT

We have received feedback from Coordinated Access Network (CAN) providers about the use of the SPDAT tool, and the bandwidth of CANs to administer the tool. The Connecticut Coalition to End Homeless (CCEH) sponsored a services of SPDAT trainings with OrgCode’s Ian De Jong in April 2017. This trainings expanded the staffing to administer the SPDAT, and created a train-the-trainer model, which will create additional capacity to administer the tool. In conjunction with CAN providers, our statewide policies and procedures of when to administer the full SPDAT or Re-Administer the VI-SPDAT have been revised. Decisions to administer the SPDAT must be made within local CAN housing matching meetings. Further guidance on Administering the SPDAT can be found below.

Department of Housing Update on the Administering the VI-SPDAT & SPDAT

Significant Life Changes


Additional Resources:

Refresher Webinar Available for those who have attended training on Administering the SPDAT with Iain DeJong. Please contact training@cceh.org for a link to this webinar. 

The Individual and Family SPDAT can be found at the OrgCode Website.

Click here to find the version from the OrgCode website. The SPDAT should only be administered by those who have attended the SPDAT training with Iain DeJong or a trained trainer. 

When to Administer the VI-SPDAT

SPDAT Frequently Asked Questions


Guidance from Connecticut Department of Housing on Chronically Homeless Individuals:

As the State of Connecticut closes in on ending chronic homelessness by the end of 2016, the Department of housing is providing guidance on how to best house the remaining chronically homeless individuals in your Coordinated Access Networks (CANs).

Any indiivdual that is verified as chronically homeless and has a Vulnerability Index-Service Prioritization Decision Assistance Tool (VI-SPDAT) Score of 8 or more should be matched to an available permanent supportive housing resource and process with housing the individual.

Any individual that is verified as chronically homeless and has a VI-SPDAT score of 7 or below, please complete a full SPDAT. If the full SPDAT recommends the individual for permanent supportive housing, match this individual to an available permanent supportive housing resource and proceed with housing the individual. IF the full SPDAT recommends rapid rehousing or another intervention, please have this individual discussed in the housing placement to matching meetings to determine what the group believes the best intervention would be. Based on the housing placement or matching group decision, match the individual to an available rapid rehousing, permanent supportive housing, or other resource.

This guidance is only intended to place those individuals who are currently chronically homeless. This issue will be revisited to determine the best method to house individuals once the state ends chronic homelessness. The state will lead discussions on how to best prioritize individuals that may become chronically homeless in the future and intends to have this decision in the fall of 2016.

If you have questions or concerns about the SPDAT 2.0, please contact training@cceh.org.