By the end of this module, you can: identify what the student still needs, find a resource that can actually provide it, make a usable connection, and keep the plan supported until the next person or service takes over.
Approximately 15–20 minutesNeed → Match → Connect → Bridge
The student may need counseling, housing, medical follow-up, transportation, advocacy, academic support, disability access, basic-needs assistance, or another service. Coordination means turning those needs into real connections, not simply giving the student a phone number or sending a referral.
The usual housing office cannot solve the immediate problem
A student’s temporary room expires at 09:00 after a crisis-related relocation. The student still needs a safe place to stay while the housing conflict is reviewed.
The usual housing office opens at 08:30, but same-day decisions may take up to 48 hours. An overnight desk can provide a staffed waiting space for several hours but cannot make the housing decision.
Why this fits the evidence
The first coordination question is not “Which office do I normally call?” It is “What does the student need to happen?”
Turn the unresolved concern into a specific action. Be clear about what must happen and when it matters.
Result: You know the actual need instead of only the office or service you usually call.
Examples: “safe staffed space until housing decides,” “same-day clinical follow-up,” “transportation to the appointment,” or “academic contact before the deadline.” One situation may contain several separate needs.
2
Match
Find a resource the student can actually use.
Check whether the resource can provide the needed service under the real conditions of the case.
Result: The selected resource fits the need, timing, and student.
Check hours, eligibility, location, transportation, cost, accessibility, language, privacy, technology, wait time, authority, and the student’s ability and willingness to use the service. If one of these blocks the plan, the resource is not yet a workable match.
3
Connect
Make the connection and confirm what was accepted.
Make a specific request, give the information the receiving resource needs, and confirm exactly what that person or service has agreed to do.
Result: You know whether the resource has actually accepted the work and what still remains yours.
“Referral sent” is not the same as “service accepted.” A voicemail, email, appointment offer, or resource list may only begin the connection. Confirm the person, service, action, and timing whenever continuing responsibility depends on it.
4
Bridge
Cover the gap until the plan happens.
Keep the student supported while a service, decision, appointment, transportation, or handoff is still pending.
Result: The student is not left unsupported between “we called” and “the next service actually took over.”
Set the next check-in time, name who owns the wait, keep needed practical support in place, update the student, and have a backup plan if the connection is delayed, declined, or fails.
The Coordination Gap
The Coordination Gap is the time between asking for help and the next service actually taking over.
The waiting space is available, but housing has not decided
The overnight desk accepts the student into a staffed waiting room until 12:00. It cannot make the housing decision. The housing office confirms that it will review the case at 10:30.
The student can use the waiting room but needs a phone charger and wants to know whom to contact if they become distressed.
Why this fits the evidence
Several parts of a case can be in different states at the same time. One service may be active while another decision is still pending.
An appointment or provider “yes” may still fail in practice.
Check the entire route:
Can the student get there?
Can they afford it?
Is the service open when needed?
Are they eligible?
Can they communicate with the provider?
Do they need interpretation or accessibility support?
Does the student understand what to do?
Has the provider actually accepted the needed function?
What happens if the student cannot complete the connection?
Access problem
A clinic says yes, but the student cannot get there
A community clinic accepts a same-day 14:00 appointment after an overnight crisis plan. The clinic is 18 miles away. The student has no vehicle, the campus ride program is closed, and the clinic will cancel the appointment after ten minutes.
Why this fits the evidence
A resource is connected only when the student can actually use the service under the real conditions of the plan.
Use this check before coordination is considered complete enough to continue:
CARE Coordination Check
The resource plan is ready when
Need
The unresolved need is written as a specific next action.
Fit
The resource can provide the needed help under the actual timing, eligibility, access, and student-use conditions.
Connection
The request was made and you know what the receiving person or service actually accepted.
Student understanding
The student knows what is happening, how to use the resource, and what choices or responsibilities they have.
Gap coverage
Someone owns the waiting period, support remains in place, and the next status check has a time.
Backup plan
There is a clear response if the service is delayed, unavailable, declined, unusable, or the student’s condition changes.
Move to Assure Continuity when
the student’s unresolved needs are clearly named; each need has a usable resource or an actively owned bridge; the receiving service has accepted what belongs to it; the student understands the plan; the waiting period is controlled; and the backup plan is clear.
Keep coordinating when
the resource does not fit, acceptance is unclear, access or transportation fails, the student cannot use the plan, the provider delays or declines, no one owns the waiting period, or another unresolved need appears. Reassess and return to SAFE if risk or condition changes.
A student needs counseling follow-up, transportation, and temporary academic flexibility after an overnight crisis. Counseling has not returned the message. The transportation request was submitted but has no confirmed driver. The academic office responded that the student must complete an online form, but the student’s phone is dead and they do not have a laptop.
Why this fits the evidence
Coordination is complete enough to move forward only when each important need has a usable route and the waiting periods are actively controlled.
