Rules, Rights and Fair Exits

Practice fair program rules, check the requirements that apply to your program, and keep services focused on housing.

A self-paced field guide for frontline staff, shift leads and case managers in emergency shelter, interim and bridge housing, navigation centers and motel programs. Rich Los Angeles context. Skills that work wherever you practice.

What you'll be able to do

• Work out which rules apply to your program: federal funding rules, California's interim housing law, your County or City contract, and your own program rules.
• Explain a rule with its real reason, and recognize requirements a program can't impose.
• Make the next ten minutes safer when something goes wrong, and document it fairly.
• Help someone raise a concern or grievance without promising an outcome.
• Check a proposed exit against the rules that apply, document the facts, and coordinate next steps with whoever is authorized to decide.

Included in the download

• 67-page field guide with five lessons. Each lesson has a jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction view (federal, California, LA County, City of LA, other cities, and "check yours"), worked decisions, practice scenarios with model answers, self-checks with feedback, and numbered sources.
• Three printable one-page job aids: Is this rule OK?, Before an exit, Helping with a grievance.
• A Check Yours worksheet (PDF and Word) for finding the policies and contacts where you work.
• Start Here and a license for the tier you choose: one named person, a site team of up to 15 named users, or an agency of up to 50 named users.

Before you buy

• Sources: built on 91 legal and policy claims, each traced to its original source and read in full. The sources include ESG and CoC regulations, Equal Access, VAWA, Section 504 and the ADA, California Civil Code §§1954.08–1954.092 and W&I Code §8255, Lavan v. City of Los Angeles, and comparison laws from Washington, DC and New York City. Rules were checked in October 2026.
• What it is: an independent educational resource. It isn't legal advice, a certification, or a replacement for your agency's policies, counsel or required training. No agency endorsement is implied.
• Accessibility: the PDFs aren't certified PDF/UA accessible. The worksheet is also supplied in Word.

License options

• Individual Practitioner, $49: one named person.
• Program / Site Team, $199: up to 15 named users in one program at one address, or one established mobile or remote team.
• Agency / Multi-Site, $499: up to 50 named users across the programs and sites one organization runs directly (for a government buyer, one named department or bureau).

The license you choose is in LICENSE.txt in your download and governs use. Refunds follow the policy shown at checkout and applicable law.