• What is a Continuum of Care Plan?
• Why is a Continuum of Care Plan important?
• Who is involved in the on-going development of a Continuum of Care?
• Member Agencies

What is a Continuum of Care (CoC)?

Since 1994, HUD has encouraged communities to address the problems of housing and homelessness in a coordinated, comprehensive, and strategic fashion. The CoC concept is designed to help communities develop the capacity to envision, organize, and plan comprehensive and long-term solutions to addressing the problem of homelessness in their community.

The key characteristics of a successful CoC design include:

1. Long-range planning for solutions

 

2.Comprehensive & collaborative effort that addresses all major homeless populations includes a variety of housing and service options

 

3.Reasonable and realizable strategies to move homeless individuals and families beyond shelter to permanent housing and self-sufficiency. These strategies should be grounded in community needs and priorities identified through a planning process, which includes stakeholder input

 

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Why is a Continuum of Care Plan important?

• Proactive rather than reactive
• Common goals for which to advocate
• Assess capacity & identify gaps
• Community access to mainstream resources
• Competitiveness for McKinney Homeless Assistance Funding

•     Local Homeless Coaltions are the "lead agency" in this process

•     Homeless service providers & agencies

•      Nonprofit housing developers

•      Local government representatives, City & County

•      Key civic leaders

•     Homeless & formerly homeless peole and homeless advocates

•     Housing authories

•     Mental health, substance abuse, domestic violence & HTV/AIDS service providers

•      Workforce

•      Colleges & vocational education institutions

•      Veterans service agencies

•     Religious leaders

•     Business Community members

•    Police officers

•     Key members of local planning groups

 

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