Continuum of Care Program

A Continuum of Care (CoC) is a Housing and Urban Development (HUD)-designated regional or local planning body that coordinates housing and services funding for homeless families and individuals. A CoC is designed to promote community-wide commitment to the goal of ending homelessness; to provide funding for efforts by non-profit providers, states, and local governments to quickly re-house homeless individuals, families, persons fleeing domestic violence, and youth while minimizing the trauma and dislocation caused by homelessness; to promote access to and effective utilization of mainstream programs by homeless individuals and families; and to optimize self-sufficiency among those experiencing homelessness. HUD identifies 4 necessary components of a CoC: 

• Outreach, intake, and assessment to identify service and housing needs and provide a link to the appropriate level of both;
• Emergency shelter to provide an immediate and safe alternative to sleeping on the streets, especially for homeless families with children;
• Transitional housing with supportive services to allow for the development of skills that will be needed once permanently housed; and
• Permanent and permanent supportive housing to provide individuals and families with an affordable place to live with services, if needed.