The Mississippi Balance of State, established in 1991, is dedicated to streamlining and strengthening the current delivery system of services through greater collaborative planning, partnership and program ex*****on. It is the vision of the Continuum of Care members to create a seamless, comprehensive system of services. In 2014, the CoC worked to establish clarity in identity by separating from i
ts collaborative applicant, MUTEH Inc. whom still supports the CoC by coordinating HMIS for the Continuum. What is a Continuum of Care? The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) allocates HUD homeless assistance grants to organizations that participate in local homeless assistance program planning networks. Each of these networks is called a Continuum of Care (CoC). HUD introduced the CoC concept to encourage and support local organizations in coordinating their efforts to address housing and homeless issues and reduce homelessness. The focus of the Continuum of Care Coalition includes increasing services needed in the state, supporting the involvement of all agencies in Homeless Management Information Systems (HMIS), and facilitating increased commitment from area service providers and governments. CoC committees at the city, county and state level coordinate their efforts to produce annual plans that identify the needs of local homeless populations, the resources that are currently available in the community to address those needs, and additional resources needed to fill identified gaps. The CoC process is a community-based approach that encourages the creation of collaborative, comprehensive systems to meet the diverse needs of local homeless populations. Government entities, elected officials
Non-profit organizations
Financial institutions
Businesses
Housing developers
Churches
Health care providers
Neighborhood associations
Educators
Media representatives
Homeless and formerly homeless persons
What Does a Continuum of Care Achieve? Identification of gaps
Expansion of existing or development of new services
Collaboration for funding opportunities
Reduction in duplication and streamlining of services and activities on an ongoing basis
Fundamental Components of a Continuum of Care
Outreach, intake, and assessment to identify an individual’s or family’s service and/or housing service resource
Emergency shelter and safe, decent alternative to the streets
Transitional housing with supportive services to help people develop the skills necessary for permanent housing
Permanent housing and permanent supportive housing
