Background
The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires communities to establish a local Continuum of Care (CoC) to oversee policies, programming and funding related to eradicating homelessness. The Coalition to End Homelessness (the “Coalition”) serves as Howard County’s Continuum of Care and is a collaborative community-based planning and advocacy body that seeks to ensure the needs of persons who are homeless or at-risk of homelessness within the County are being met.
The Purpose of the Coalition is to:
• Promote community-wide planning and strategic use of resources to the goal of ending homelessness;
• Promote access to and effective utilization of mainstream programs by homeless individuals and families;
• Improve data collection and performance measurement; and
• Optimize self-sufficiency among individuals and families experiencing homelessness.
Responsibilities of the Coalition:
Operating the CoC
Designating and Operating an HMIS
CoC Planning
Participating in the Coalition:
The Coalition is broadly representative of the Howard County community. Any individual or organization with an interest in understanding and addressing the issues related to homelessness or with a desire to participate in Howard County’s response to prevent and end homelessness may become a member of the Coalition. Many stakeholders are invested in addressing homelessness in this community, and the Coalition believes that people with lived homeless experience are equally important. All persons with lived experience are invited to be members and afforded the same benefits of any other CoC members.
The Coalition invites new members to join at any time during the year.
If you're interested in joining the Coalition or getting more information, please fill out our Membership Interest Form.
Coalition to End Homelessness Governance Charter
Mailing Address:
Mark Slater, CoC Manager
Coalition to End Homelessness - Continuum of Care Program
Division of Homeless Services
Howard County Department of Housing & Community Development
9820 Patuxent Woods Drive, Columbia, MD 21046
If you or someone you know are experiencing homelessness or in danger of losing housing in Howard County, click here for more information on how to find help.
The Coalition to End Homelessness Board
National Alliance to End Homelessness Assessment
The DCRS Office of Community Partnerships contracted the National Alliance to End Homelessness to conduct an assessment and analysis of our homeless response system and provide actionable recommendations for system improvements. The assessment was requested to address the lack of system flow in our current homeless response system. Recommendations from this assessment will be used to support the implementation of the county’s updated plan to end homelessness, The Path Home.