Continuum of Care - Definition
According to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), a Continuum of Care (CoC) is “a community plan to organize and deliver housing and services to meet the specific needs of people who are homeless as they move to stable housing and maximize self-sufficiency. It includes action steps to end homelessness and prevent a return to homelessness.” HUD identifies four necessary parts of a continuum:
A Continuum of Care system is tasked to track and manage the homeless community. One of the most important activities entrusted to the Continuum of Care is the biannual count of the homeless population and an annual enumeration of emergency systems, transitional housing units, and beds that make up the homeless assistance systems. These counts provide an overview of the state of homelessness in a Continuum of Care, and offer the information necessary to redirect services, funding, and resources as necessary. A Continuum of Care system also manages services, offering both prevention strategies and homeless assistance programs to assist those at-risk of or experiencing homelessness.
Source: National Alliance to End Homelessness