Continuum Of Care

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:

• Outreach, intake, and assessment in order 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
• Permanent and supportive housing to provide individuals and families with an affordable place to live with services if needed

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