A Continuum of Care (CoC) is a group comprised of nonprofit organizations, service providers, and local government agencies that coordinates homeless services and homelessness prevention activities across a specified geographic area. Through the CoC application process, communities submit to HUD a consolidated application to fund homelessness assistance programs.
Each CoC must establish a Board to act on its behalf. It may also appoint additional committees or workgroups to fulfill its responsibilities. The CoC must develop a governance charter to document all groups created to support the CoC and each group’s relative responsibilities.
A CoC’s three primary responsibilities are: 1. operating the CoC; 2. planning; and 3. designating and operating a Homeless Management Information System (HMIS).