What is the Chicago Continuum of Care?
The Chicago Continuum of Care (CoC) is a membership organization comprised of more than 100 organizations and individuals who work to prevent and end homelessness in Chicago. Mandated by the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the CoC strategizes and plans a coordinated, comprehensive approach to providing housing and services for people experiencing homelessness.
OUR IMPACT
In 2020, the CoC leveraged an unprecedented reduction of barriers and increase in federal funding to launch the Expedited Housing Initiative and update the Continuum of Care Implementation Structure.
OUR ROLE
For the past 11 years, All Chicago has been elected by the Chicago CoC community to be the Collaborative Applicant. In this role, All Chicago provides ongoing support with an independent staff dedicated to the CoC’s collaborative planning and alignment efforts. The Governance and Structure of Chicago’s CoC is outlined in its Charter, which was revised in June 2019.
OUR VALUES
The Chicago Continuum of Care carries out its mission through a set of core values that guide its governance:
- Clear and logical governance processes, structures and lines of accountability.
- Transparent decision making that makes the greatest possible use of data.
- Open, accessible, inclusive Continuum of Care that includes all stakeholders and allies needed to achieve the goals of the Plan to End Homelessness.
- Compliance with federal requirements for Continuums of Care.
- Communication between all members, committees, and bodies that make up the Continuum of Care.
- Flexibility to respond to emerging ideas and challenges.
Learn More About the CoC
CoC Structure
The work of the CoC is organized by 12 lines of work, each with an infrastructure of workgroups. Learn more about each line’s progress and find out how you can get involved.
CoC Programs
The CoC coordinates more than $95 million in federal funding for 147 projects through the annual HUD CoC Program Competition.
Membership
Any individual or organization with an interest in preventing and ending homelessness can become a CoC member. Current members come from a variety of sectors, including health care, education, employment, and criminal justice. These includes service providers, government partners, and people with lived experience in homelessness.
All CoC Meetings
CoC members and community partners gather twice per year to vote on important issues, network, share updates, and learn about issues that impact the CoC.
Standards and Monitoring
The CoC’s System Performance, Data and Research Line of Work recently presented standards and policies to the CoC Board of Directors for review and approval.
