About the Community Standards
The Community Standards are required by HUD and establish a shared framework of expectations for homeless service providers, funders, and other stakeholders across the Chicago Continuum of Care (CoC). They help promote consistency in service delivery while aligning programs with federal requirements, local priorities, and evidence-based practices.
All CoC- and ESG-funded projects are required to adhere to the Community Standards. Other funders and organizations are encouraged to incorporate and align with the Standards through contracts, program manuals, policies, and guidance documents.
The Community Standards are not intended to be a comprehensive guide for program operations. Rather, they provide a foundation that organizations should build on through their own policies, procedures, workflows, and training. Program operations should be guided by applicable regulations, funder requirements, CoC policies and processes, contract expectations, and agency-specific policies and procedures.
Community Standards Document
The Community Standards include:
- General Standards that apply across all program types.
- Program Model Standards that address requirements and expectations specific to individual program models.
Together, the General Standards and the applicable Program Model Standards make up the complete set of expectations for a given program model.
Full Community Standards Document
Community Standards Drop-In Centers
Community Standards Emergency Shelter
Community Standards Homelessness Prevention and Diversion
Community Standards Joint TH RRH
Community Standards Medical Respite
Community Standards Reentry and Justice Involved Policy
Community Standards Safe Haven
Community Standards Shared Housing Policy
Community Standards Street Outreach
Community Standards Transitional Housing
Using the Community Standards in Your Role
The Community Standards establish a shared set of expectations across the CoC. While different stakeholders will use the Standards in different ways, they provide a common reference point for improving service quality, consistency, and system-wide alignment.
- Case Managers and Front-Line Staff: Guide participant engagement, service delivery practices, and day-to-day decision-making.
- Program Managers and Directors: Review and strengthen program policies, workflows, staff training, supervision, and quality assurance efforts.
- Agency Leadership: Support program design, resource planning, organizational compliance, and continuous improvement efforts.
- Funders: Inform funding requirements, contract development, monitoring activities, and technical assistance priorities.
- People with Lived Experience (PLE) and Program Participants: Use as a tool to understand service expectations, inform feedback, and support advocacy efforts within agencies and CoC decision-making processes.
- CoC Committees, Affinity Groups, and Other Stakeholders: Help inform policy discussions, strategic planning, system improvement initiatives, and CoC-wide decision-making.
Monitoring
All Chicago incorporates the Community Standards into partner and subrecipient monitoring processes. For programs monitored by All Chicago, Community Standards may be included as part of monitoring activities and program review. Other funders in the CoC are encouraged to incorporate the Chicago CoC Community Standards into monitoring activities.
Community Standards Feedback Opportunities
Stakeholders are encouraged to provide feedback at any time through the Community Standards feedback form.
Feedback may also be provided verbally during the standing Community Standards Feedback Meeting, held virtually on the second Wednesday of each month at 12:00 p.m. The meeting is open to all community members. Information about upcoming meetings can be found on the CoC Calendar.
Community Standards Oversight
The System Operations and Performance Committee is responsible for oversight of the Community Standards, which it manages through a Community Standards Oversight Group. Please email cocprograms@allchicago.org with any questions about the Community Standards or its oversight, or if you are interested in becoming involved in this work. Please check the CoC Calendar for upcoming meetings.
