Office of Housing

Aid for the Homeless

Continuum of Care Homeless Assistance Program

Since 1994, the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has encouraged communities to address the problems of housing and homelessness in a coordinated, comprehensive, and strategic fashion. HUD provides annual funding known as the Continuum of Care Homeless Assistance Program. The title refers to the concept that communities must provide a “continuum” or range of coordinated services and programs to successfully break the cycle of homelessness.

To be eligible to apply for funds, communities must have a year-round, ongoing planning process which engages all individuals and organizations who assist homeless families and individuals. The Continuum of Care also contains grant applications for specific programs.

The main elements of the CoC include:

 

1.  Homeless Prevention
2.  Outreach/Intake/Assessment
3.  Emergency Shelter
4.  Transitional Housing
5.  Supportive Services
6.  Permanent Supportive Housing
7.  Permanent Housing

Chesapeake Coalition for the Homeless

The Office of Housing provides staff support to the Chesapeake Coalition for the Homeless.

In Chesapeake, the Continuum of Care is the responsibility of the Chesapeake Coalition for the Homeless (CCH). The CCH is comprised of over 30 public, non­profit, and faith-based organizations committed to serving the needs of homeless persons. The CCH submitted its 2008 Continuum of Care Strategy to HUD in June of 2007.

The 2007 goals focused on creating new permanent housing beds for the chronically homeless; increasing the percentage of homeless persons staying in permanent housing, increasing the number of homeless persons employed, expanding the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) and preparing a the Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness.

The 2007 Continuum of Care Strategy also contained three grant applications requesting HUD funds for additional permanent, transitional housing with support services for single adults and to provide services for the severely mentally ill. The need for housing for single adults was the greatest gap identified; although the lack of housing for homeless families was nearly as large.

CCH Projects:

• CCH 2009-10 Participants

• Point in Time Count

• 2008 SuperNOFA funding strategy and application information

• Ten-Year Plan to End Homelessness

• Continuum of Care Strategy

• Task Force on Ending Homelessness

• Project Homeless Connect

CCH Membership

CCH Membership Application - PDF format ~ MS Word format

CCH Brochure

2009-10 Participation Chart

CCH Meetings

The CCH will hold its Regular Meetings on the 2nd Wednesday of each month from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

2009 meetings will be held at the Indian River Branch Library.


Operations Meetings are held on the 1st Tuesday of each month at 10:00 a.m. at the Barnes & Noble Booksellers in Greenbrier, or unless noted otherwise.

 

Chesapeake Coalition for the Homeless - Program Year 35
July 1, 2009 through June 30, 2010

Meeting Dates

HUD Manuals & Resources

• HUD's Homeless Assistance Programs
  Supportive Housing Deck Guide

• HUD's Building Effective Coalitions

• HUD's 2008 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress

• 2008 AHAR Summary

• Shelter Plus Care Resource Manual

• HUD FY 2010 Fair Market Rents (FMR)

• Effective Date: The FMRs published above are effective on October 1, 2009.

• The new FMRs for Virginia are found on page 49.

Definition of Homeless

Federal Definition of Homelessness

11302. General definition of homeless individual

(a) In general

For purposes of this chapter, the term “homeless” or “homeless individual or homeless person” includes —

1. an individual who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence; and
   
   
2. an individual who has a primary nighttime residence that is —
   1. a supervised publicly or privately operated shelter designed to provide temporary living accommodations (including welfare hotels, congregate shelters, and transitional housing for the mentally ill);
      
      
   2. an institution that provides a temporary residence for individuals intended to be institutionalized; or
      
      
   3. a public or private place not designed for, or ordinarily used as, a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings.

(b) Income eligibility

1. In general
   A homeless individual shall be eligible for assistance under any program provided by this chapter, only if the individual complies with the income eligibility requirements otherwise applicable to such program.
   
   
2. Exception
   Notwithstanding paragraph (1), a homeless individual shall be eligible for assistance under title I of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 [29 U.S.C. 2801 et seq.].
   

(c) Exclusion

For purposes of this chapter, the term “homeless” or “homeless individual” does not include any individual imprisoned or otherwise detained pursuant to an Act of the Congress or a State law.

Source: http://www.hud.gov/homeless/definition.cfm

 

Resources for the Homeless

• City Agencies that Serve the Homeless
• Community Organizations Across the Country
• Government Agencies
• National Agencies
• Project Homeless Connect brochure - pdf
• Final Report - pdf
  Includes CVC Facility Map, United Way Letter, News Release & Program
• Pocket Resources for the Homeless - pdf