Stacy M. Lowry
Director
Mecklenburg County Community Support Services
Mecklenburg County and the City of Charlotte are collaborating strategically in new and different ways as part of a comprehensive response to continued community needs around permanent, affordable housing. One of these strategies is a partnership to transition the management of the Continuum of Care (CoC) from the City to Mecklenburg County. This blog post provides an update on this important work and what it means for the community.
CONTEXT
The work of the CoC is mandated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Each CoC is chartered to a specific community; designed to promote communitywide commitment to the goal of ending and preventing homelessness; and provides funding, oversight, planning, and evaluation of housing-related services. The CoC boundaries are not limited to the City of Charlotte, but include all of Mecklenburg County. This community-wide change enables the County and City to maximize our individual strengths as well as drive coordination across the housing continuum. The end goal is helping more individuals and families access and sustain housing.
ROLE OF COMMUNITY SUPPORT SERVICES
Mecklenburg County Community Support Services (CSS) believes that to effectively and efficiently address housing instability and homelessness across the housing continuum requires leadership, collaboration, and coordination across public and private sectors.
Both the County and the City are committed to ensuring that the shift in management of the CoC is a transparent process; that all actions are in alignment with HUD regulations; and that any real or perceived conflicts of interest are addressed. To assist us all with this work, CSS applied for and has been granted technical assistance from HUD. Staff has been working with the technical assistance team at Abt Associates to, among other things, ensure that the 2019 NOFA funding process situates the community to grow community CoC revenue while simultaneously strengthening CoC governance.
PROJECT MILESTONES
Listed below is a summary of the major work completed since March 2018:
- Mecklenburg County and City of Charlotte developed a transition plan in alignment with HUD regulations.
- Mecklenburg County was awarded HUD Technical Assistance (TA) to assist with the management transition. Abt Associates is providing the TA.
- Continuum of Care membership approved the creation of the Governance Ad Hoc Committee to establish a CoC Governance Charter.
- Mecklenburg County FY20 budget approved two new CoC-specific positions.
WHAT’S NEXT
With assistance from Abt Associates, Community Support Services is hosting a “Governance Kick-Off” Meeting on August 14, 2019 from 9am to 11am.
The purpose of the meeting is to share important updates on the local CoC Governance process and provide opportunities for others to get involved in the establishment of a new CoC Governance Charter for the community.
To learn more, or to RSVP for the event, please click here.
SO, WHAT
In 2018, the Charlotte-Meckenburg CoC was awarded over $4MM; more than $100,000 of that funding is for completing additional planning work in the community. Having resources like these are critical in effectively addressing housing instability and homelessness.
In addition to funding, the CoC has the potential to positively impact the community through systemic changes in policy, planning, programs, and evaluation. We need your involvement and partnership in this work, beginning with the establishment of the CoC Governance Charter. I hope to see you on August 14th at 9am!
To sign up for updates, ask questions, or learn more about getting involved, please email [email protected].
Visit the Charlotte-Mecklenburg CoC webpage for more information.
Stacy M. Lowry serves as the Director of Mecklenburg County Community Support Services. Stacy is recognized as a national leader in the implementation of best and promising practices in the homeless and supportive housing field.
