Erin Nixon
Mecklenburg County Community Support Services
Since August 2019, Mecklenburg County Community Support Services (CSS) has led a broad community engagement process. The goal of this work is to develop a new Continuum of Care (CoC) Governance Charter.
The CoC Governance Charter identifies the purpose, responsibilities and oversight of the CoC. The CoC is responsible for, among other things, operations (holding regular meetings and adopting a written board selection process); designating a Homeless Management Information System (HMIS); planning; and preparing an application for funding.
This blog post provides an update on this important work, and what it means for the community.
PROJECT MILESTONES
Listed below are project milestones since October 2019. To read a prior update, click here.
Final CoC Governance Charter & Vote: November 2019
A draft of the new CoC Governance Charter was posted for public comment from October 24 – November 7. The CoC Governance Ad Hoc Committee met on November 8 to review the feedback received and determine how to incorporate the feedback into the charter. The comments received and the Ad Hoc Governance Committee’s response to each comment is posted here.
The changes accepted by the Ad Hoc Governance Committee were incorporated into a final draft of the charter. At the November 13 Continuum of Care meeting, Natalie Matthews, HUD TA from Abt Associates, provided a summary of the community engagement process that resulted in a final draft of the Governance Charter. The Continuum of Care had the chance to ask questions about the charter and then voted to approve the charter.
NEXT STEPS
CoC Governing Board Applications
The CoC Governance Charter outlines the composition of the CoC Governing Board. A First Board Nominating Committee (FBNC) will be convened to receive applications from people seeking to fill the 12 elected seats. The application is posted here. The deadline to submit an application is December 4. The CoC Governance Charter states that a new governing board must be approved by CoC membership by March 1, 2020.
Collaborative Applicant Selection Process
The CoC Governance Charter outlines the process for selecting a new Collaborative Applicant. Letters of Interest to serve as the Collaborative Applicant must be submitted to Natalie Matthews, HUD TA, by December 4. An Ad Hoc Committee to choose the first Collaborative Applicant will be convened by Natalie Matthews to review Letters of Interest received and then review qualifications that are submitted by December 25. The CoC Governance Charter states that this committee will present its recommendation to the full CoC membership no later than January 31, 2020.
SO, WHAT
The CoC Governing Board will set the priorities for the community’s Continuum of Care to address the full spectrum of need from housing instability to homelessness. The Collaborative Applicant will staff the Continuum of Care’s committees. It will also coordinate community efforts to prepare and submit the annual Notice of Funding Availability application to HUD and the NC DHHS Emergency Solutions Grant application, which brings funding into our community to address homelessness and housing instability.
If you are interested in applying for an elected seat on the Board, please find the application and directions for submission here.
To sign up for updates, ask questions, or learn more about getting involved, please email CharMeckCoC@MeckNC.Gov.
Visit the Charlotte-Mecklenburg CoC webpage for more information.
Erin Nixon serves as the Sr. Social Services Manager in Mecklenburg County Community Support Services where her roles include engagement with the Continuum of Care. She previously supervised Mecklenburg County’s Shelter Plus Care program, which provides permanent supportive housing to chronically homeless households.
