About the Continuum of Care
The Continuum of Care (CoC) Program, which is authorized by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), is designed to promote a communitywide commitment to the goal of ending homelessness; provide funding for efforts by nonprofit providers, and State and local governments to quickly rehouse homeless individuals and families while minimizing the trauma and dislocation caused to homeless individuals, families, and communities by homelessness; promote access to and effect utilization of mainstream programs by homeless individuals and families; and optimize self-sufficiency among individuals and families experiencing homelessness.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Continuum of Care includes individuals and organizations across Mecklenburg County who are committed to ending and preventing homelessness. The vision of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg CoC is to ensure that homelessness is rare, brief and non-recurring; and that everyone has housing choices and prompt access to a variety of housing resources and supports that meets their needs. Click here to read more about our work.
Mecklenburg County Community Support Services serves as the Collaborative Applicant (CA). The CA is the organization designated by the CoC to submit the annual CoC application for federal funding; and apply for CoC planning funds. CSS also serves as a resource for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg CoC Governing Board; CoC member organizations and individuals; and CoC committees and workgroups.
Continuum of Care Mission
The mission of the Charlotte/Mecklenburg CoC is to end homelessness and alleviate its negative impacts by:
- Engaging the community to address underlying causes;
- Providing prompt and straight-forward access to a coordinated continuum of shelter and affordable housing options and supports that meets the needs of diverse homeless individuals and families; and
- Expanding, sustaining and developing new affordable housing options and supports to meet the changing circumstances of individuals and families who are at-risk of homelessness, currently homeless, or recently homeless in our community.
Continuum of Care Governing Board
The Governing Board is the policy setting and decision-making body for the CoC, which is responsible to the CoC membership to fulfill its HUD-defined responsibilities as defined in the CoC Governance Charter. The Governing Board is responsible for planning; coordination of resources; and evaluation of results for the community. The Governing Board is empowered to create standing committees and ad-hoc working groups to achieve community goals. The board looks to recommendations from CoC committees and workgroups to develop sound policies and practices that meet the needs of the community.
Click here to view the 2024 CoC Governing Board roster.
Continuum of Care Member Organizations & Individuals
Organizations and unaffiliated individuals residing or working within Mecklenburg County may become members of the CoC. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg CoC will actively recruit for a broad and inclusive membership including, but not limited to persons with lived experience of homelessness; nonprofit homeless assistance providers; victim service providers; faith-based organizations working to reduce homelessness; local governments; businesses; funders; advocates; public housing agencies; school districts; social service providers; mental health and substance use agencies; healthcare providers; universities; affordable housing developers; landlords; and criminal justice providers.
Click here for a list of CoC membership organizations and individuals. To learn more about CoC membership or to become a member of the CoC, follow this link.
