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Homeless Coalition:
An organization of community people who are committed to ending homelessness and providing more efficient services to those who experience homelessness
A homeless coalition can serve as a voice for homeless persons in the community, helping to educate and build support for solutions to homelessness among the general public. Establishing a coalition is the first step in the continuum of care planning process, and likely one of the most vital steps taken by a community in the development of its plan. Just by simply creating an organization of diverse groups dedicated to address homelessness, a community destroys the myth that homelessness is a problem of "some other agency" - it's a concern of the community as a whole.
Nothing more than a group of people who are interested in addressing homelessness, a coalition is an organization in which each member puts the needs of the homeless people in the community above the needs of his/her own agency. In other words, the coalition is formed, not to enhance the individual standing of an agency but rather to focus on the needs and services that solve the problem of homelessness. The most effectual and strongest coalitions understand that distinct agencies and individuals need to collaborate to solve the complex problems of homelessness. By collaborating and using consensus-driven, community-based planning, a homeless coalition can cultivate a comprehensive system-wide approach to solve the complex problems of homelessness and achieve systemic change in the community.
| Homeless Service Providers |
Agencies Serving Homeless Subpopulation |
| Soup kitchens, food banks |
"Street homeless |
| Emergency shelters |
Veterans |
| Transitional housing providers |
Victims of domestic violence |
| Day shelters |
Runaway and homeless youth |
| Agencies providing homeless prevention services (rent, etc.) |
MH/MR |
| Churches that provide shelter, food, basic assistance |
HIV/AIDS |
| Other Social Service Providers |
Government |
| Legal Aid |
City and/or County (entity that works on Consolidated Plan) |
| Child Care Providers |
Police and/or Sheriff Depts. |
| Health Clinics/Hospitals |
State agencies that provide services in the area:
Adult and Child Protective Services
Texas Department of Health
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| Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment Centers |
| "Mainstream" Resource Providers |
Housing Agencies |
| Workforce Commission |
Public Housing Authorities
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| TANF, Food Stamp Administrator |
Habitat for Humanity, CHDOs, Nonprofit Housing Developers
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| Medicaid and CHIP providers |
For-Profit developers
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| Local Mental Health Authority |
Banks involved in affordable housing
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| Publicly funded substance abuse treatment center |
| Homeless and Formerly Homeless Persons |
Other Interested Goals |
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Schools/School Districts' Homeless Liaison
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Neighborhood Associations
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United Ways and/or Local Foundations
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Local Businesses
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While the basic function of most coalitions - to address homelessness - is similar in distinctive communities, often times, the structure and focus across communities differ dramatically. Coalitions take a variety of forms, which is often determined by the specific needs of an area or the local planning bodies already in existence within the community. Some are organized into a formal independent organization, with paid or unpaid staff, officers or core group planners, by-laws, tax-exempt status, budgets, and membership fees; while others are informal gatherings of service providers working under the legal and financial umbrella of another organization. As with structure, focus and purpose of homeless coalitions can differ - many coalitions establish informal collaborations merely providing mutual support as service providers, and others focus on the continuum of care of the service providers or on accessing resources, both state and federal.
Although the focus of homeless coalitions differs from community to community, it is essential that each individual coalition establish a unified, common vision and mission agreed upon by all its members. This central focus should be determined during the initial formation of the group. If all the participants in the coalition can agree on the central vision and mission of the group, the coalition can become the voice of moral authority for the homeless in public policy and community decision-making. The advantage? This kind of unity allows the group to speak as a single, cohesive voice for those who all too often have no voice at all. Too many voices, or no voice at all, can create an environment in which a community fails to focus on the needs of the homeless, instead focusing on differences and disagreements among themselves, with other service providers, the city government, or local businesses, etc; thus disenfranchising those experiencing homelessness further by not being heard at all.
A central vision not only helps to focus the coalition's voice and efforts, but it can also help guarantee follow-through with the details of how everyone is expected to work together. Creating the organizational structure of a homeless coalition starts with the vision and mission and leads to the formation of by-laws, which usually include policy and procedures, the number of officers and election policies, frequency of meetings, definition of membership and membership fees, voting rights and privileges, governing bodies (executive boards, etc.), and possible sub-committees. Strong, respected leadership and year-round meetings encourage participation and commitment.
Once the coalition is firmly established, the benefits and advantages of such a group are substantial. In addition to the auspicious and desired outcome of achieving a centralized voice for the homeless, there are multiple other incentives for a community to create a homeless coalition. For example:
- Increased data and information gathering - finding out the number of homeless persons in the community becomes easier with more agencies' input and cooperation.
- Enriched community influence - no single agency feels alone in speaking about needed services or public policy that affects the homeless; the coalition brings together people who can support each other in controversy.
- Enhanced networking and information sharing - by creating a regular meeting time and space, a coalition supports each member's fundraisers and work projects through announcements and a consistent public forum. Rosters and member lists also facilitate information sharing that can help service providers find needed resources.
- Augmented collaboration - coordination of services and programs can result from the relationships that are formed in the coalition. System- and service-level collaboration become well planned and enables a community to implement a more comprehensive continuum of services.
- Improved, coordinated community planning - state and federal agencies require community planning to identify and address the needs of the community, and a coalition can help a community to avoid duplication of services and to identify current gaps in services.
Well thought-out community planning that involves a committed, unified group demonstrates a community's genuine resolve to address and tackle the complex issue of homelessness. After a coalition works through the growing pains of formation, leadership roles, resolution of conflicts with members, etc, the benefits gained by months (or years) of hard work pay off. Not only do potential funding entities see the perseverance and commitment undertaken by a coalition as a sign of strength and capability, but the community at-large and homeless people, in particular, begin to reap the benefits of persistent efforts.
To read an article about a model coalition please click here
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