For several decades, communities have struggled with the complex problems of homelessness. Faith-based organizations have provided emergency shelter. Soup kitchens have provided the needed food. City and county agencies have assisted homeless people to try to help people move to self-sufficiency. Often these independent agencies find themselves overwhelmed with the complex needs of the homeless. The Texas Homeless Network believes that the most effective way to fight homelessness, and, ultimately, end homelessness, is through building and strengthening local homeless coalitions.

Texas currently has 27 active homeless coalitions that cover only 78 of the state’s 254 counties. This leaves 178 (or 70%) of Texas’ counties that are not currently eligible to apply for HUD Continuum of Care (CofC) funding. Even though HUD Continuum of Care funding can only be applied for through coalitions, funding is reserved for every county in the state. Many of the areas not currently applying for CofC funding are the most rural and poorest regions of our state – the areas that need funding the most. These areas without homeless coalitions were eligible for over $15 million in funding in 2003 alone.

A strong, active and open coalition for the homeless gives a community many advantages. First, the coalition can be the voice of moral authority for the homeless in public policy. For example, a local coalition that is respected in the community can comment on any proposed law or appropriation that affects the homeless. This kind of unity allows the group to speak as one voice for those who all too often have no voice at all. A community without a strong coalition finds that there are multiple voices or no voices at all. Sometimes different agencies speak on both sides of issues making it harder to focus on what a community really needs to help homeless people move to self-sufficiency. A coalition improves everyone's credibility.

There is also safety in numbers. No one 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.

Coalitions can also play an important role in community planning. More and more, state and federal agencies require community planning to identify and address the needs of the community. Where are the gaps in the services? What kinds of services are not being presently provided? What resources can be used to fund services that will fill the gap? A coalition can help a community avoid duplication and unnecessary services. Careful planning and evaluating can be an outcome of a strong coalition.

Most important, a coalition is an organization where each member agency 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 best and strongest coalitions understand that individual agencies and individuals need to collaborate to solve these complex problems.

Coalitions can take a variety of forms. Some are organized into a formal independent organization, with paid or unpaid staff, by-laws, tax exempt status, budgets, and membership fees. Others are informal gatherings of service providers working under the legal and financial umbrella of another organization. The purpose of the local coalition can also vary. Some coalitions establish informal collaborations and provide mutual support as service providers. Other coalitions focus on the continuum of care of the service providers or accessing resources, both state and federal.

Who Should be Involved?

Homeless Service Providers
• Emergency Shelters
• Transitional / Supportive Housing Providers
• Soup Kitchens / The Salvation Army
• Community Action Agencies
• Churches and Faith Based Agencies

Agencies Serving Subpopulations
• Veteran’s Groups
• Domestic Violence Agencies
• Mental Health Agencies
• Substance Abuse Agencies
• Agencies serving runaway and homeless youth
• Agencies providing HIV/AIDS services

Other Social Service Providers
• Legal Aid
• Child Care Providers / Head Start
• Health Clinics & Hospitals
• Agencies that provide educational and/or vocational training

Government
• City and/or County (Con Plan)
• Law Enforcement Agencies
• Local School Districts
• Adult and Child Protective Services
• Texas Department of Health

“Mainstream Providers”
• TANF
• Food Stamps
• Medicaid / CHIP
• Social Security
• Veterans Services

Housing Providers
• Public Housing Authorities
• Section 8 Providers
• CHDOs
• Nonprofit Housing Developers
• Affordable Housing Developers
– Tax Credit Properties
– HOME projects

Others
• Efforts should be made to recruit people and agencies that normally do not see themselves as being involved in homeless issues.
– Business Community
• Downtown Business Organizations
• Community Development Corporations
• Banks and Lending Institutions
– The local Media
– Local Foundations and United Way

As coalitions are strengthened within communities, homeless people will have better services, and the long-term needs of homeless people will be met. Self-sufficiency can only be achieved and sustained when the entire community works together in collaboration.