education, resources, and advocacy

What is a Continuum of Care?

A Continuum of Care (CoC) is a collaborative approach to planning and funding for services related to homelessness. “Continuum of Care” refers not only to Housing and Urban Development’s program, but also the geographical location covered by a CoC program, and the body of people that participate in homeless services within that geographic area, including service providers, advocates, local government officials, and community members. This Prezi is a great overview of HUD’s CoC program.

What is the Balance of State Continuum of Care?

Most CoCs are established to plan services in metropolitan areas. Balance of State CoCs cover the areas of a state that do not have the resources to establish their own CoC. For this reason, the Texas Balance of State Continuum of Care (TX BoS CoC) is the largest of the 12 CoCs in Texas, and covers 214 of Texas’ 254 counties (See the CoC Map).

The Texas Balance of State CoC (TX BoS CoC) is made up of all service providers, advocates, local government officials, and citizens who work to eliminate homelessness.

Goals of the Texas Balance of State Continuum of Care (TX BoS CoC)

Mission Statement:

The TX BoS CoC develops system-level responses and coordinates local community strategies that strategically prevent and end homelessness and increase housing stability.

The TX BoS CoC has adopted the following goals in accordance with the HUD’s stated purpose for the CoC Program:

Promote community commitment to the goal of ending homelessness
Provide and/or facilitate funding to re-house people experiencing homelessness
Assist individuals experiencing homelessness to access and maintain mainstream benefits
Optimize self-sufficiency to prevent recurrence of homelessness

The TX BoS CoC adopted additional goals related to the evaluation of project and system performance in accordance with the HEARTH Act:

Reducing the length of time homeless
Goal of 30 days or less average length of time spent homeless
Reducing the number of people experiencing homelessness
Reducing the number of newly homeless
Reducing returns to homelessness
Increasing exits to permanent housing
Increasing income and employment
Increasing access to the utilization of mainstream benefits.

Texas Homeless Network's Role in the TX BoS CoC

The TX BoS CoC has selected Texas Homeless Network (THN) to serve as the lead support agency. Through a Memorandum of Understanding between the TX BoS CoC Board and the THN Board, THN helps CoC members to meet requirements, develop housing crisis response systems, implement best practices, and improve performance. THN does this by assisting the CoC with completing activities legislatively mandated by the CoC Program Interim Rule, including:

How We Function

The TX BoS CoC, in collaboration with THN, has established governance to assist with planning for the CoC. The structure is made up of committees that act under the direction of a board. The TX BoS CoC board also oversees planning activities on a local level through Local Homeless Coalitions (LHCs) and Coordinated Entry Planning Entities (CEPEs).

CoC Board

The CoC Board is the main decision-making body of the CoC. The CoC board’s main function is to review and approve policies and procedures suggested through the actions of CoC committees, on behalf of the CoC general members.

CoC Committees:

Committees within the TX BoS CoC governance structure are designed to carry out the high-level work of the CoC, ensuring that the CoC fulfills all of the requirements established by HUD. Committees are an opportunity for CoC general members to be directly involved in CoC-wide decision making.

Local Planning Bodies:

There are two types of planning bodies that serve CoC members on a local level:

- Local Homeless Coalitions (LHCs), and;
- Coordinated Entry Planning Entities (CEPEs).

Each has a relationship with the CoC lead agency and regularly communicates their activities to the CoC staff.

The CoC also works with Consolidated Planning Jurisdictions (CPJs), to assess communities’ needs when they are developing their Consolidated Plans.

Leading Homelessness Data

Because Texas Homeless Network is designated as the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) lead agency for the TX BoS CoC, it is responsible for operating an HMIS system on behalf of the CoC. THN receives grant funding from HUD to operate the CoC-wide HMIS system.

HMIS is a system that allows agencies to keep track of the numbers, characteristics, and needs of people in their community that are experiencing homelessness. It is intended to decrease duplication of services and increase collaboration between service providers in a community, by allowing different agencies to share data about their clients. It is also a tool for gathering data about the state of homelessness in the community, which can allow agencies to understand which efforts are most effective, and target supportive services where they are needed most. This data is also used at the city, state, and federal levels to understand changes in homelessness over time.

Programs receiving CoC Program funding and Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) Program funding, among others, are required to use HMIS. As the HMIS lead agency, THN is responsible for administering HMIS in accordance with HUD requirements and supporting agencies and staff to use HMIS.

For information, visit the HMIS sections of our website.

Building a Brighter Future

As the lead agency, Texas Homeless Network supports local homeless coalitions, agencies, projects, and communities in planning by helping them:

Identify trends and assess changes in the homeless population for community planning
Develop program designs to address gaps in shelter and/or services
Assist agencies with data needed to apply for additional funding through governmental, community, or private sources
Measure system performance and establish performance standards
Conduct a Point-in-Time (PIT) Count
Establish a Coordinated Entry System (CES)
Advocate for local leadership to effect policy change
Accomplish CoC-wide goals

CoC Program Funding

THN serves as the “Collaborative Applicant” for the TX BoS CoC and leads the HUD CoC Grant process. THN provides technical assistance and guidance to agencies and communities applying for funding to create new housing and service programs. Applicants must submit proposals through THN in the annual CoC Program Competition.

For more information visit the Continuum of Care Program section of our website.

Planning

The geographic area of the TX BoS CoC includes 215 counties throughout the state of Texas. Within those counties, approximately 25 Local Homeless Coalitions (LHCs) conduct local CoC planning, housing and service development and delivery, and evaluation, as well as CoC-wide activities through the LHC Chairs, the CoC Board, and CoC committees.

As the lead agency, Texas Homeless Network supports LHCs in planning by assisting communities to:

- Identify trends and assess changes in the homeless population for community planning
- Develop program designs to address gaps in shelter and/or services
- Assist agencies with data needed to apply for additional funding through governmental, community, or private sources
- Measure system performance and establish performance standards
- Conduct a Point-in-Time (PIT) Count
- Establish a Coordinated Entry System (CES)
- Advocate for local leadership to effect policy change
- Accomplish CoC-wide goals

TX BoS CoC Housing Solutions

Housing Solutions is our initiative to help communities close the gaps that prevent families from finding stable housing. By combining research, innovation, and on-the-ground partnerships, we support local efforts to expand access to affordable housing, strengthen services, and create lasting pathways out of homelessness. Our approach is centered on collaboration—working with agencies, providers, and community leaders to ensure every person has a safe, stable place to call home.

Our team is piloting two projects to support this initiative in the following regions: Hidalgo, Laredo, Sherman, Texarkana, and Victoria.

Detailed project information and application procedures can be found in each project link.

NOFO: Innovation Fund - Flexible Grants for Families

Texas Homeless Network (THN) is excited to launch the Housing Solutions Initiative: Innovation Fund, a new grant opportunity designed to help local agencies support families facing homelessness in Texas’ Balance of State.

What this fund does:

Provides private, flexible dollars to quickly meet family needs that other funding sources can’t cover.
Helps families avoid or exit homelessness by covering urgent costs like rental arrears, landlord incentives, moving expenses, application fees, utility payments, or document replacement.
Prioritizes families with young children (ages 0–5), recognizing the profound impact housing instability has on child development.

Click here for full details about the fund and application process.

Housing Solutions is not accepting applications to Innovation Funds at this time.

RFP: Family Trust Partnership

Texas Homeless Network (THN) seeks proposals from qualified organizations to partner with the THN Housing Solutions team to support local families being served by the Family Trust initiative. The objective of this partnership is to bolster the investments THN will be making to families in the area by offering support services and collaborative case conferencing. The partnering agency will receive a $45,000 grant of Innovation Funds to further their agency goals.

Partnership Focus:

Support local families: Break homelessness at its roots by funding their journey to stability.
Secure brighter futures: Ensure children grow, thrive, and break free from the lasting impact of homelessness.
Family-first focus: little ones first (ages 0–5), then families with older children, then all family structures.