education, resources, and advocacy
Texas Balance of State Continuum of Care Committees
The Texas Balance of State Continuum of Care (TX BoS CoC) Committees 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. For more information about the role of committees within the TX BoS CoC, see the TX BoS CoC Governance Charter.
We encourage all CoC general members to pursue committee membership. For more information about how to join a committee, reach out to the contact listed below each committee description.
Lived Experience Committee
What They Do
The Lived Experience Steering Committee (LEC), helps Texas Homeless Network staff and the TX BoS CoC Board gather valuable input on homeless services within the TX BoS CoC.
The LEC will provide their input into surveys, listening sessions and other methods devised by THN staff for gathering input from people with lived experience.
For more information email Director of Engagement Mary Stahlke at mary@thn.org
How to Join
The committee is currently recruiting new members.
Members will receive compensation of $40 per meeting and equipment for attending virtual meetings. Meetings will be held every month or as needed.
Individuals with recent (within the last 7 years) experience of homelessness that live within the geographic boundaries of the TX BoS CoC (orange counties) can serve on the steering committee.
Meeting Minutes
Visit the Lived Experience Committee’s Google Drive folder to find all meeting documents from 2023 through the present.
Coordinated Entry Steering Committee
What They Do
The Coordinated Entry Steering Committee is composed of elected representatives from each Coordinated Entry Planning Entity (CEPE) within the TX BoS CoC. This committee provides direct support and guidance to the CoC Board on systems change efforts and influences the direction of the CE process in the TX BoS CoC. Committee members are nominated annually by the regional CEPEs. Representatives may serve consecutive terms as long as the CEPE has voted and a majority is in favor of that nominee continuing to serve in that role. Responsibilities include:
- Attending meetings with all current CESC Representatives to discuss and share experiences related to CE, develop and approve policies and procedures that impact the CE system and/or local CE processes, and communicate regional needs to the TX BoS CoC.
- Communicating any guidance or requests from the TX BoS to their region.
- Communicating to the TX BoS CoC about changes in their region, which may call for a review of and revisions to regional governance documents.
- Assisting agencies and/or individuals in understanding the local CE process and the TX BoS CoC training process for CE.
For more information email Systems Change Manager Katie Martinez at katie@thn.org
How to Join
The CESC is a closed committee. If you are interested in representing your CE region in the CESC, please contact your current CESC Chair or CEPE membership.
Currently, the CESC meets once a month for 1.5 hours. There is a time commitment to your CE region, such as reviewing CE data and reports, which varies from region to region based on the governance structure of your region.
Meeting Minutes
To find all meeting documents, past and present, visit the Google Drive folder for the Coordinated Entry Steering Committee.
Community Investment Committee
What They Do
This committee evaluates applications for funding and professional development opportunities that Texas Homeless Network, as the CoC Lead Agency for the Texas Balance of State Continuum of Care, makes available to CoC Members. The goals of this committee are:
- to assist the CoC in making decisions that ensure equitable access across the CoC to funding and professional development opportunities THN makes available to CoC Members
- to ensure a transparent process to stakeholders across the Texas Balance of State Continuum of Care
For more information email Director of Planning Jim Ward at jim@thn.org
How to Join
The Community Investment Committee consists of two representatives per each of the six CIC regions. Representatives are elected to serve a two-year term. In April of 2021, as approved by the CoC Board, a second representative was elected for each region. The results of this election can be found here.
A list of current committee members can be found here.
Meeting Minutes
- January 20, 2023 Meeting Agenda
- February 17, 2023 Meeting Agenda
Data Committee
What They Do
The purpose of the THN Data Committee is to provide data-driven insight and education to multiple groups/stakeholders about homelessness in the Texas Balance of State. These groups/stakeholders are: THN HMIS end users, internal THN staff, and the overall Texas Balance of State Membership. The THN Data Committee is also a way for HMIS end users to providing feedback on specific data matters such as HMIS Policies and Procedures, the HMIS Data Quality and Management Plan, and the HMIS implementation.
For more information email data@thn.org.
How to Join
The TX BoS CoC Data Committee is “open enrollment”, that is, CoC members may opt to join any committee at any time. To join the committee, CoC members will email data@thn.org, specifying the member’s contact information and intent that the member wishes to join the Data Committee.
Members must be able to commit to 1-3 hours a month to the committee, with more time spent during months with a Data Committee Meeting. This time would include webinars, calls, and reviews of data and policy documents.
Meeting Minutes
2022 Meeting Minutes
- April 7, 2022 Meeting Minutes
- July 14th, 2022 Meeting Minutes
- October 13, 2022 Meeting Minutes
- February 9, 2023 Meeting Minutes
Ending Veteran Homelessness Committee
What They Do
This committee will implement and monitor a plan to end Veteran homelessness across the TX BoS CoC by bringing local, state, and regional stakeholders for ending veteran homelessness together to share information on events, funding opportunities, and troubleshoot problems.
The goal of this committee is to end Veteran homelessness in all 215 counties in the TX BoS CoC. To meet this goal, the TX BoS CoC will need to work alongside key partners in the design and implementation of a plan to End Veteran Homelessness. This committee will include key federal, state and local partners who will oversee the implementation of the plan to end veteran homelessness and will develop CoC-wide and local strategies to achieve and maintain an End to Veteran Homelessness. Committee activities will include:
- Creating and executing a plan to ending veteran homelessness through collaborative community efforts.
- Create a space in which stakeholders for ending veteran homelessness meet regularly to discuss ideas, troubleshoot problems, and relay funding opportunities.
- Create a regional veteran system to meet the federal benchmarks and criteria in all 6 Community Investment Committee Regions. This process will help to quickly identify and house veterans in all 6 regions.
Meetings of the Ending Veteran Homelessness Committee are currently paused.
How to Join
The committee is not currently recruiting.
Meeting Minutes
2022 Meeting Minutes
- January 11, 2022 Meeting Minutes
- March 8, 2022 Meeting Minutes
- April 12, 2022 Meeting Minutes
- June 14, 2022 Meeting Minutes
Ending Youth Homelessness Committee
What They Do
This Ending Youth Homelessness Committee will implement and monitor a plan to end youth homelessness across the TX BoS CoC by bringing local, state, and regional stakeholders for
youth homelessness together to share information on events, funding opportunities, and troubleshoot problems.
Goals of the Committee:
- Creating a space in which Youth with lived experience, Youth Advocates, and other stakeholders who work to end youth homelessness meet regularly to discuss ideas, troubleshoot problems, and relay funding opportunities.
Recommending a Youth Action Board (YAB) structure and composition to the TX BoS CoC Board for review and approval. - In partnership with the YAB, creating and executing a plan to end youth homelessness through collaborative community efforts.
- Working in partnership with the YAB, ensuring outreach to youth during the Point in Time (PIT) Count is accurate and outreach is performed after the Point in Time Count to connect youth experiencing homelessness with coordinated entry.
- Other Youth-specific goals as defined by the committee and in alignment with the CoC’s Strategic Plan.
Meetings of the Ending Youth Homelessness Committee are currently paused.
How to Join
The committee is not currently recruiting.
Meeting Minutes
2022 Meeting Minutes
- January 19, 2022 Meeting Minutes
- March 15, 2022 Meeting Minutes
- March 31, 2022 Meeting Minutes
- May 17, 2022 Meeting Minutes
Youth Action Board
What They Do
select a delegate to represent youth and young adults experiencing homelessness on the TX BoS CoC Board.
How to Join
Youth Action members must:
- Be ages 16-24
- Have lived experience with homelessness, foster care or juvenile justice systems
- Live within a county in the TX BoS CoC. For a list of counties within the TX BoS CoC click here.
Recruitment for the Youth Action Board is currently on hold.
Performance Evaluation Committee
What They Do
This committee establishes performance outcome targets, participates in the performance evaluation of funded agencies, and may make funding recommendations to the TX BoS CoC, TX BoS CoC, Board of Directors, and other funders.
How to Join
We are currently seeking CoC members who are interested in serving on the committee. Please reach out to Hope Rodgers, CoC Program Coordinator at hope@thn.org for more information.
Meeting Minutes
Coming Soon!
Victim Service Providers Committee
What They Do
Victim service providers serve individuals and families fleeing or attempting to flee their housing or the place they are staying because of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, or other dangerous or life-threatening conditions related to violence. According to the Texas Council on Family Violence (TCFV), historically Victim Service Providers have not pursued funding designated for homeless services such as Continuum of Care (CoC) Program Funding, Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) Program Funding, or Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) Program Funding. Also, Victim Service providers are federally prohibited from entering information into the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), but if they receive certain pools of federal funding, they must use a database that has the same functionality and is comparable to an HMIS. These factors have limited our ability as a CoC to engage with Victim Service Providers.
The purpose of this committee is to provide an opportunity to coordinate with Victim Service Providers across the CoC in a more substantial and intentional way, to ensure that survivors and Victim Service Providers can have representation at the CoC level and have a direct line of communication with the staff who are helping shape and form policies that impact this population.
For more information email CoC Performance Coordinator Hope Rodgers at hope@thn.org
How to Join
If you are interested in joining the committee, reach out to Hope Rodgers, CoC Program Coordinator at hope@thn.org for more information.
Currently the time commitment will be 1-3 hours a month for committee members and 2-5 hours for committee leadership.