Texas Balance of State Continuum of Care News
November 2018
Texas Homeless Network is the lead agency for the Texas Balance of State Continuum of Care (TX BoS CoC) . The TX BoS CoC is a group of stakeholders that collaboratively plan and operate the CoC and a range of housing and services to prevent and end homelessness. The TX BoS CoC covers 215 counties and includes 24 Local Homeless Coalitions (LHCs) that plan, deliver, and evaluate local systems.
New TX BoS CoC Staff

Three new people have joined the CoC Team!

  • Andrew Willard is the CoC Performance Coordinator
  • Kyra Henderson is the CoC Data Coordinator
  • Mollie Lund is the ESG and SSVF Coordinator

We are excited to expand our capacity to serve people experiencing homelessness and CoC members and communities even better!
Built for Zero

Around this time last year, THN released an application to fund communities to participate in Built for Zero (BFZ). BFZ is a rigorous national change effort, coordinated by Community Solutions, working to help a core group of committed communities end veteran and chronic homelessness.

This initiative has provided amazing opportunities for the two communities selected to participate: Abilene and Denton. In December, they are launching a pilot project on diversion . This is the first time in the TX BoS CoC that communities have worked together to lead the design and implement a new system process based on best practices. We are inspired by this work these communities are doing and, as a result, the CoC Lead Agency plans on using human-centered design among all initiatives.

Denton recently launched their data dashboard, which really makes their data come alive. Check it out in its full glory here.

Also, stay tuned because one of these communities will have a very exciting announcement in the coming months.

Keep up the great work, Abilene and Denton!
Coordinated Entry Research Survey

In our last newsletter, we provided a teaser regarding a study Dr. Mary Jones,  a Professor of Information Systems at the University of North Texas  and the Chair of the  Denton County Homeless Coalition , is conducting regarding Coordinated Entry. The survey passed the Institutional Review Board and is ready for you. If you work for an agency that uses your community's Coordinated Entry process, please complete the survey. More information can be found in a letter from Dr. Jones ( here) . The survey can be accessed here .
HMIS Team in Action

The CoC's Homeless Management and Information System (HMIS) Team was active in October! They visited and trained thirteen agencies in the Rio Grande Valley (Brownsville, Alamo, McAllen, San Benito, Harlingen, Weslaco, and Laredo) and several agencies in Lubbock.

They also presented a session at the National Human Services Data Consortium Conference in Portland, Oregon, the premiere conference for HMIS administrators. Their presentation received rave reviews, and a number of other CoCs requested to talk with them more about what they are doing in the TX BoS CoC.

Great job, HMIS Team! See their popular video trainings on THN's YouTube channel .
Safety Net for Students and Families -- Grant Application

The Safety Nets for Students and Families grant application process is now open. The grants help service providers add capacity to meet the needs of children, youth, and families made homeless/displaced by Hurricane Harvey in all affected regions  except  Harris County.
 
Information about eligibility criteria, what the project aims to fund, and more is on the  project page .  For grant details, click on the red  Grant Applications button .
 
*Note: These grants are for community-based service providers, but schools may partner with service providers to apply.
 
The project will also provide free  training and technical assistance. C lick on the  Training & Technical Assistance button  to submit a request.

Funds were generously awarded through the Rebuild Texas Fund.

Safety Nets for Student Families is a joint project of: 
THN VISTA Program has 3 Project Openings!

Texas Homeless Network (THN) has opened 3 new project spaces for organizations and communities looking to expand their capacity and build new programming! If your organization has a project they need to start and could benefit from a full-time volunteer helping for 1-3 years for just $6,000, please contact Meagan Moore, VISTA Program Manager, at 512-861-2124 or meagan@thn.org.
What's Happening Across the TX BoS CoC?

Central Texas

Operation Stand Down – Central Texas Hosts Fall Stand Down for Homeless Veterans

North Texas

Denton Joins National Campaign to End Veteran Homelessness

West Texas

Mayor's Challenge to End Veteran Homelessness in Abilene Underway

Open Door Offers Resources, Rides to Help Homeless Population Vote

These articles were gathered from Google Alerts. If you have articles about your community's efforts to prevent and end homelessness that you want highlighted in our next newsletter, please email the articles to txboscoc@thn.org.
TX BoS CoC Lead Staff Recommend...

The following are resources TX BoS CoC Lead Staff have found in the last month that we feel would be beneficial in your local efforts to make homelessness rare, brief, and one time:

"Community Response Resources: Tools, Policies, and Templates for Addressing Unsheltered Homelessness"
CSH has released “Community Response Resources: Tools, Policies & Templates for Addressing Unsheltered Homelessness." Developing a coordinated strategy to address unsheltered homelessness can face challenges. This suite of tools is designed to assist communities in identifying and leveraging local champions and strengths, as well as to address challenges that may arise during the development and implementation of a comprehensive outreach and engagement system. CSH also held a webinar to discuss the resources.
Everyone In L.A. Toolkit
“Everyone In” is Los Angeles County’s coordinated effort to end homelessness. The toolkit shows how to get involved in their coalitions and CoC in as little as 2 minutes or as much as 1 hour. Check out their ideas, and share with your network!
Upcoming Events
NOVEMBER

Coordinated Entry Unplugged
Tuesday, 11/13, 10:00-11:00 AM by webinar

TX BoS CoC General Meeting
Wednesday, 11/14, 2:00 PM by webinar
Topic: Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) and Data
Click here to register.

THN Office Closed for Thanksgiving
Thursday, 11/22, and Friday, 11/23

Longitudinal System Analysis (LSA) Report Due to HUD
Friday, 11/30

DECEMBER

TX BoS CoC General Meeting
Wednesday, 12/12, 2:00 PM
Topic: Coordinated Entry
Click here to register.

Coordinated Entry Unplugged
Tuesday, 12/18

THN Office Closed
Friday, 12/21 through Friday, 1/4/2019

See more events on THN's Training and Events calendar for winter break
Anyone who works or lives in the CoC's geographic area, and all housing and homeless services projects in the CoC's geographic area, are considered to be members of the CoC. The CoC has an open invitation process, so members may join at any time.

THN invites members to participate in the CoC's activities. Learn more on the email list , the website , and social media .

Share this email with anyone you think may be interested!
CoC General Meeting Schedule

Stay informed about CoC happenings by participating in the monthly webinars. Each meeting will feature a topic that is important to preventing and ending homelessness. November's topic is HMIS and Data. Register here. See the schedule for dates, topics, and registration links.
CoC Program Funding

If you are a representative of a project that is interested in applying for United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Continuum of Care (CoC) Program funding, please contact txboscoc@thn.org .
The TX BoS CoC is a focus area of the Texas Homeless Network.