Texas Balance of State Continuum of Care News
November 2020
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 28 Local Homeless Coalitions (LHCs) that plan, deliver, and evaluate local systems.
Announcements
New 2020-21 TX BoS CoC Board Members
 
Congratulations to the newly elected CoC Board members! They will join the continuing members in leading the CoC, guiding policy, and overseeing the CoC's work. Read more about the members. The picture below is from the virtual meeting where new members and current members got to know each other.
 
Thanks to all the nominees who ran for a seat on the board. Our CoC is stronger because of your work, and we look forward to continuing our partnership with you.
 
Thanks, too, to everyone who voted! We received a record number of votes this year, and we appreciate your participation.
Public comment is now open for the annual CoC Governance Charter review. You can check out the proposed version of the charter on the THN website’s Public Comment portal, and submit your comments.
 

The schedule for public comment submission is as follows:
Round 2 - 11/5 to 11/18
Round 3 - 11/26 to 12/9

In January the CoC Board will consider approving the proposed changes.

A public comment period allows stakeholders within the TX BoS CoC to review proposed changes to items such as policies or standards and provide input on those changes and potential impacts of the changes. Stakeholders are any persons who live or work in the CoC’s geographic area and have an interest in preventing and ending homelessness. If you live or work in the TX BoS CoC, we want to hear from you!
New Coordinated Entry Resources!

Coordinated Entry Videos on YouTube

Are you interested in learning more about Coordinated Entry (CE) and how it works in the TX BoS CoC? Do you need to refresh your understanding of CE? We've added two videos (about 20 minutes each) to THN's YouTube channel for all to watch and learn. Click the images below to watch the videos!
If you have any questions or comments about the videos, please contact the Systems Change Team at CE@THN.org

Note: Watching these videos does not replace the separate and formal CE training process for agencies and staff members involved in a local CE process.
Coordinated Entry Data Guide

The Coordinated Entry Data Guide walks HMIS users through the Diversion and Coordinated Entry Workflows in HMIS. This document is a resource guide for Assessors at Entry Points and staff members at Receiving Agencies. Click the image to read the document!

If you have any questions or comments about the Coordinated Entry Data Guide, please contact HMIS@THN.org.
Revised Anti-Discrimination and Equal Access Policy Approved

In order to best serve participants in homeless services in the TX BoS CoC, the CoC Board has approved revisions to the CoC’s Anti-Discrimination and Equal Access Policy.

The policy is posted on THN's website:

The board has expanded this policy to apply to all projects in the CoC in order to ensure equal access to all people experiencing homelessness, enhance system planning regarding racial equity, and improve the CoC’s efforts to prevent and end homelessness for everyone, regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, disability, age, gender, LGBTQIA status, or marital status. 

Click here to download a printable flyer for your organization: 

If you have questions, please contact txboscoc@thn.org.
New Governance Specialist

Please join us in welcoming Margaret Hill to our team! 

Her role involves improving engagement between THN as the lead agency of the TX BoS CoC and homeless service providers within the CoC, through development of the CoC’s governance structure and processes. She began at THN as an Americorps VISTA member and is excited to continue the work she began during her VISTA year. 
Important Dates
NOVEMBER

Homelessness During a Pandemic: Updates and a Look Forward for Texas Service Providers
Tuesday, November 10, 2020 2:00:00 PM CST - 3:30:00 PM CST
The COVID-19 outbreak has altered our society in many ways. For those experiencing homelessness and the agencies that work with them, these changes have been life-threatening, not to mention frustrating. The community has innovated quickly in many regards, but there are still many limitations on what can be done. This panel of experts will serve as both a premature retrospective on the course of the outbreak for the community experiencing homelessness and a look forward to the winter and beyond.

*No CoC General Meeting in November

November 2020 CESC Meeting
Tuesday 17 November 2020, 10:15 AM - 11:45 AM
The CESC provides direct support and guidance to the CoC’s systems change efforts
*Closed Meeting

Victim Service Provider Committee Kick-Off Meeting
Tuesday 17 November 2020, 01:30 PM - 02:30 PM
The goal of the Victim Service Provider Committee (VSPC) is to coordinate, support, and strengthen the coordination between Victim Service Providers (VSP) and the TX BoS CoC homelessness response system.
*Closed Meeting

November 2020 TX BoS CoC Board Meeting
Wednesday 18 November 2020, 02:00 PM - 04:00 PM
*Closed Meeting

DECEMBER

December 2020 General Meeting
Wednesday 9 December 2020, 02:00 PM - 03:30 PM
Topic: Ending Veteran Homelessness: Identification, Outreach, and Engagement
Register Here

December 2020 CESC Meeting
Tuesday 15 December 2020, 10:15 AM - 11:45 AM
The CESC provides direct support and guidance to the CoC’s systems change efforts
*Closed Meeting

December 2020 TX BoS CoC Board Meeting
Wednesday 16 December 2020, 02:00 PM - 03:30 PM
*Closed Meeting

JANUARY

*No CoC General Meeting in January

January 2021 CESC Meeting
Tuesday 19 January 2021, 10:15 AM - 11:45 AM
The CESC provides direct support and guidance to the CoC’s systems change efforts
*Closed Meeting

2021 Point-In-Time Count
Thursday 28, January 2021
For more information on how you or your community can get involved, please email Kyra Henderson, Data Coordinator, at kyra@thn.org

Opportunities & Funding
Open Funding Opportunities

We are adding a new section to our website to help collect all funding opportunities made available to Texas including city, state, and federal programs.

In the meantime check out this PDF of all current available funding options here

THN is seeking a consultant who will evaluate the Coordinated Entry System in the Texas Balance of State Continuum of Care (TX BoS CoC) against HUD guidance and best practices. The evaluator will make recommendations for next steps in the 215-county region of the TX BoS CoC. This evaluation must include in-depth participant and provider feedback. Responses are due November 8th, 2020 @ 11:59:59 P.M. CST.

Find out more here

THN, acting as the lead agency for the Texas Balance of State Continuum of Care (TX BoS CoC), is seeking a consultant to perform a review of the existing CoC Program Competition Policies and past TX BoS CoC performance to make recommendations for improvement. This work will be done with the support of TX BoS CoC staff and committees. Responses are due November 8th, 2020 @ 11:59:59 P.M. CST.

Find out more here

Coming Soon!
Texas Homeless Network Brings Barrier Fund to TX BoS CoC 

The Texas Homeless Network is thrilled to announce that staff are working to establish a Barriers Fund that will provide financial resources to the TX BoS CoC. Funded by the Community Services Block Grant CARES Act State Discretionary Funds (CSBG-CV-D), the Barriers Fund will provide direct services to low-income households that are homeless or at-risk of homelessness. 

The projected application release date is January 6, 2021. 

Additional education and training around the Barriers Fund will be provided in the upcoming months, so be sure to join our outreach list if you are interested in receiving future program announcements. You can also visit the Barriers Fund webpage for more information on agency eligibility criteria and participant expectations. 

Anja Taylor, Barriers Fund Coordinator, is here to support communities who have questions about the Barriers Fund. If you have questions, please email: anja@thn.org
Across the TX BoS CoC...
North

South


East

West

Central

These articles were gathered from Google Alerts and emails sent directly to us. 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.
Staff Recommendations
The following are resources TX BoS CoC Lead Agency staff have found that we believe would be beneficial to your local efforts to make homelessness rare, brief, and one-time:
This month's recommendation comes from our Assistant Director of Planning, Jim Ward -

Winter is fast approaching. Some parts of Texas have already seen snow accumulations on the ground. While a break from the Texas heat is generally a welcome relief, extreme cold can have a deadly impact on those experiencing unsheltered homelessness. This HUD policy brief looks at alternatives to the typical Cold Weather Shelter model during COVID-19. If your community is interested in initiating any type of Cold Weather Shelter, contact jim@thn.org
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. CoC General Meeting minutes and recordings are posted on THN's website, in the TX BoS CoC "Get Involved" page at https://www.thn.org/texas-balance-state-continuum-care/get-involved/. Presentations by and conversations between CoC members and staff on relevant topics keep members informed and up-to-date.

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

Stay informed about CoC happenings by participating in the bi-monthly webinars. Each meeting will feature a topic that is important to preventing and ending homelessness. See the Get Involved page for dates, topics, and registration links.
CoC Program Funding

If you are a representative of an agency 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.