Texas Balance of State Continuum of Care News
December 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.
Coordinated Entry (CE) Steering Committee Nominations

We are launching the first CoC Committee of the new CoC Board structure! The Coordinated Entry Steering Committee will begin operating in the new year. We cannot effectively implement or operate a coordinated entry system without direct input from the communities we serve. This diverse committee will be formed by a representative of each of the 17 Coordinated Entry Planning Entities (CEPEs) in the CoC. 

Nominations to serve on this committee will be accepted from December 18th through January 18th. Nominations may only come from the CEPE in your region. For more information, read the details , reach out to your CEPE, or contact Tiffany Hart, Systems Change Coordinator, at Tiffany@thn.org .
 
The CoC Board will consider other CoC committees in the upcoming months, so stay tuned for opportunities to participate!
HMIS End-of-Year Run Down

Join us on Tuesday, December 18th, at 1:00 PM, for an end-of-year wrap-up covering the recent HMIS survey results, data quality and data security, and demonstrations of reporting and referrals. Only 100 spaces are available, so register today! Register here .
Diversion Pilot Project Training 

Abilene and Denton are two CoC communities that are a participating in the Built for Zero collaborative. They have worked together to develop the first community-designed and community-driven Diversion Pilot Project in the CoC! Diversion is a strategy to help people experiencing homelessness identify alternatives to entering the homeless services system. OrgCode Consulting will conduct trainings on December 11th in Denton and December 12th in Abilene. Required participants should have received a "save the date" and an RSVP email; if you have not, please contact  CE@thn.org  as soon as possible. 
TNOYS Seeking Presenters

Texas Network of Youth Services (TNOYS) is looking for presenters for their annual conference. This year, TNOYS
is once again fully integrating youth and adult partnerships into the fabric of the event, and priority will be given to sessions that showcase youth-adult partnerships, as well as engaging workshops on research and evidence-based practices.

Visit the  Call for Presenters web page  to learn more about the format of the conference presentations and workshops, as well as priority topic areas the agency hopes to incorporate. Applications  are being accepted through January 18th. 
CSH Seeking Presenters

CSH is seeking p resenter qualifications and session proposals for their 2019 Summit, April 30th-May 2nd
in Indianapolis, Indiana.

"CSH Summit 2019 will be action-oriented, 'Connecting the Dots' by aiming to advance multi, cross-sector cooperation, collaborations and partnerships that lead directly to supportive housing solutions and healthier communities. With supportive housing as the hub, we will tie together healthcare, education, workforce development, justice, behavioral health, community planning and other important fields."

Qualifications and proposals are due to CSH December 12th. See details to apply .
Grant Opportunity: Addressing the Opioid Crisis in Rural Counties

Rural Communities Opioid Response Program-Planning (RCORP-Planning) -- Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)

"The purpose of RCORP-Planning is to support treatment for and prevention of substance use disorder, including opioid use disorder (OUD), in rural counties at the highest risk for substance use disorder. The overall goal of RCORP-Planning is to reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with opioid overdoses in high-risk rural communities by multi-sector consortiums planning to strengthen their organizational and infrastructural capacity to address prevention, treatment, and recovery.

"RCORP-Planning is part of a multi-year opioid-focused effort by HRSA that will include: improving access to and recruitment of new substance use disorder providers; building sustainable treatment resources; increasing the use of tele-health; establishing cross-sector community partnerships; implementing new models of care, including integrated behavioral health; and providing technical assistance."

Read the Notice of Funding Opportunity and watch the technical assistance webinar on December 7th at 1:00 PM. $24 million is available, and HRSA expects to make 120 awards. Applications are due January 15th.
...Across the TX BoS CoC

Central Texas



East Texas



North Texas


South Texas


Corpus Christi: Walk A Mile in my Shoes


West Texas



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 Agency staff have found that we believe would be beneficial to your local efforts to make homelessness rare, brief, and one-time:

Housing Interventions:



Community engagement and collaboration:

Community Tool Box -- University of Kansas

Community Engagement Toolkit -- Opportunity 360/Enterprise Community Partners

Leadership Skills:


Upcoming Events
DECEMBER

Diversion Pilot Project Training
Tuesday, 12/11, in Denton
Wednesday, 12/12, in Abilene

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

National Alliance to End Homelessness
Emergency Shelter Learning Series:
Getting Your Board on Board with
Low-Barrier, Housing Focused Shelter
Thursday, 12/13, 1:00 PM, by webinar
Click here to register.
Click here for more information about the Emergency Shelter Learning Series.

Coordinated Entry Unplugged
Tuesday, 12/18, 10:00-11:00 AM, by webinar

HMIS End-of-Year Run-Down
Tuesday, 12/18, 1:00 PM, by webinar
Click here to register.

THN Office Closed
Friday, 12/21 through Monday, 12/31


JANUARY

THN Office Closed
Tuesday, 1/1 through Friday, 1/4

TX BoS CoC General Meeting
Wednesday, 1/9, 2:00 PM, by webinar
Topic: Homelessness Prevention and Diversion
Click here to register.

Coordinated Entry Unplugged
Tuesday, 1/22, 10:00-11:00 AM, by webinar

Point-In-Time (PIT) Count
Thursday, 1/24, across the CoC

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. December's topic is Coordinated Entry. 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.