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.

The next CoC General Meeting will be held on February 10th, from 2:00-3:30.

Main topic — CoC Gaps Analysis by Homebase

Community Conversation — Responding to COVID-19

For accessibility needs, contact Mary Stahlke at mary@thn.org or 512-861-2180.

The position can be located anywhere in Texas, with preference given to people who live and work in the TX BoS CoC. The position provides flexibility to work from a remote location without the standard support available at an office. Read More and Apply Now

If you are interested in serving on the IRT, please complete this Google Form.

The TX BoS CoC Board recently voted to increase regional representation from one (1) committee representative per region to two (2) per region. Six (6) seats are open, one from each region. Nominations are open to anyone who lives or works in the TX BoS CoC until 11:59:59 PM on Sunday, February 28, 2021.

To nominate yourself or someone else, please fill out this form. 

Questions about this process can be directed to jim@thn.org. 

The annual Housing Inventory Count (HIC) is underway!

If you represent an Emergency Shelter, Transitional Housing, Rapid Re-Housing, or Permanent Supportive Housing project, ensure that your HIC is submitted by 2/11/21.  

Enter data into the Submission Portal: https://hicsurvey.thn.org/ or Ask a HIC Question

Beyond this survey, we also invite you to email samantha@thn.org with any more information or feedback you have about this year's conference.

The Fiscal Year 2020 CoC Program funding process has been abridged because of COVID-19. On January 29th, 2021, HUD announced a non-competitive process to distribute funds to current CoC Program-funded projects whose current grants expire in calendar year 2021. For more information, please visit the HUD Exchange

The Supreme Court of Texas has established the Texas Eviction Diversion Program (TEDP). With funding allocated by Governor Greg Abbott through the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs, the program seeks to reduce the number of evictions by enabling landlords and tenants to agree upon a resolution to non-payment of rent issues.

Read more here

The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs has announced more than $61 million has been awarded to approximately 50 organizations to assist people experiencing homelessness or at-risk of homelessness. Funds were made possible through the Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) Program as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act passed in March 2020. Read more here 

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Find Shelter tool provides information about housing, shelter, health care, and clothing resources in communities across the country. Check out the tool here

Register here

With over 80% of families experiencing homelessness also being survivors of domestic violence, it is imperative that housing and homeless advocates have tools to support these vulnerable families. This workshop will equip participants to understand state and federal laws and regulations that protect survivors in housing, including the role of Coordinated Entry in supporting housing access.

Register here

March 2021 Executive Committee of the CoC Board

See more events on THN's Training and Events calendar.

Our webinar platform is Adobe Connect, please make sure you are using the most up to date software from Adobe's Downloads and Updates page

Check out the page on THN's website for the full descriptions of currently available funding options here.

Sign up to be a HAD participant and/or Captain here. 

The RGK Center at the LBJ School of Public Affairs has opened their application portal for the Summer 2021 cohort of its CONNECT Program. Through this program, the RGK Center pairs agencies that are looking for data assistance with an LBJ student. Organizations are expected to make a financial contribution toward program fellowships, but inability to make a financial contribution does not prohibit participation. You do not have to have your projects fully conceptualized to apply. The deadline is March 19th.

Click here for more information and to fill out the application.

Kaufman County to Participate in the 2021 Point-in-Time Homeless Count (Kaufman County)

'The numbers have grown': Victoria's annual homeless count takes place amid pandemic (Victoria County)

Central

Network attempts to quantify local homeless (Williamson County)

Salvation Army of Lufkin reopens facility for homeless population (Angelina County)

Abilene stays at ‘functional zero’ for homelessness (Taylor County)

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 to be highlighted in our next newsletter, please email the articles to txboscoc@thn.org.

CoC Programs Coordinator, Kraig Blaize-Fiero recommends:

from the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC)

"This document outlines key considerations and answers frequently asked questions for states and local jurisdictions as they plan to distribute the $25 billion in emergency rental assistance. While this new infusion of emergency rental assistance is inadequate to keep all impacted renters stably housed for an extended time, it is a significant down payment on meeting tenants’ longer-term needs. Here, we provide recommendations for program administrators and advocates to ensure marginalized populations can access emergency rental assistance, those with the greatest needs are prioritized for assistance, and assistance is distributed in an equitable manner"

Systems Change Manager, Linda Xiong, recommends:

"Orchestrating Systems-Level Change in the Battle Against COVID-19"

Get Involved

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.

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.

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.