Texas Balance of State Continuum of Care News
June 2021
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 Local Homeless Coalitions (LHCs) that plan, deliver, and evaluate local systems.
Announcements

TX BoS CoC General Meeting

The CoC General Meeting will be held on Wednesday, June 9th, 2:00-3:30, by webinar.
  • Main Topic – Diversion and Systems Change
  • Community Conversation – CoC General Meetings and BoS Newsletter
  • Data Snapshot – 2021 PIT Count Data

Register here. Get the meeting materials on the website. Everyone is invited!
colorful hands
2021 CoC Board Nominations Being Accepted

Have you experienced homelessness? Do you have expertise in homeless assistance? Do you want to get more involved in the TX BoS CoC’s work? If so, run for a seat on the CoC Board! The CoC is accepting nominations for 8 Board seats to guide the CoC: 

  • Seat 1 -- Persons with lived experience of homelessness
  • Seat 3 -- Chronically homeless persons
  • Seat 5 -- Homeless youth
  • Seat 7 -- Mental/behavioral health
  • Seat 9 -- Local government
  • Seat 11 -- Public Housing Agency
  • Seat 13 -- Business
  • Seat 15 -- Texas Interagency Council for the Homeless or State government agency
 
The CoC Board determines the policy direction of the CoC and ensures that the CoC fulfills its responsibilities. Additionally, the Board oversees the work of CoC committees and the CoC Lead Agency and HMIS Lead Agency (THN). Board members also stay informed about how the CoC is performing on preventing and ending homelessness, and they serve as liaisons between the CoC and the counties and sub-populations they represent. The CoC Board has historically met by webinar for two hours per month and in person for one day in October or November for an orientation session.

The Board needs members with varying skills, expertise, and backgrounds to represent the diversity of people experiencing homelessness in the CoC. Anyone who lives and/or works in the CoC’s geographic area is a CoC general member and may run for a seat on the Board. See more guidance about elections in the CoC Board Requirements Policy.


The deadline for nominations is June 22, 2021, at 11:59 P.M.

General members will vote in August, and Board members will start their term in October. 
If you have questions, contact Mary Stahlke at mary@thn.org. 
Meet the Newest Team Member
Selma headshot
THN welcomes Selma D'Mello to the team! Selma is the Database Coordinator, working with the TX BoS CoC. She holds a Bachelor’s in Political Science from the University of Bombay and has a post-graduate diploma in Systems Management.

Her background is in Software Quality. Selma has been a Release coordinator, Database Archiving Lead, and most recently, a Program Lead for User Acceptance Testing. She is skilled at serving as a liaison between IT and business users. She has a passion for making a positive difference in the lives of the marginalized community.
Mandatory Coordinated Entry (CE) Refresher Training

The Data and Systems Change teams will be hosting a mandatory Coordinated Entry refresher training on June 29th and 30th. During this training session, we will cover an
in-depth review of the intake process, as well as Coordinated Entry statuses, the exit workflow, and when to switch between different workgroups in HMIS. Both training sessions will be identical, and CE HMIS users should register to attend one of the following sessions:


If you have any questions, please email them to the CE Team at ce@thn.org.
Apply to present
Apply to Present at the Conference

Application deadline extended to June 18th

THN is searching for presentations that are creative, interactive, and audience-engaged for our upcoming annual Texas Conference on Ending Homelessness. We are seeking 1.5-hour presentations that are innovative, inspiring, and informative for homeless service providers across our great state. Apply today for your chance to educate your peers and grow your network.
Submit Your Award Nominations
Awards graphic
We know there are countless unsung heroes among us, and we want to uplift them with you. Nominate an individual or agency in your community that you want to see receive a 2021 THN Annual Award.
Join the Ending Veteran Homelessness Committee

Are you passionate about ending Veteran homelessness in your community? Are you a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces? Do you have lived experience with homelessness?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you are the type of partner we need to end Veteran homelessness across the entire TX BoS CoC!

The CoC Board has voted to approve a committee dedicated to ending Veteran homelessness. Recruitment for this committee is now open. If you are interested in becoming part of the team that will implement and monitor a plan to end Veteran homelessness, fill out this interest form to express your interest. 
Join us to End Youth Homelessness

Exciting news! THN is building a team dedicated to ending youth homelessness in our community.

Are you passionate about ending youth homelessness in your community? Are you under the age of 24? Do you have lived experience with homelessness?

If so, you would be a great addition to the team across the TX BoS CoC.

If you are interested in becoming part of a team that will work to create a system to end Youth homelessness, fill out this interest form. 
Community Planning Session Now Open for Registration

Do you want help developing a Local Action Plan to create change within your community's homeless services? Community members, with assistance from Homebase staff and THN staff, will have an opportunity to create a plan for improving their local responses to homelessness. The local plans will also contribute to meeting the overall goals in the CoC Strategic Plan.

July 14th, 2021, 2:00-5:00 PM

Due to capacity, we may not be able to accommodate every community. If your community would like to participate, please register by June 18th.

Communities that want to participate and have not registered by June 18th may be added to a waitlist for potential future Community Planning Sessions. Individuals registering without other participating community members may be added to an extra session for individuals that want to learn about the process.

We encourage anyone interested in participating to invite other members of their community to attend. For more information, email Mary Stahlke at mary@thn.org.

Prioritizing Emergency Rental Assistance Equitably

Housing leaders are grappling with how to design and/or scale up programs to deliver emergency rental assistance funds equitably and in a manner that reaches households most at risk of housing instability and homelessness.

The Urban institute has created an Emergency Rental Assistance Priority Index, a tool that emphasizes an equitable approach, accounting for risk factors that are higher for certain groups, particularly Black, Indigenous, and Latinx renters. These groups have been historically and systematically excluded from housing and economic opportunities and face greater health and economic impacts from COVID-19.

Local decision-makers can use this tool to inform a community-based process to target areas where resources are likely to have the greatest impact on reducing housing instability and homelessness. Search for your county or CoC to see which neighborhoods should be prioritized. You can also watch a recorded webinar about communities that are equitably providing emergency rental assistance.
Important Dates
JUNE

CoC General Meeting
Wednesday, June 9, 2021, 2:00-3:30 PM
Topic: Systems Change and How We Are Ending Homelessness
Register here

Executive Committee of the CoC Board Meeting
Thursday, June 3, 2021, 2:00-3:30 PM
*Closed Meeting

Coordinated Entry Steering Committee Meeting
Tuesday, June 15, 2021, 10:15-11:45 AM
*Closed Meeting

Strategic Planning Committee Meeting
Thursday, June 17, 2021, 2:00-3:30 PM
*Closed Meeting

Data Committee Meeting
Tuesday, June 22, 2021, 1:00-2:30 PM
The TX BoS CoC will be hosting a virtual meeting for the Data Committee (DC). The Data Committee provides data-driven insight and education to multiple groups/stakeholders about homelessness in the Texas Balance of State.
*Closed Meeting

TX BoS CoC Board Meeting
Wednesday, June 23, 2021, 2:00-3:30 PM
*Closed Meeting

Coordinated Entry Refresher Training #1 (Mandatory for all CE HMIS Users)
Tuesday 29 June 2021, 1:30- 3:30 PM
This training is intended for all Coordinated Entry HMIS users, including both entry points and receiving agencies. According to HUD Notice CPD-17-01.
Who Should Attend: All CE HMIS Users
Register here

Coordinated Entry Refresher Training #2 (Mandatory for all CE HMIS Users)
Wednesday 30 June 2021, 1:30-3:30 PM
This training is intended for all Coordinated Entry HMIS users, including both entry points and receiving agencies. According to HUD Notice CPD-17-01.
Who Should Attend: All CE HMIS Users
Register here

JULY

*No CoC General Meeting in July

Executive Committee of the CoC Board Meeting
Thursday July 1, 2021, 2:00-3:30 PM
*Closed Meeting

Homeless Eligibility and Verification #1
Wednesday July 7, 2021, 2:00-3:30 PM
THN will facilitate this training to support service providers and Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) with the administration of the Emergency Housing Voucher (EHV) program.
Who Should Attend: Service Providers PHA's participating in the EHV program
Register here

Homeless Eligibility and Verification #2
Thursday July 8, 2021, 2:00-3:30 PM
THN will facilitate this training to support service providers and Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) with the administration of the Emergency Housing Voucher (EHV) program.
Who Should Attend: Service Providers PHA's participating in the EHV program
Register here

TX BoS CoC Board Meeting
Wednesday July 28, 2021, 2:00-3:30 PM
*Closed Meeting


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Opportunities & Funding
Funding Opportunities

Check out the page on THN's website for the full descriptions of currently available funding options here.
Environmental 101: An Intro to HUD’s Environmental Review Process

June 16, 2021, 9:30-11:30 a.m. CST
HUD’s Office of Environment and Energy (OEE) Region VI Team is offering this virtual
2-hour training session, which will provide an introduction to HUD’s environmental review process under Part 58. This session is intended for local/parish/state/tribal government and public housing authority staff who are completely new, or relatively new, to HUD’s environmental procedures. In other words, if you have ever attended the traditional 3-day Part 58 course HUD offers, this will not be the session for you. (Please note that this is the first in a series of topics that will be provided during the remainder of this federal fiscal year which will go more in-depth on specific, more complex, environmental review topics.) 
What's Happening 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 to be 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 at THN believe would be beneficial to your efforts to make homelessness rare, brief, and one-time.


This month's recommendations come from Mary Stahlke, Asst. Director of Engagement:

"Gearing up for Summer and Fall: 11 Tips for Maximizing Support for Students with Experience in Foster Care and Homelessness in Higher Education During the Pandemic"
With vaccines and many campuses opening their doors for summer and the fall, this resource by SchoolHouse Connection and Youth Law Center provides helpful tips for maximizing support for college homeless and foster youth. Planning for the school year is complicated, and young people need our help to make the best decisions possible.

"Pathways to Partnership: Higher Education"
To help ease the transition from high school to college, this updated guide is designed to help homeless liaisons and homeless service providers gain a basic understanding of some important higher education programs, including those programs that have specific requirements on homelessness; and create and sustain higher education partnerships. 
Get Involved
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 "Get Involved" page. Presentations by and conversations between CoC members and staff on relevant topics keep members informed and updated.

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 U.S. 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.