Texas Balance of State Continuum of Care News
April 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
The next CoC General Meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 14th, from 2:00-3:30, by webinar.
  • Main Topic – HUD’s Continuum of Care (CoC) Program
  • Community Conversation – CoC Strategic Plan — opportunities for member input
  • Data Snapshot – TX BoS CoC’s Longitudinal Systems Analysis (LSA) Report

Register here. Get the meeting materials on our website. 

Everyone is invited to attend!
Recruiting image
Join the Independent Review Team (IRT) 

THN has begun our recruitment for the Independent Review Team (IRT) for the 2021 CoC Program competition. We are seeking direct service providers (case managers, intake workers, shelter staff, etc.) and community stakeholders for a PAID opportunity to influence CoC programming within the BoS.
If you are interested, please complete the Google Form.
 
Feel free to share this information with people who have lived experience of homelessness and other community stakeholders.
Voting now open to elect new members
of the Community Investment Committee
If you live and/or work in the TX BoS CoC, please take a moment to vote for your regional Community Investment Committee representative. The deadline to vote is Thursday, April 22, 2021, at 11:59:59 PM. 

To submit your vote, fill out the Community Investment Committee Ballot.

The CIC is a committee of the TX BoS CoC. Its purpose is to evaluate applications for funding and professional development opportunities that THN, as the CoC Lead Agency for the TX BoS CoC, makes available to CoC members. The committee will make decisions that ensure equitable access to those opportunities.
TX BoS CoC Strategic Plan Available
for Public Comment - April 15th

To submit a public comment, or to review the proposed Strategic Plan, visit our Public Comment Portal beginning on April 15th, and click on "Items Open for Public Comment". We will also be sending a survey to the CoC's email list to gather input on the Strategic Plan. 

There will be two public comment periods: April 15 - May 5 and May 13 - June 2.

In July, THN will host an online Community Planning Session that will give communities an opportunity to create their own Local Action Plans based on the TX BoS CoC Strategic Plan. Watch for updates on how to participate! 

The plan will be presented to the TX BoS CoC Board for approval in September.
HUD Listserv Update

Effective immediately, HUD’s Office of Special Needs Assistance Programs (SNAPS) will use two different listservs on HUD’s website to communicate information regarding information developed by HUD/SNAPS concerning:
  • Continuum of Care (CoC) Program;
  • Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) Programs;
  • Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP);
  • Other Notices of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) developed by SNAPS; and
  • Any other information related to SNAPS programs and the work to end homelessness.
 
Information and guidance produced by HUD technical assistance providers regarding SNAPS programs remain on the HUD Exchange, and new information will continue to appear. But documents and communication written by SNAPS will no longer be sent through the HUD Exchange listserv. Please communicate this information to your homeless services organizations, local government contacts, interested stakeholders, etc.
 
To subscribe to the SNAPS Competitions listserv please click on this link.

To subscribe to the SNAPS Program Information listserv please click on this link.
Denton Takes on the 100 Day Challenge

Starting April 1, Denton County is working together to house every Veteran experiencing homelessness in Denton County in 100 days! For the last couple of years, the Denton community has worked to identify Veterans experiencing homelessness, build connections and resources and gain funding in order to #HouseDentonCoHeroes.

To learn more about how you can help end Veteran homelessness, visit their website. 
Important Dates
April

CoC General Meeting
Wednesday, April 14, 2021, 2:00 - 3:30 PM
Topic: HUD’s Continuum of Care (CoC) Program, including FY 2021 competition
Register here

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

Change Starts at Home: Creating a Local Homeless Coalition (LHC) to Address Community Homelessness
Tuesday. April 13, 2021, 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
Across Texas, the urge to act, organize, or advocate on behalf of and with people experiencing homelessness has grown, even in corners of the state where homelessness appears nonexistent.
Register here

April 2021 CESC Meeting
Tuesday, April 20, 2021, 10:15 AM - 11:45 AM
*Closed Meeting

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



MAY

Executive Committee of the CoC Board Meeting
Thursday, May 6, 2021, 2:00 - 3:30 PM
*Closed Meeting

TX BoS CoC Board Meeting
Wednesday, May 26, 2021, 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
*Closed Meeting



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
Opportunities & Funding
Funding Opportunities

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

The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (the Department) proposes amendments to 10 TAC §7.33, Apportionment of ESG Funds. Under the proposed rule change, The 2021 allocation of ESG funds received by TDHCA will be offered to eligible Subrecipients of ESG funds that were awarded funds under the 2020 ESG NOFA. ESG Funds were allocated to the following sub-recipients in the 2020 Allocation.

The public comment period will be held from March 19, 2021, to April 22, 2021, to receive input on the proposed amendments. Written comments may be submitted to the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs, Attn: Abigail Versyp, Rule Comments, P.O. Box 13941, Austin, Texas 8711-3941, by fax to (512) 475-0220, or email abigail.versyp@tdhca.state.tx.us. 

ALL COMMENTS MUST BE RECEIVED BY 5:00 p.m., CST, April 22, 2021.
Free CSH Webinar: Introduction
to Housing Navigation

This self-paced training is aimed at health centers that are new to the role of housing navigation. This course will walk through how to connect persons experiencing homelessness to housing and support services and explore the role of a health center housing navigator.
What's Happening across the TX BoS CoC?
South
 
North
 
East
 
West


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:
HUD Releases 2020 Annual Homeless Assessment Report Part 1

"The report found that between 2019 and 2020, homelessness increased significantly among unsheltered populations and people experiencing chronic homelessness. Veteran homelessness did not decrease compared with 2019, and homelessness among family households did not decrease for the first time since 2010. The report also found that people of color are significantly over-represented among people experiencing homelessness."
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 TX BoS CoC "Get Involved" page. 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 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.