What is a Continuum of Care (CoC)?

When we talk about ending homelessness, you may hear us use the term “Continuum of Care” or CoC. But what does that really mean?

A Continuum of Care is a local or regional network that brings together service providers, policymakers, and community leaders who are working toward the same goal: preventing and ending homelessness. Instead of individual organizations working in silos, the CoC helps coordinate efforts across housing, health care, employment, education, and other supports families and individuals need to thrive. This community-wide effort is designed to promote access to and effective utilization of services by avoiding duplication of efforts and enabling a coordinated collection of data via HMIS (Homeless Management Information System).

Each CoC is unique in how it’s organized. Some are led by a city or county government, others by coalitions of nonprofits or housing authorities. But they all share common responsibilities:

• Funding: CoCs apply for and distribute federal funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). These dollars support shelters, rapid rehousing, permanent supportive housing, and other critical programs.

• Policy: CoCs create local plans and priorities for how to best address homelessness in their community. They use data to understand trends, identify gaps in services, and guide decision-making.

• Services: CoCs coordinate a wide range of supports—from emergency shelters to case management to long-term housing solutions—so that families and individuals don’t fall through the cracks.

Here in Durham, the Durham CoC brings together city and county officials, nonprofit organizations like Families Moving Forward, healthcare providers, The Durham Housing Authority, and many others. Together, we focus on building a community-wide system of care that can respond to the diverse needs of people experiencing homelessness.

The Durham CoC not only directs federal and local funding but also shapes policies that guide how resources are used. The CoC is responsible for providing the following:

• Outreach, Intake, and Assessment of those currently experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness. This initial contact provides information to identify housing and services needs and barriers.

• Short-term Emergency Shelter, Eviction Diversion, Rapid Rehousing. In Durham, FMF is the primary shelter for families with children, serving up to 20 families at a time. These services are designed to be temporary.

• Transitional and Permanent Supportive Housing. Families and individuals with multiple or complex barriers to permanent housing may be referred to programs that have additional services or skill-building components, in addition to longer-term housing

• Permanent Housing.

At Families Moving Forward, we are proud to be an active part of the Durham CoC. It’s one more way we make sure that families in our community don’t just find housing. They find stability, opportunity, and hope.