About Us

What is a CoC?

The Continuum of Care (CoC) is a regional authority established by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to address homelessness within a specific geographical area. The CoC Program was first codified under the HEARTH Act of 2009 and then later clarified under the CoC Program Interim Rule (24 CFR 578).

The CoC is composed of a network of service providers, government agencies, and community organizations that work together to create a comprehensive system of services and resources for individuals and families experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

The purpose of the CoC is to:

  1. Promote a community-wide commitment to the goal of ending homelessness;

  2. Provide funding for efforts by nonprofit organization and State and local governments to quickly rehouse homeless individuals and families while minimizing the trauma and dislocation caused to individuals, families, and communities by homelessness;

  3. Promote access to and effective utilization of mainstream programs by homeless individuals and families; and

  4. Optimize self-sufficiency among individuals and families experiencing homelessness.

Roles & Responsibilities

CoC Board

The CoC Board is the governing body established to act on behalf of the CoC General Membership. The Board acts in accordance with the process established by the Governance Charter and as required by 24 CFR 578.7(a)(3) and the conflict-of-interest requirements in 24 CFR 578.95(b). The CoC Board is the designated entity for implementing the HEARTH Act and CoC Program Interim Rule within the designated CoC.

General Membership

The CoC General Membership is composed of individuals and organizations that represent and operate within the CoC geographical area and make up the region’s homelessness response system. This may include nonprofit homeless providers, victim service providers, faith-based organizations, governments, businesses and local Chambers of Commerce, advocates, public housing agencies, school districts, social service providers, mental health agencies, Tribes, hospitals and healthcare partners, people with lived experience of homelessness, culturally specific organizations, universities, affordable housing developers, and law enforcement. Each CoC decides what constitutes its general membership and is outlined within their Governance Charter.

Workgroups & Committees

The CoC Board will appoint committees, subcommittees, and working groups when necessary. Committees and advisory workgroups may be appointed to assist the Collaborative Applicant and inform the CoC Board. They may be tasked with preparing periodic reports or presentations and making policy, funding, or other recommendations to the Board, and otherwise carry out CoC activities. These responsibilities vary between CoCs and are detailed within their respective Governance Charter.

HMIS Lead

The Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) is a comprehensive database designed to collect and manage client, program, and service-level data across a Continuum of Care (CoC). The HMIS Lead is the organization that is responsible for establishing, supporting, and managing HMIS in a manner that meets HUD’s standards for data quality, privacy, and security. Additional responsibilities of the HMIS Lead are detailed in 24 CFR 578.7(b).

CES Lead

The Coordinated Entry System (CES) is a standardized framework mandated by HUD and designed to assess, score, prioritize, and refer individuals and families at risk of or experiencing homelessness to available housing resources. The CES Lead is the organization that is responsible for establishing, supporting, and managing the CES in a manner that meets HUD’s standards identified in 24 CFR 578.3, CPD-17-01, and CPD-16-11.

Collaborative Applicant

The Collaborative Applicant is the entity the CoC designates to submit the annual CoC Program Competition application, apply for planning funds on its behalf, and administer HUD annual requirements. This includes, but is not limited to, the Point-in-Time Count, the Housing Inventory Count, the System Performance Measures, etc. An overview of the annual HUD activities are available on the HUD Exchange website. These responsibilities may vary between CoCs and are detailed within the CoC’s Governance Charter.

Administrative Entity

The Administrative Entity is the legal entity that enters into signed contract agreements, applies for funding, and accepts funding on behalf of the CoC and Collaborative Applicant. The Collaborative Applicant and the Administrative Entity often work closely together. These responsibilities vary between CoCs and are detailed within the CoC’s Governance Charter.

Meet the Merced CoC

Collaborative Applicant Staff
Board Members
General Membership
Committees and Workgroups

California CoC Regions

The HUD has designated 44 CoCs within the state of California. The Merced City & County Continuum of Care (CA-520) operates within the geographical region of Merced County.

Definitions

Services provided by the CoC utilize HUD’s definitions of homeless and at risk of homelessness as detailed in 24 CFR 578.3.

Homeless Definition

  • An individual or family who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, meaning:

    1. Has a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not meant for human habitation; or

    2. Is living in a publicly or privately operated shelter designated to provide temporary living arrangements (including congregate shelters, transitional housing, and hotels and motels paid for by charitable organizations or by federal, state and local government programs); or

    3. Is exiting an institution where (s)he has resided for 90 days or less and who resided in an emergency shelter or place not meant for human habitation immediately before entering that institution.

    Note: An individual or family only needs to meet one of the three subcategories listed above to qualify as homeless under Category 1.

  • An individual or family who will imminently lose their primary nighttime residence, provided that:

    1. Residence will be lost within 14 days of the date of application for homeless assistance;

    2. No subsequent residence has been identified; and

    3. The individual or family lacks the resources or support networks needed to obtain other permanent housing.

    Note: This includes individuals and families who are within 14 days of losing their housing, including housing they own, rent, are sharing with others, or are living in without paying rent.

  • Unaccompanied youth under 25 years of age, or families with Category 3 children and youth, who do not otherwise qualify as homeless under this definition, but who:

    1. Are defined as homeless under the other listed federal statutes;

    2. Have not had a lease, ownership interest in permanent housing during the 60 days prior to the homeless assistance application;

    3. Have experienced persistent instability as measured by two moves or more during in the preceding 60 days; and

    4. Can be expected to continue in such status for an extended period of time due to special needs or barriers

    Note: HUD has not authorized any CoC to serve the homeless under Category 3. HUD determines and approves the use of CoC Program funds to serve this population based on each CoC’s Consolidated Application.

  • Any individual or family who:

    1. Is fleeing, or is attempting to flee, domestic violence;

    2. Has no other residence; and

    3. Lacks the resources or support networks to obtain other permanent housing

    Note: “Domestic Violence” includes dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, and other dangerous or life-threatening conditions that relate to violence against the individual or family member that either takes place in, or him or her afraid to return to, their primary nighttime residence (including human trafficking).

At Risk of Homelessness Definition

  • An individual or family who:

    1. Has an annual income below 30 percent of median family income for the area, as determined by HUD;

    2. Does not have sufficient resources or support networks, e.g., family, friends, faith-based or other social networks, immediately available to prevent them from moving to an emergency shelter or another place described under category 1 of the “Homeless” definition in this section; and

    3. Meets one of the following conditions:

      • Has moved because of economic reasons two or more times during the 60 days immediately preceding the application for homelessness prevention assistance;

      • Is living in the home of another because of economic hardship;

      • Has been notified in writing that their right to occupy their current housing or living situation will be terminated within 21 days of the date of application for assistance;

      • Lives in a hotel or motel and the cost of the hotel or motel stay is not paid by charitable organizations or by federal, State, or local government programs for low-income individuals;

      • Lives in a single-room occupancy or efficiency apartment unit in which there reside more than two persons, or lives in a larger housing unit in which there reside more than 1.5 people per room, as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau;

      • Is exiting a publicly funded institution, or system of care (such as a health-care facility, a mental health facility, foster care or other youth facility, or correction program or institution); or

      • Otherwise lives in housing that has characteristics associated with instability and an increased risk of homelessness, as identified in the recipient's approved consolidated plan;

  • A child or youth who does not qualify as “homeless” under this section, but qualifies as “homeless” under section 387(3) of the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (42 U.S.C. 5732a(3)), section 637(11) of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9832(11)), section 41403(6) of the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (42 U.S.C. 14043e-2(6)), section 330(h)(5)(A) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254b(h)(5)(A)), section 3(m) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2012(m)), or section 17(b)(15) of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1786(b)(15));

  • A child or youth who does not qualify as “homeless” under this section, but qualifies as “homeless” under section 725(2) of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11434a(2)), and the parent(s) or guardian(s) of that child or youth if living with her or him.