Continuum of Care

What is the Continuum of Care?

The Continuum of Care (CoC) is Nashville’s planning body responsible for coordinating the funding and delivery of housing and services for people experiencing homelessness.

The mission of the Continuum of Care is to create a collaborative, inclusive, community-based process and approach to planning and managing effective homeless assistance resources and programs (by which Federal, State and local funding resources will be used to fund all homelessness assistance needs) to end homelessness in our community, consistent with 24 CFR Part 578, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) regulations that guide the CoC program.

The Continuum of Care (CoC) Program is designed to:

• Promote community-wide commitment to the goal of ending homelessness;
• Provide funding for nonprofit providers and local governments to quickly rehouse individuals and families experiencing homelessness while minimizing trauma and dislocation;
• Promote access to and effect utilization of mainstream programs by individuals and families experiencing homelessness; and
• Optimize self-sufficiency among individuals and families experiencing homelessness.

Nashville’s Continuum of Care is made up of many community partners that are working together to end homelessness in Nashville and Davidson County. As a system, the CoC is housing-focused, person-centered, data driven, promotes equity in homeless services and housing, and committed to the effective use of resources.

Governing Structure

Homelessness Planning Council (HPC)

Homelessness Planning Council Board Information Page

A 25-member board that is empowered to make decisions and recommendations as the governance board for the Nashville-Davidson County Continuum of Care.

General Membership (GM)

Individuals and organizations who are members of the Continuum of Care.

Continuum of Care Committees

Committees established to work on strategic initiatives of the Continuum of Care.

Continuum of Care Structure

More information about Continuum of Care Committees

Role of the Office of Homeless Services

The Office of Homeless Services was designated by the General Membership as the Collaborative Applicant (CA) for the Nashville-Davidson County Continuum of Care in November of 2023. The Collaborative Applicant is the organization authorized to submit the CoC Registration and CoC Consolidated Application to HUD and apply for CoC planning funds on behalf of the CoC, during the CoC Program Competition.

Located in the Planning and Research Division of the Office of Homeless Services, CoC staff:

• Prepare the CoC for the annual funding competition
• Monitor recipients of CoC grant funding
• Staff and support all CoC committees
• Maintain compliance with HUD policies and guidelines

The Metropolitan Nashville-Davidson County government response to issues of homelessness is coordinated by the Office of Homeless Services, which also include serving as the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) lead entity, Coordinated Entry (CE) lead entity, and primary staffing for the Homelessness Planning Council.

Governing Documents

• Continuum of Care Charter (Version 7 – Approved June 2024)
• Homelessness Planning Council Ordinance (BL2018-1199)
• Strategic Plan 2023-2026

Continuum of Care Membership

Continuum of Care General Membership is open to any individual or organization committed to preventing and ending homelessness in Nashville/Davidson County. The Continuum of Care strives to have a broad array of membership that represent various perspectives and areas of expertise to effectively address the needs of people experiencing homelessness.

Continuum of Care Members Organizations

General Membership Meetings

The General Membership Meeting is a regular convening of individuals and organizations who are members of the Continuum of Care. All Continuum of Care meetings are open to the public and community members interested in ending homelessness in Nashville are encouraged to attend.

When: Typically the 3rd Thursday of the month from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Where: Nashville Rescue Mission, 639 Lafayette St, Nashville, TN 37203

The purpose of the General Membership Meetings are to:

• Share updates
• Explore opportunities for collaboration
• Elect people to serve on the Homeless Planning Council
• Adopt, maintain, and update the Continuum of Care Charter and any additional bylaws, policies, and procedures that govern the operation of the Continuum of Care; and
• Designate the Collaborative Applicant, HMIS Lead, and CE Lead in accordance with the Charter.

Information about upcoming and past Continuum of Care meetings

Sign up to receive notifications when meeting information is posted online

Membership Benefits

• Apply for funding opportunities passed through the CoC by HUD and other funding bodies (for example, HUD’s CoC and ESG programs);
• Have staff members appointed to CoC committees as voting members, with the authority to make formal recommendations to the HPC;
• Receive technical assistance from the CA, CE Lead and HMIS Lead agencies and their partners to support the implementation of effective program operations;
• Network and collaborate with other agencies and individuals who are committed to ending homelessness in Nashville;
• Access education and training related to providing direct services to individuals and families experiencing homelessness;
• Engage in the decision-making process of the GM to help advocate for the direction of services in the community; and
• Receive updates from community partners on the latest initiatives and projects.

Membership Application

To become an official member, individuals and organizations must complete a Continuum of Care Membership Form.

Completed membership applications are utilized by the Nominating and Membership Committee to track and approve membership requests.

If you cannot complete the form online, or have trouble, below is a fillable PDF document that you can complete and mail to Raquel de la Huerga, 3055 Lebanon Pike, Suite 200A, Donelson, TN 37214 or [email protected].

Continuum of Care Membership Application

Voting Privileges

Each member organization shall designate “primary” and “proxy” representatives who can vote on the organization’s behalf at General Membership meetings. To retain voting privileges, attend 50% of the GM meetings organized by the CoC, during the 12 months prior to an election.

Continuum of Care Listserv

The Continuum of Care operates an email listserv to share updates about homelessness with the community. By signing up for the listserv, you'll receive important updates, announcements, and resources related to homelessness in our community. Please fill out the form below to subscribe.

Sign Up for the Continuum of Care Listserv

Continuum of Care Program Funding

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funds local initiatives to end homelessness through the Continuum of Care (CoC) Program Competition. On July 31st, HUD released the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the CoC Program Competition.

Review the Continuum of Care Homelessness Planning Council (HPC) approved Priority Listing (“ranking”) and Consolidated Application for all new and renewal projects below:

• Final Continuum of Care Fiscal Year 24-25 Project Priority Listing ("ranking")
• Fiscal Year 2024 TN-504 Consolidated Application

For comments or questions about these documents, email [email protected].

More information about the Fiscal Year 2024 and 2025 Continuum of Care Funding Competition

Important Resources

• Continuum of Care Acronym Dictionary
• Continuum of Care Glossary of Terms
• Anti-Racism Pledge and Equity Statement
• Continuum of Care Priorities Report
• System Performance Measures
• HUD Continuum of Care Webpage
• HUD HEARTH Act Webpage

CoCBuilds Notice of Funding Opportunity

The U.S. Dept of Housing and Urban Development has released a new, one-time CoCBuilds Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to fund additional units of Permanent Supportive Housing.