Interagency Commission on Homelessness

Created

The Interagency Commission on Homelessness (ICH) was established by the County to act on behalf of residents experiencing homelessness and to provide advice, counsel, and recommendations to the County Executive and County Council. ( Mo. Co. Code, Ch. 24-62 through 24-70, effective 7/10/14)

Purpose

The Commission serves as the governing board of the County Continuum of Care (CoC), and duties include promoting a community-wide goal to end and prevent homelessness, developing a strategic plan, and reviewing and monitoring programs that are components of the CoC. The Commission recommends to the County Executive and County Council improvements to the CoC, educates the community about homelessness, and recommends and promotes partnerships with private organizations, businesses, and foundations, or any state or federal government agency, to improve the County’s ability to prevent and reduce homelessness.

The CoC is Montgomery County's local homeless program planning network. It is a public-private partnership that includes County and other government agencies, non-profit service providers, landlords and others who have a role in the community's housing market. The purpose of the CoC is to encourage and support local organizations in coordinating efforts to address housing and homeless issues and reduce homelessness.

Mission Statement

The Commission will promote a community-wide goal to end homelessness by developing a strategic plan and reviewing and monitoring programs that are components of the CoC. The Commission will recommend to the County Executive and County Council improvements to the CoC, educate the community about homelessness, and recommend and promote partnership with private organizations, businesses and foundations, or any state or federal government agency, to improve the County's ability to prevent and reduce homelessness.

Purpose

• Establish performance targets appropriate for population and program type in consultation with recipients and subrecipients
• Monitor recipients and sub-recipients performance
• Evaluate project outcomes of ESG and CoC programs, and report those outcomes to the Partnership and Funding Committee
• Provide training and support on best practices
• Oversee Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), including establishing an HMIS subcommittee charged with:
  • Designating a single HMIS for its geographic area and designating an eligible applicant to manage its HMIS
  • Reviewing, revising and approving privacy, security and data quality plans
  • Ensuring consistent participation of recipients/subrecipients in HMIS
  • Ensuring that HMIS is administered in compliance with HUD requirements

Committee Responsibilities and Composition

Purpose

• Review performance of recipients and subrecipients and take actions against poor performers
• Provide information required to complete the Consolidated Plan(s)
• Consult with State and local ESG recipients in the geographic area on the plan for allocating ESG funds and report/evaluate performance of ESG programs
• Recommend and promote partnerships with private organizations, business, corporation, philanthropic organization or foundation, and any municipal, state or federal government agency to improve the County's ability to prevent and reduce homelessness
• Design, operate and follow a collaborative process for the development of applications and approve submission of applications in response to a CoC Program NOFA (Notification of Funding Availability)
• Establish priorities for funding projects
• Rank multiple applications, if required by HUD
• The Collaborative Applicant must collect and combine the required application information from all projects within the geographic area and will apply for funding of CoC planning activities

Committee Responsibilities and Composition

• Provide critical input and feedback on ICH and committee work, including policy development and barriers and improvements to system coordination
• Recruit individuals with lived experience to participate in the effort of the ICH and provide recommendations to ICH members and CoC stakeholders on how people with lived experience should be involved in all aspects of the homeless system operations and the CoC Governance structure and process

Committee Responsibilities and Composition

• Educate the community about homelessness, best practices to reduce homelessness, resources needed to reduce homelessness, and long-term savings that are achieved by providing permanent, stable housing
• Market the work of the CoC to the general public
• Manage the CoC's website and take lead role in events planning and messaging, including messaging and marketing of special initiatives

Committee Responsibilities and Composition