CoC Membership

To become and remain a member of the MDHI CoC, eligible parties must submit a membership application and recertify their membership each year. This provides relevant data and affirms the prospective member’s commitment to the following:

• Supporting the implementation of the CoC’s HMIS and maintaining (as applicable) an acceptable HMIS data quality rating (established by the HMIS Lead) for all relevant resources connected to the system.

• Supporting the CoC’s coordinated entry system (known as OneHome) and using OneHome (as applicable)

• Contributing staff capacity (as applicable) to planning and implementing the CoC’s annual Point-in- Time (PIT) counts.

• Adopting and implementing Housing First principles and evidence-based practices (as applicable).

CoC members represent a variety of groups, including groups that are not CoC-funded and/or do not provide direct services to persons experiencing homelessness. Participation in HMIS and OneHome are required of CoC-funded programs. For non-CoC funded members, the commitment is to collectively support these CoC efforts. Members must also:

• Attend semi-annual stakeholder meetings organized by MDHI.

• If an organization, assign one individual to serve as the primary liaison to the CoC, responsible for representing MDHI within their organization, ensuring that training and partnership meetings are attended, and informing the organization’s leadership of matters related to the CoC. Each such liaison must complete a conflict-of-interest disclosure statement.

• Support the efforts of individuals serving on CoC committees.

CoC Membership is open to organizations and people with lived experience in Metro Denver who support our mission to end homelessness. Metro Denver includes Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, and Jefferson Counties. The following organizations are eligible:

• Nonprofit homeless assistance providers

• BIPOC-led or primarily serving (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) Organizations

• Domestic violence survivor service providers

• Faith-based organizations

• Government entities

• Businesses

• Utility companies

• Advocacy

• Public housing agencies

• Mental health agencies

• Disability services

• Family and youth services

• Hospitals and healthcare providers

• Universities

• School districts

• Social service providers

• Affordable housing developers

• Homeownership programs

• Law enforcement

• Corrections agencies

• Legal aid services

• Veteran service organizations

• Persons who have lived experience of homelessness

• Substance abuse treatment providers

• Other relevant and interested parties

CoC membership is free. Member organizations can:

• Apply for funding opportunities passed through the CoC by HUD.

• Vote at annual stakeholder meetings. Voting is limited to one designee per member organization.

• Support CoC committees as voting members, with the authority to make formal recommendations to the CoC Board of Directors and/or Continuum Performance Committee as applicable.

• Receive technical assistance from MDHI and its partners to support the implementation of effective program operations.

• Participate in public awareness campaigns that seek to align the community with the facts of homelessness in our region.

The CoC holds full membership meetings at least semi-annually, which is a requirement of membership. The CoC’s Continuum Performance Committee (CPC) and Executive Committee announces the date, time, and location of these meetings, sets the meeting agenda, and publishes it at least 24 hours before the meeting on our Calendar and Newsletter.

CoC members organizations are granted one vote per organization. This does not preclude organizations from having more than one employee attend CoC committee, work group and/or full CoC meetings. In situations where more than one employee from an organization is present at a committee, work group, or full CoC meeting, only one person may represent the organization in a voting role. Furthermore, if there are different employees from the same organization on different committees, or work groups each employee can vote at their own committee or work group meeting (as long as only one person per agency is voting at that meeting). Individual members, including homeless and formerly homeless persons, are authorized to vote as an individual.

The CoC invites new members to join via application on an ongoing basis. Members will receive an electronic communication to recertify their membership each year.