SYSTEM OF CARE

The vision of the Wake County Continuum of Care is to ensure that homelessness is rare, brief, and one-time. We will achieve this vision through our shared values and actions. 
Get Involved

NC 507 Governance Board commits to ongoing collaboration with the Raleigh Wake Partnership:

“…. The Governance Board recognizes the key roles that the PARTNERSHIP plays in supporting the Wake County/NC 507 Continuum of Care (CoC) and remains committed to working with the Partnership in this role. The Governance Board does not have any immediate plans to terminate this agreement or relationship.”

Full Position Statement

PURPOSE

The purpose of the Wake Continuum of Care (CoC) is to create a collaborative, inclusive, community-based process and approach to plan for and manage homeless assistance resources and programs effectively and efficiently to end homelessness.

MISSION

The Wake County CoC plans, develops, and implements comprehensive and coordinated strategies across funding sources and systems to address homelessness in Raleigh/Wake County.

VISION

The vision of the Wake County CoC is to ensure that homelessness is rare, brief, and one-time. We will achieve this vision through our shared values and actions.

Values

Housing First:

We recognize that housing is a human right and will not require pre-conditions for access to housing. 

Trauma-Informed:

We use trauma-informed practices in how we work together and serve people experiencing homelessness. 

Equity and Justice:

We work to eliminate discrimination so that race, ethnicity, gender identity, or sexual orientation are not predictors of who becomes homeless or predictors of outcomes within the homeless system. We are committed to re-envisioning just systems to prevent and end homelessness.  

Leadership by People with Lived Experience:

We are accountable to people experiencing homelessness and ensure there are meaningful and accessible ways to participate in shaping decisions. 

Transparency:

We believe in being transparent with people experiencing homelessness and our community. 

Efficiency:

We implement efficient systems that help people experiencing homelessness get housing as quickly as possible because every day a person spends unhoused is a day too many. 

Collaboration:

We know working together is better than working alone. 

Client-Driven:

We believe that people experiencing homelessness are experts in their own lives and that service providers’ role is to support strengths and overcome barriers.

What is a continuum of care?

Continuum of Care (CoC) is the collective networks, institutions, and organizations that provide housing and services to people who are at risk of or are experiencing homelessness.

Federally mandated goals of the CoC include:

  • Promote a community-wide commitment to the goal of ending homelessness;
  • Provide funding for efforts to quickly re-house individuals and families who are homeless, which minimizes the trauma and dislocation caused by homelessness;
  • Promote access to and effective use of mainstream programs;
  • Optimize self-sufficiency among individuals and families experiencing homelessness.

The technical name for our local Continuum of Care is:

Wake County Continuum of Care – NC 507
The CoC is governed by a board composed of community members invested in the issue of homelessness. The CoC Board is an independent entity, but is not incorporated, so must appoint a local entity to conduct business on behalf of the Board and CoC at large. The Raleigh Wake Partnership to End and Prevent Homelessness is appointed as the Lead Agency, Collaborative Applicant, HMIS Administrator, and Coordinated Access System Lead.
NC507 Charter
NC507 Written Standards
NC507 Coordinated Entry System
NC507 Anti-Discrimination Policy
NC507 VAWA Emergency Transfer Plan
NC507 Grievance Process
Raleigh Wake Partnership to End Homelessness logo

The Role of

The Raleigh Wake Partnership
to End and Prevent Homelessness

LEAD AGENCY

As the Lead Agency, the Partnership is designated to carry out the activities of the CoC, including fiscal and compliance activities. Regular admin tasks include management of the annual HUD application, coordination of other funding opportunities, project/system monitoring, meeting management, and other duties as needed.

COLLABORATIVE APPLICANT

As the Collaborative Applicant, the Partnership is designated by the CoC Board to be the entity that submits the collaborative funding application to HUD for homeless assistance programs. In (2018),  as the Collaborative Applicant, the Partnership secured over ($3 million) in funding for our community.

HMIS ADMINISTRATION

As the HMIS Administrator, the Partnership manages the Continuum’s data in the Homeless Management Information System.  HMIS allows our community to record, track, and report results of individual agency accomplishments, as well as measure how the entire community is performing. 

Coordinated Access System

As the Coordinated Access System (CAS) Lead, the Partnership is committed to creating and promoting a system that is fair and equitable for everyone entering the homeless response system. The CAS will rapidly identify, assess, prioritize, refer, and connect them to housing and services for which they qualify based on their needs.

Testimonials

“Service and helping others were I think something instilled in me by my mom at an early age. I come from a lower middle-class background so time and energy were often the most people in my type of family could offer on a regular basis. In addition to lived experience, I hope to be able to provide a significant voice to individuals that work in both government and non-government entities regarding some of the frustrations of navigating the system. I feel incredibly lucky to have gotten the help I did when I lost my apartment, yet I know not everyone gets the help they need.”

Denis Elliot, Board Vice Chair

“Hope motivates me. I am driven by the desire to help others gain hope and power to take the action to better their lives. I hope to do everything within our power to eradicate homelessness. I have a special interest in those suffering with substance use disorder as well as mental health issues. I feel that there needs to be more emergency shelter resources to accommodate the people who have to sleep on the streets. I would like to troubleshoot best practices to prevent people from returning to homelessness once they have been housed.”

Decorba White, Board Director

“I have empathy for people who are struggling and believe it is important to advocate for people who are not familiar with, or able to navigate the many complicated systems that play a part in homelessness. Housing should be a universal right. We live in the wealthiest country in the world, so there is no excuse for the level of homelessness we experience in this country. Our systems are not set up to adequately address the problem. We need a collaborative continuum of care to raise awareness, identify gaps, overcome barriers and create efficiencies to end homelessness. As a Board member, I hope to be able to help dissolve silos and improve collaborative efforts to address and eliminate homelessness in our community.”

Marni Cahill, Board Chair