Q. What Subpopulations Exist Among People who are Homeless?

A. A comprehensive Continuum of Care plan considers the needs of all people who are homeless. This means that in most communities there are different components of the Continuum of Care in operation that respond to the particular housing and service needs of different sub-population of homeless people, such as homeless veterans or people who are homeless with mental illness, HIV / AIDS, victims of domestic violence, and/or histories of substance use

Q. What are the Best Ways to Serve Them?

A. Facilitate movement towards permanent independent living: The goal is to create and sustain sufficient capacity throughout the Continuum of Care system to facilitate movement of that sub-population toward permanent housing and independent living. However, not all people will need to access each component of a Continuum of Care or move through the Continuum of Care in a linear fashion.

Address multiple needs: It is important for the Continuum of Care plan to address the multiple needs and cross-over among homeless subpopulations. For example, there may be a need for substance abuse recovery services among people who are homeless and living with HIV / AIDS or there may be a need for bridge support for individuals/families existing public assistance and individuals lacking sufficient natural supports, life skills and financial management training who are at risk of becoming homelessness.

Anticipate new groups and issues: In order to develop the Continuum of Care system responsive to the range o f housing and service needs among people who become homeless, it is important not only to understand who is homeless (including hard-to-serve homeless individuals such as street homeless with health, mental health, and/or substance abuse problems), but also to understand who might become homeless (such as women with children escaping domestic violence or people living with HIV / AIDS in overcrowded situations.

Q. What can be done to assist in this endeavor?

A. As a participant in the Continuum of Care process, each agency share some of the planning workload. This includes:

•  arranging meeting logistics
•  assisting with the data collection activities
•  helping to implement action steps
•  collaborating in the completion of the application to HUD.

It is imperative that agencies in the Continuum of Care are perceived as sharing in the administrative responsibilities.