Continuum of Care News

HUD continues to encourage Continuums of Care (CoCs) and providers to implement and strengthen Housing First approaches. To support these efforts, HUD recently released the Housing First Assessment Tool . This tool builds on the work of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness’s (USICH) Housing First checklist . It assists providers and CoCs to document how closely their projects align to the Housing First model. CoCs can use this tool to assess and measure a project’s progress in aligning with Housing First best practice standards, and an individual project can use this tool to identify what they are doing well and where improvements can be made. The Housing First Assessment Tool can be used as an iterative tool to track progress on implementing Housing First over time, and is a great opportunity to initiate Housing First conversations among various levels of project staff. Completion of this tool should take into account the local written standards and CoC polici

spotlight on... TELL YOUR SENATORS TO PROTECT MEDICAID The Senate is making a final push to repeal the Affordable Care Act. This latest proposal makes huge cuts to Medicaid and fundamentally restructures the program. Medicaid is essential to the fight to end homelessness. It enables people experiencing homelessness to treat physical and mental health needs, and it pays for permanent supportive housing services. It also prev