About the Balance of State Continuum of Care

The Colorado Balance of State (BoS) Continuum of Care (CoC) is made up of Colorado’s 54 rural and non-metro counties. The 54-county region is organized into ten subregion CoC planning groups:

• Northeastern Plains: Morgan, Logan, Sedgwick, Phillips, Washington, Yuma, Elbert, Lincoln, Kit Carson and Cheyenne counties
• Southeastern Plains: Crowley, Otero, Kiowa, Bent, Prowers and Baca counties
• Pueblo Region: Pueblo County
• Las Animas and Huerfano Region: Las Animas and Huerfano counties
• Upper Arkansas Valley: Fremont, Chaffee, Custer, Lake, Clear Creek, Gilpin, Park and Teller counties
• San Luis Valley: Alamosa, Saguache, Costilla, Conejos, Mineral and Rio Grande counties
• Western Slope: Montrose, Delta, Ouray, San Miguel, Gunnison and Hinsdale counties
• Southwest Colorado: La Plata, Montezuma, Dolores, San Juan and Archuleta counties
• Grand Valley: Mesa, Moffat and Rio Blanco counties
• Roaring Fork/Eagle Valleys: Garfield, Eagle, Pitkin, Summit, Routt, Grand and Jackson counties

The BoS CoC Governing Board (“the Board”) is the governing body of the BoS CoC and is authorized by CoC members to make all decisions on behalf of the CoC, in accordance with the BoS CoC Governance Charter. The Board includes up to 25 members who serve on a volunteer basis. The Board is not incorporated as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and it is not a legal entity. The Board is composed of two representatives from each of the subregions within the BoS CoC (Pueblo, Grand Valley, Northeastern Plains, Southeastern Plains, Las Animas/Huerfano, Upper Arkansas Valley, San Luis Valley, Western Slope, Southwest Colorado, and Roaring Fork/Eagle Valleys), one representative from the Collaborative Applicant, one representative from the Colorado Division of Housing, at least one individual with lived experience of homelessness, and at-large members nominated and voted on by regional coalitions and/or Board Members. Up to one of the regional representatives may be a CoC-funded provider.

The Board meets at least monthly. Due to the size and geography of the CoC, Governing Board meetings are conducted via teleconferencing. Additionally, there is one in-person, annual Board Meeting that Board Members are required to attend in person. The location and date of this mandatory in-person meeting is determined annually.

Regular monthly Governing Board meetings are required for Governing Board Members, and open to all those who wish to attend.

Governing Board Member Position Descriptions and Election

There are two types of Governing Board Members: Regional members and at-large members. Regions within the BoS CoC are responsible for nominating new Board Members and may determine their own process. All nominated Board Members must complete a “Regional Governing Board Member Biography” and submit it to the Board when they join. At-Large Board Members may be identified by anyone within the BoS CoC. At-Large Board Members must complete the “At-Large Governing Board Member Application” and have a Governing Board member complete the “At-Large Governing Board Member Recommendation Form.” Prospective At-Large Governing Board Members will be voted on and approved for membership by a 2/3 majority of the Board.

Governing Board Co-Chair Position Description and Election

The Board has established two Co-Chair positions to provide leadership and guidance to the Board. Co-Chairs are selected by a 2/3 majority vote of the Board, via e-mail correspondence or at the annual Board Meeting. Co-Chairs serve an initial term of three years, and may serve longer if approved by the Board. As of July 2022, Co-Chair terms will be staggered so in a given year only one Co-Chair position turns over.

Note Takers

Interested Board, Committee, and/or CoC members will follow common note taking processes during Governing Board and official and unofficial BoS committee meetings. Duties involve Learning the BoS Google Drive and available technology structure, setting up meeting agendas and note templates, taking meeting notes, and recording votes. It is encouraged that this be done in coordination with other note takers in order to lessen the burden on any one note taker. For example: Two or three note takers log-in to a Google Drive document at the same time in order to record notes, picking up if any note takers need to focus on the meeting at hand.

Collaborative Applicant and Homeless Management Information System Lead

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires each Continuum of Care (CoC) to designate a “Collaborative Applicant” and a “Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) Lead.” The Collaborative Applicant is designated to coordinate the annual CoC competition and prepare and submit the consolidated application, as well as additional responsibilities identified by the Governance Charter. The HMIS Lead is designated to operate and maintain the HMIS for the CoC.

In 2023, the BoS CoC Governing Board selected the Colorado Department of Local Affairs - Division of Housing to be both the Collaborative Applicant and the HMIS Lead for the BoS CoC.

Mission of Regional Planning Groups

The mission of each regional CoC planning group is to coordinate and improve the region's delivery of housing and services to individuals and families experiencing homelessness and to promote collaboration among the various organizations working to address homelessness in the region.

Membership of Regional Planning Groups

Membership in regional CoC planning groups is generally open to any individual or organization that is interested in helping to address homelessness in the region, such as homeless service providers and other non-profit organizations, individuals with lived experience of homelessness, neighborhood groups, faith-based organizations, the local business community, non-profit housing developers, private foundations, public health partners, local government agencies, and other community stakeholders.

Regional Planning Group Meetings

Each of the regional CoC planning groups will convene CoC meetings at least quarterly, with published agendas and meeting minutes. Agendas and meeting minutes are considered public information and will be made available to anyone who requests copies. These planning groups will also issue a public invitation for new members at least annually. At a minimum, the invitation will be sent via e-mail to the full membership of the regional CoC group, plus any other stakeholders that may be interested in attending CoC meetings.

Regional Planning Group Operation and Local Policies and Procedures

Each regional CoC planning group operates autonomously, and may establish its own policies and procedures, as long as they do not conflict with U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) regulations for the CoC program, or with policies and procedures established by the CoC Governing Board. Each regional CoC planning group may establish its own procedures for selecting representatives to serve on the Advisory Board, as long as those procedures do not conflict with HUD regulations for the CoC program.

Want to get involved? Contact a regional representative!

The BoS CoC Governing Board (“the Board”) currently has four committees. Committees may be added or removed as needed by a 2/3 vote of the Board at any time during the year. Committees may be permanent or ad hoc. Responsibilities of each committee may change over time, but any changes must be documented in Board meeting minutes.

• Governance Committee: Responsible for analyzing and addressing any governance-related challenges brought to them by the Board. Any recommended changes to the governance charter, governance structure, other duties as assigned by the Board, etc. must be approved by a 2/3 majority vote of the Governing Board.
   
• Coordinated Entry Committee: Responsible for developing and implementing the Coordinated Entry System. The CoC Interim Rule at 24 CFR 578.3 states that a “Centralized or coordinated assessment system means a centralized or coordinated process designed to coordinate program participant intake, assessment, and provision of referrals. A centralized or coordinated assessment system covers the geographic area, is easily accessed by individuals and families seeking housing or services, is well advertised, and includes a comprehensive and standardized assessment tool.” This definition establishes basic minimum requirements for the CoC’s centralized or coordinated assessment system.
   
• Data and Performance Committee: Responsible for managing and monitoring aspects of the BoS CoC work related to data and performance. This may include but is not limited to monitoring system performance measures, Annual Performance Reports (APRs), HMIS data quality, Housing Inventory Count (HIC) and Point-in-Time (PIT) count data, Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) data, and data related to project ranking.
   
• Funding Strategies Committee: Responsible for long-term planning of financial strategies for the CoC. Project ranking, as described below, is a key activity of this committee. In addition to project ranking, it is responsible for researching and suggesting ways to diversify funding streams and secure additional funding which will allow the Board and regional coalitions to expand their capacity.
   
• Project Ranking Sub-Committee: Responsible for developing and presenting Ranking Criteria to the Board for review and approval each year. The criteria are designed to utilize a non-biased process based on HUD and CoC priorities and applicant quality. This process will be both for new projects and renewal projects. Details about the ranking process are posted on the funding opportunities page annually.

Review the Governance Charter for detailed information about each committee’s responsibilities.