KANSAS STATEWIDE HOMELESS COALITION INC

Continuum of Care Program - Kansas Statewide Homeless Coalition (KSHC) have been designated as the Kansas Balance of State Continuum of Care's (CoC) Collaborative Applicant and therefore receive the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) CoC Planning Grant. The Planning grant provides funds to assist the Collaborative Applicants carry out some of its responsibilities such as: Developing a community-wide process involving the coordination of various providers to develop strategies for ending homelessness and identifying resources that are available to meet that goal; Determining the geographic area that the CoC will serve including evaluating the merits of merging with other CoCs; Developing a CoC system; Evaluating the outcomes of CoC and Emergency Solutions Grants projects within the CoC; Participating in the consolidated plan(s) within the CoC's boundaries; Preparing and submitting an application to HUD on behalf of the CoC, including conducting a Point-in-Time count and other data collection as required by HUD; Monitoring and improving the quality and performance of recipients and subrecipient projects and enforcing compliance with program requirements. KSHC is also the Kansas Balance of State Continuum of Care (CoC) Coordinated Entry Grant lead. Coordinated entry is a consistent, streamlined process for accessing the resources available in the homeless crisis response system. Through coordinated entry, a CoC, though KSHC, ensures that the highest need, most vulnerable households in the community are prioritized for services and that the housing and supportive services in the system are used as efficiently and effectively as possible. Ideally, coordinated entry can be the framework that transforms a CoC, from a network of projects making individual decisions about whom to serve, into a fully integrated crisis response system. By gathering information through a standardized assessment process, coordinated entry provides a CoC with data that it can use for system and project planning and resource allocation. In addition to being the CoC lead and CES lead for the KS Balance of state Continuum of Care, KSHC serves as the Homeless Information Management System (HMIS) Administrator. An HMIS is a local information technology system used to collect client-level data and data on the provision of housing and services to individuals and families at risk of and experiencing homelessness. As the HMIS System Administrator, KSHC is responsible for project set-up, grant management and administration, HMIS vendor relations, HMIS user relations, capacity building, strategic planning, and policy and procedure development. Lastly, KSHC also serves as the Johnson County Continuum of Care HMIS Lead and System Administrator. With us serving in these roles, other partners such as Aetna/CVC, Healthy Blue, Douglas County, United Health Care and the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services support our efforts by funding us to expand our outreach and services across the Balance of State Continuum of Care.

Statewide Initiatives - KSHC coordinates with communities throughout the state to provide advocacy, training, education, and support to end homelessness in Kansas. We receive funds from the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services to provide housing crisis counseling to households without insurance. KDADS also provides funds for us to educate Kansas' young adults ages 16-24 on how to avoid controlled substance misuse and homelessness. We are training youths in how to navigate post-secondary education, securing employment and to practice safety, wellness and financial literacy. KSHC's Destination Home program is a joint initiative with Kansas Department of Aging and Disability Services (KDADS). The program marks a significant milestone for the agencies' partnership and collaboration. By leveraging each organizations' strengths and expertise, the partnership aims to improve the lives of those in need and provide better care and services to the community. Destination Home was designed to support the creation of permanent housing solutions and introduce a Housing First model across the state. Furthermore, it aims to provide a supportive transition process to help individuals move from state institutions into the community. The Director of Destination Home has contributed to the development of policies and procedures aimed at facilitating the transition of individuals from state institutions to community living. Destination Home has taken steps to enhance the delivery of health services to individuals in Kansas. The program has begun to send key stakeholders through Health and Wellness Life Coach training programs. This approach is intended to offer a more comprehensive and holistic method of providing health services to the community.