Nebraska Balance of State Continuum of Care

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) initiated the Continuum of Care (CoC) system in 1994 to provide a coordinated, strategic approach to assisting families and individuals who are experiencing or at-risk of homelessness. The overall purpose of the CoC is to promote community-wide commitment to ending homelessness, quickly re-house individuals and families experiencing homelessness, improve access to and use of mainstream programs by persons experiencing homelessness, and optimize self-sufficiency among individuals and families experiencing homelessness.

The State of Nebraska has three CoCs: the Metro Area Continuum of Care for the Homeless (MACCH) which serves the Omaha metropolitan area, the Lincoln Continuum of Care which serves the City of Lincoln, and the Nebraska Balance of State Continuum of Care which serves all other Nebraska communities in five regions.

Each CoC is a collaborative composed of representatives of organizations, including homeless service providers, victim service providers, faith-based organizations, governmental entities, businesses, advocates, public housing agencies, school districts, social service providers, mental health agencies, hospitals, universities, affordable housing developers, law enforcement, organizations that serve veterans, and persons with lived experience.