Provide leadership to local continua in the Balance of State geographic area;
Ensure the efficient and effective delivery of housing and supportive services to individuals and families experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness;
Promote community-wide commitment to the goal of ending homelessness;
Provide funding for efforts by nonprofit providers, States, and local governments to re-house individuals and families experiencing homelessness rapidly while minimizing the trauma and dislocation caused to individuals and families experiencing homelessness as well as communities as a consequence of homelessness;
Promote access to and effective use of mainstream programs by individuals and families experiencing homelessness;
Optimize self-sufficiency among individuals and families experiencing homelessness;
Meet the educational needs of Corporation’s members and the public;
Advocate for those it serves;
Collect dues from its members, as authorized herein.
The responsibilities of the Corporation include, but are not limited to:
Those responsibilities outlined and defined by relevant federal law;
Coordinate, or be involved in the coordination of, all housing and services for persons experiencing homelessness within the Corporation’s geographic area;
Establish and operate the HMIS within the Corporation’s geographic area;
Establish and operate, or designate, the centralized and coordinated assessment to be used within the Corporation’s geographic area.
The BOSCOC has been in existence since 1992. Until 2009, the State of Wisconsin, Division of Housing organized training and the HUD Continuum of Care annual grant application submission. Under the State’s auspices, there was an Advisory Board formed. Once the State removed itself from the affairs of the BOSCOC, the organization became an unincorporated association. Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws were approved by the State of Wisconsin in February of 2011.
The BOSCOC covers 69 of Wisconsin’s 72 counties and extends from the shores of Lake Superior in the northwest to portions of the Chicago metro area in the southeast. The population for the continuum is 3.8 million and it covers an area of 52,533 square miles. The BOSCOC has met regularly since its inception at various locations around the state and brings together people from a wide geographic area that includes urban, suburban and rural areas. All members share a common purpose to provide quality homeless services in an effort to end homelessness.
Because of the diversity and size of the BOSCOC, localized continua of care that reflect particular communities or geographic areas meet regularly and representatives from these groups make up the BOSCOC. These different, smaller groups represent areas that have very different service arrays for homeless people and needs unique to their area. Bringing together the local continua of care at quarterly meetings is a key activity for the BOSCOC. The quarterly meetings hosted by the BOSCOC provide training opportunities and technical assistance for homeless service providers belonging to local continua of care. Additionally, the BOSCOC collects and analyzes data from the member agencies for submission to HUD and prepares the annual HUD CoC grant application for the membership.
The BOSCOC was operated directly through the volunteer Board of Directors. In April 2015, the Board of Directors hired a CoC Director. Carrie Poser began as the CoC Coordinator, and then CoC Director on May 1, 2015. Because of the increase in obligation and responsibilities, a monitoring and compliance coordinator was hired in January 2017. Meredith McCoy began serving in this role, responsible for monitoring CoC projects and providing technical assistance. By 2018, the CoC staff expanded to include a Coordinated Entry System (CES) Specialist. Ryan Graham is responsible for the managing the day-to-day operation of CES including oversight, training, technical assistance, and compliance with established policies and procedures. In 2019, the BOSCOC will be hiring a 4th staff person. The Grant Specialist will be responsible for overall grant compliance and programmatic reporting requirements on assigned grants and contracts.
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