Continuum of Care Action Group/Board

The Washtenaw County/City of Ann Arbor Continuum of Care Board was created in 1997 by Washtenaw County government, in collaboration with the City of Ann Arbor. The Continuum of Care Board replaced the Interagency Shelter and Housing Council, which had been comprised entirely of non-profit housing and supportive services providers. The C of C Board is designed to be a broad-based community planning body to look at both short-term and long-range strategies regarding homelessness prevention and interventions, as well as long-term strategies for creation and retention of affordable housing. The goal is also to bring multiple community planning activities related to homelessness service planning into one comprehensive ongoing planning structure.

Vision Statement:

There should be no homeless people without options, including the vulnerable and hard to serve and those who do not meet existing service criteria.

Mission Statement:

As members of a concerned community, we affirm that homelessness is a shared responsibility and must be addressed collaboratively by all of the institutions, agencies, businesses, and individual members in our community.

Guiding Principles:

Homelessness is a social problem that is grounded in poverty, violence, racism, classism and patterns of economic investment and disinvestment. As a community, we have a responsibility to.
Apply our resources to prevent and alleviate homelessness and to increase permanent housing options.
Develop opportunities for economic advancement and self-sufficiency for the least advantaged members of our community.
Respect individual needs and choices.
Create a safe and secure community for all who choose to live here.
Promote a sense of accountability to one another in all efforts and commit to accountability in the system of care.
Clarify each partner’s role in the system of care including the delivery of service-related activities to support system outcomes.
Expect mutual understanding and respect for all partners.

Information:

Leadership:

Ellen Schulmeister, Chair--Director, Shelter Association of Washtenaw County
Chuck Kieffer, Vice Chair--Director, Washtenaw Housing Alliance
Candace Cadena, Continuum of Care Coordinator--Office of Community Development

***As of November 2007, the Continuum of Care has been integrated with the Washtenaw Housing Alliance. The WHA is the group charged with implementing Washtenaw County's Blueprint to End Homelessness. This integration aims to better coordinate Continuum of Care planning and processes with our community's 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness. The WHA will assume the coordination role that Community Development has traditionally played over the past few years. Please see the WHA website for more information: www.whalliance.org.