Mission Statement: The Coalition for the Homeless of Houston/Harris County is a private, nonprofit organization whose mission is to lead in the development and implementation of community strategies to prevent and end homelessness.
The Coalition was established in 1982, incorporated as a 501(c)(3) in 1988, and has evolved to be the lead agency coordinating the community response to homelessness in Houston. Under the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act passed in 2009, an entire community rather than individual service providers must demonstrate success in preventing and reducing homelessness. In 2011, HUD named Houston as a priority community. This designation recognizes the great need to transform Houston’s existing homeless service system and the tremendous opportunity to make significant advances due to the commitment of homeless service agencies and the contributions of key community stakeholders.
Accordingly, the Coalition is the lead agency coordinating Houston’s response to homelessness, and as such serves as the primary support organization for the community’s Continuum of Care (CoC) . The CoC system creates an improved homeless service system that more effectively provides services, support and housing to all sub-populations within Houston’s homeless community, with a primary focus on moving individuals and families out of homelessness. The ultimate goal of the CoC is the creation of a homeless service system that achieves reduction in new instances of, length of, and returns to homelessness and meets the varying needs of homeless sub-populations such as unaccompanied youth, veterans and families with children.