Regular Meetings
CoC Board Members – Meets quarterly to oversee the work of the CoC and its subcommittees.
CoC Community At-Large - Meets semiannually. CoC Board will announce date, time, and location of these meetings through the CoC’s website and through messages distributed by email. Join our mailing list.
HMIS Working Group – Meets quarterly to focus on oversight and operation of the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS).
Coordinated Entry Working Group - Meets monthly to focus on oversight and operations of the Cambridge Coordinated Access Network (C-CAN), including case conferencing and referral process.
Veteran Working Group Meets monthly to focus on Veteran housing and services.
Emergency Solutions Grant Working Group – Meets quarterly to focus on crisis intervention, prevention, rapid rehousing, shelter, drop-ins and outreach project topics, as well as annual street census planning.
Consolidated Action Plan FY2021-2025
The City of Cambridge is required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to create a five year Consolidated Plan for the use of its Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), the Home Investment Partnership Program (HOME) and the Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG). The Cambridge CoC coordinates with the City’s Community Development Department (CDD) to report on the the three portions of the plan. The Plan describes the City’s initiatives to:
• Create a Suitable Living Environment for its residents,
• Provide Decent Housing for its residents, and
• Create Economic Opportunities for its residents.
• Support low and moderate-income individuals and families living with HIV.
These initiatives are carried out by the City’s CDD, the City’s DHSP and various other local agencies, non-profit and for profit businesses these Departments work with as needed. These initiatives are consistent with guidelines set-forth by HUD in accordance with the regulations governing the utilization of federal funds and are based upon the needs that the City has determined exist through its own assessment and the on-going input of Cambridge residents.
HEARTH Act
The Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act was enacted by Congress in 2009 and represents several important changes to the legislation and administration of homeless assistance programs. The provisions of the HEARTH Act inform how CoCs must approach and improve working to end homelessness in their communities, with the most notable emphasis on:
Improving the crisis response system to prevent episodes of homelessness and rapidly house persons who have recently become homeless
Shifting from a focus on individual programs’ performance to an entire community’s performance
Increasing the attention on outcomes to inform programmatic decisions
View a summary document of the HEARTH Act
ALL-IN: The Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness
In December 2022, the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) released the new comprehensive "ALL-IN: The Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness". The elements and goals put forth in the plan are closely tied to the HEARTH Act. It is focused on four primary goals:
Finish the job of ending chronic homelessness
Prevent and end homelessness among Veterans
Prevent and end homelessness for families, youth, and children
Set a path to ending all types of homelessness
2018 USICH federal strategic plan: Home, Together: The Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness
2015 USICH federal strategic plan amended: Opening Doors: The Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness
2010 USICH federal strategic plan: Opening Doors: The Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness