Coalition to End Homelessness in Wichita/Sedgwick County
Formerly known as Impact ICT – Continuum of Care
Working to make homelessness rare, brief and non-recurring for all our neighbors.
Are you homeless or facing the possibility of homelessness and looking for help? Dial 2-1-1 today. Our caring team of call specialists can connect you to community resources to meet your needs.
WORKING TOGETHER TO END HOMELESSNESS
Home. It’s where we lay our head at night. Where we cook dinner with family. Where we feel the most safe and secure. Everything starts at home. But what if you have no home? Without a home, it’s hard to keep a job. Without a job, it’s hard to keep a home.
A lack of steady income, insufficient affordable housing, mental health, domestic violence, addiction – the reasons for homelessness are endless and far too great for one organization to tackle alone.
United Way is bringing together key players to end homelessness. United Way is the lead agency for the Coalition to End Homelessness in Wichita/Sedgwick County, comprised of nonprofits; faith community; federal, state, and local governments; businesses; and other community advocates. Together, the coalition works to resolve homelessness by identifying and eliminating barriers to housing, coordinating and providing client directed services and housing, and annually applying for grant funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
Want to join the coalition?
Contact the Coalition to End Homelessness team at endhomelessness@unitedwayplains.org or (316) 267‑1321.
Sign up to receive the coalition’s weekly email digest with news, events and updates about local efforts to end homelessness.
EVERYBODY COUNTS:
ANNUAL POINT-IN-TIME HOMELESS COUNT
Each year, United Way coordinates a count of the homeless population. Volunteers hit the streets and visit shelters over a 24-hour period to interview people experiencing unsheltered homelessness. Those in shelter are counted through the coalition’s Homeless Management Information System. It’s about more than just getting a count. It’s about learning why individuals are homeless, what services they need to succeed and connecting our neighbors back to resources. The count is a requirement of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development grant, but the data also helps the Coalition to End Homelessness in Wichita/Sedgwick County plan programming, make informed funding decisions and measure the progress of their work.
Point-in-Time Count Report
Download the results of our most recent Wichita-Sedgwick County Point-in-Time Homeless Count below. This blog post provides further insights into the 2024 results.
For more information regarding past counts, please contact the Coalition to End Homelessness team at endhomelessness@unitedwayplains.org or (316) 267-1321.
CONTINUUM OF CARE COMPETITION AWARDS
On Jan. 29, 2024, HUD announced nearly $3.16 billion in Continuum of Care program awards for over 7,000 projects across the nation that provide housing assistance and/or supportive services to people experiencing homelessness, as well as costs related to planning and data collection. The Coalition to End Homelessness received $3 million, fully funding the coalition’s request and adding two new housing programs.
Agency |
Project |
Award |
|---|---|---|
| Catholic Charities Wichita | Catholic Charities Rapid ReHousing: Provides short-term (6-12 months) rental assistance and supportive services to unhoused households. | $282,510 |
| City of Wichita – Dept. of Housing and Community Services | Housing First Evolution: Expansion of an existing City of Wichita and Sedgwick County program, Housing First, designed to move chronically homeless households into permanent housing and stabilize through indefinite rental assistance and supportive services. | $202,222 |
| COMCARE | Shelter Plus Care: Provides rental assistance and supportive services through community partners to chronically homeless and disabled homeless households. | $616,271 |
| HumanKind Ministries | Villa Central: Provides set-aside, low-income housing units in an existing apartment building with supportive services for chronically homeless households. | $43,050 |
| HumanKind Ministries | Villa Courts: Provides set-aside, low-income housing units in an existing apartment building with supportive services for chronically homeless households. | $131,977 |
| HumanKind Ministries | Villa North: Provides set-aside, low-income housing units in an existing apartment building with supportive services for chronically homeless households. | $69,815 |
| HumanKind Ministries | Rapid ReHousing: Provides short-term (6-12 months) rental assistance and supportive services to unhoused households. | $195,989 |
| Mental Health America of South Central Kansas | Dual Diagnosis Permanent Supportive Housing: Provides indefinite housing assistance through leased units and rental assistance for chronically homeless households with both a substance use disorder and a severe and persistent mental illness. | $288,694 |
| Mental Health America of South Central Kansas | Permanent Supportive Housing, Consolidated: Provides indefinite housing assistance through leased units and rental assistance for chronically homeless households. | $192,158 |
| The Salvation Army Wichita | Transitional Housing – Rapid ReHousing: Provides short-term (6-12 months) rental assistance, long-term (0-24 months) transitional housing, and supportive services to unhoused families with children, couples, and single women. | $167,296 |
| United Methodist Open Door | Family Rapid ReHousing: Provides short-term (6-12 months) rental assistance and supportive services to unhoused families with children. | $167,651 |
| United Way of the Plains | HMIS-CE: Ensures the coalition is able to share data across agencies through the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS); also responsible for managing data quality, generating reports, and tracking community progress on ending homelessness. | $300,735 |
| United Way of the Plains | CoC Planning Project: Ensures the coalition complies with federal requirements for CoC funding through monitoring, regular evaluation, system mapping and planning, and applying for future grants. | $140,000 |
| United Way of the Plains | Coordinated Entry: Ensures the Coalition prioritizes the most vulnerable homeless households for resources first, manages communitywide case conferencing, and adds additional support to homeless households through housing navigation. | $205,557 |
| TOTAL | $3,003,925 |
FY2024 CONTINUUM OF CARE GRANT COMPETITION
United Way of the Plains, through the Coalition to End Homelessness in Wichita / Sedgwick County, coordinates the annual collaborative application to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for funding of homeless services in Sedgwick County.
The first stage of the grant competition, a local funding process, has closed. The Coalition to End Homelessness Board has approved a request to HUD for $4.1 million for twelve projects designed to end homelessness in Sedgwick County. You can download the full list of projects and their ranking here.
The second phase of the competition is completing and submitting the collaborative application to HUD. All community members are invited to participate in writing the collaborative application. You can access a calendar of all collaborative application meetings here.
Timeline
- Monday, June 3, 2024, at noon: Local competition opens on Coalition to End Homelessness in Wichita/Sedgwick County webpage.
- Wednesday, June 12, 2024, at 9 a.m.: Local competition pre-application workshop, hosted at United Way. A recording will be made available after the workshop.
- Friday, July 5, 2024, at 5 p.m.: Non-binding letters of intent to apply due to Collaborative Applicant at endhomelessness@unitedwayplains.org.
- Friday, July 19, 2024, at 5 p.m.: Deadline to ask technical questions regarding applications or receive feedback on an application.
- Friday, July 26, 2024, at 5 p.m.: Deadline to submit a completed application to endhomelessness@unitedwayplains.org.
- Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024: Review Panel reviews applications and submits allocation recommendation to Coalition Board.
- Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024: Coalition Board makes final allocation determinations; applicants notified if their projects are accepted, rejected, or reduced.
- Friday, Sept. 13, 2024: Public notice of projects selected for the 2024 CoC Grant Competition.
- Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024: Consolidated Application posted for Public Comment; comments due by Oct. 22 at 5 p.m. to endhomelessness@unitedwayplains.org.
- Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024: Final collaborative application due to HUD.
Questions?
Contact Cole Schnieders, United Way Continuum of Care Planning Manager, at cschnieders@unitedwayplains.org or (316) 267‑1321, ext. 4214.
LIVE UNITED BLOG: HOMELESS SERVICES
Read our latest blog posts about our work in homeless services.
2024 COALITION BOARD
The board directs the coalition and provides oversight. The current board is made up of 19 seats, each representing different parts of the coalition’s general membership. The board is elected by the coalition’s voting membership.
Sally Stang, Board Chair
Wichita Housing and Community Services
Andy Houltberg, Vice Chair
Breakthrough | Episcopal Social Services
Jennifer Avery
Wichita Children’s Home
Kenny Barker
Robert. J. Dole VA Medical Center
Steve Dixon
P.B. Hoidale
Angie Elliot
Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce
Kenadee Kessler
Statewide Executive Youth Action Board Council
Denise Lawson
USD 259 – Wichita Public Schools
Fred Linker
Community Volunteer
Teresa Lovelady
HealthCore
Matt Lowe
United Way of the Plains
Kent Miracle
The Print Source, Inc.
Jen Parker
COMCARE
Major Nancy Powers
The Salvation Army South Central Area Command
Laura Ritterbush
Goodwill Industries of Kansas
Andrea Scarpelli
Community Volunteer
Officer Nate Schwiethale
Wichita Police Department
SPONSORS
Special thanks to these generous organizations for supporting our efforts to make homelessness rare, brief and non-recurring for all our neighbors in Sedgwick County.
QUESTIONS?
The Coalition to End Homelessness in Wichita/Sedgwick County is managed by Matt Lowe, United Way of the Plains Director of Community Impact. For more information, contact Matt at mlowe@unitedwayplains.org or (316) 267-1321, ext. 4233.
OUR FOCUS
Our focus is on health, education, financial stability and basic needs—the building blocks for a good quality of life and a strong community. Click below to learn more about what we’re doing, the programs we invest in and our lasting impact in each area.
