OUR VISION
The Coalition to End Homelessness in Wichita/Sedgwick County is working to make homelessness rare, brief, and non-recurring for all of our neighbors.
The coalition is the community-designated Continuum of Care, a federal, competitive grant based-program designed to end homelessness with the support of grant funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). It is led locally by United Way of the Plains in conjunction with a 19-member board of local businesses, homeless service providers, local government entities and persons with lived experiences of homelessness. Together, we are working to achieve functional zero – when less people are entering homelessness than obtaining permanent housing.
To view the Coalition’s statement regarding the proposed 1% sales tax for Wichita, click here.
WHAT WE DO
Essential Functions of the Coalition
- Permanent & Transitional Housing – The majority of funds awarded to the Coalition are used to place people, both directly from the streets and from shelters, into permanent and transitional housing. After housing placement, the goal is to transition the household into self-sufficiency so the next person can be served.
- Supportive Services – The Coalition uses both HUD-funded and community-based services to provide mental health and substance use treatment, ongoing case management, employment training, life skills, and more.
- Coordinated Entry & Housing Navigation – The Coalition uniformly and fairly assesses and places households into appropriate housing and services. Providers meet weekly to ensure every client has a housing plan and is rapidly housed. Housing Navigators also conduct regular street outreach to move people from encampments to shelter or housing.
- Data Sharing & Reporting – The Coalition leverages the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), a community-wide database for cross-agency communication and data sharing, to report on the state of homelessness in Sedgwick County.
- Grant Making & Accountability – The Coalition annually conducts a local competition to award funds to local nonprofits and government agencies that will most effectively leverage grant funding to end homelessness. Coalition staff provide accountability throughout the year to ensure the funds are used to their full potential.
INNOVATION IN ACTION
HOUSING NAVIGATION
The myriad of available resources, and their associated criteria, can be confusing to anyone, but especially those in crisis, living without a roof over their head. The labyrinth required to negotiate and access these resources is magnified without a car or cell phone. To help, United Way launched the Housing Navigation program, matching those facing homelessness with a trained expert navigator to help them find their way home more quickly.
IN APPRECIATION
OUR SPONSORS
Special thanks to these generous organizations for supporting our efforts to make homelessness rare, brief and non-recurring for all our neighbors in Wichita and Sedgwick County.
Day 1 Families Fund
