This year, the Mississippi Balance of State Continuum of Care (CoC) was given the designation of achieving an “Effective End to Veteran Homelessness” from the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH). The designation was a culmination of years of effort by the homeless service providers that serve the rural areas of Mississippi

The Mississippi Balance of State CoC covers 71 rural counties. It includes the low-country river areas of the Delta and Southwest, to the hill country and pine trees of the Northeast and Pinebelt. This is a substantial and geographically diverse coverage area; service providers can be located hundreds of miles from one another and from their clients.

Here are three tips to overcoming those challenges.

Tip 1: Build a Strong Network

CoCs need a strong network of service providers — regardless of distance or location. The MS Balance of State CoC created a coordinated entry system specific to our veterans that operates within (but unique from) our larger coordinated entry system. We hold a bi-monthly coordinated entry call with our homeless veteran service providers.

Tip 2: Divide and Conquer Your Regions

Outreach teams are the foundation of an effective coordinated entry system. Within our Balance of State we have 5 regional outreach teams that are comprised of agencies and community partners that operate within that specific region. Creating a locally based outreach team essentially means a CoC is building their by-name-list locally. This focus helps build trust between clients, outreach teams, and service providers.

Tip 3: Respect Local Culture

The culture within a specific community or region is specific to that district. For example, Mississippi’s Delta and Northeast regions are only separated by about 175 miles, but they could not be more different.

Our CoC’s self-determined goal for 2020 is to end chronic homelessness within our balance of state.

Read the full article about ending veteran homelessness in a balance of state continuum of care by Hanna Maharrey at National Alliance to End Homelessness.