1-866-560-7464
Call to Connect
Coordinated Entry
Central MN
Continuum of Care Overview
The Central Minnesota Continuum of Care (CoC) is a network of organizations, community residents and businesses that plan programs with the primary goal of alleviating homelessness in 13 counties in Central Minnesota, as well as the City of St. Cloud. The counties include Cass, Crow Wing, Todd, Morrison, Mille Lacs, Kanabec, Pine, Isanti, Chisago, Stearns, Benton, Sherburne, and Wright.
The Purpose of the Continuum of Care:
It is a strategic plan to address the use of HUD resources and their interface with other funding sources, developed through a community-based process to address homelessness based on the identified needs of homeless individuals and families; the availability and accessibility of existing housing and services; and the opportunities for linkages with non-homeless mainstream housing and services resources. Through the Continuum of Care planning process, a community can: Identify the size and scope of the homeless problem; Inventory the resources available in the community to address the problem of homelessness, including both homeless resources and non-homeless targeted housing and service resources (referred to as “mainstream” resources); Rank the community’s needs in order of priority; Strategically plan the range of services and housing that should be implemented to address homelessness, and Identify available leveraging resources that can be used to address homelessness.
Who is Involved in the Continuum of Care?
Government officials, local public housing authorities, county officials and service providers from 13 counties and the St. Cloud Area.
The Central CoC is divided into 3 regions, Northern, Central, and Eastern.
Northern Region: Cass, Crow Wing, Morrison, and Todd Counties
Central Region: Benton, Sherburne, Stearns, and Wright Counties
Eastern Region: Chisago, Isanti, Kanabec, Mille Lacs, and Pine Counties
HUD Releases the 2024 AHAR Part 1 with Updated Data on Homelessness
2025 Meeting Schedule
Central MN COC Full Membership meetings are held on the 1st Tuesday of every month from 1:00-3:00 pm.
Membership in the Central MN CoC is open to all stakeholders within the 13 county CoC region. This includes but is not limited to those with lived experience, nonprofit homeless assistance providers, victim service providers, faith-based organizations, governments, businesses, advocates, public housing agencies, school districts, social service providers, mental health agencies, hospitals, universities, affordable housing developers, law enforcement, and organizations that serve veterans. New members may enroll at any time during the year by attending a meeting or contacting the Central MN CoC Coordinator.
These meetings are virtual. Please email tpoland@cmhp.net for a meeting invite.
CoC Governing Board meetings are held the 3rd Thursday of the month from 1:30-3:00 PM and are virtual meetings.