Regional Role
Heading Home Anoka Housing Collaborative (HHAHC) is part of a regional planning group of Continuum of Care committees, called the Suburban Metro Area Continuum of Care (SMAC). The SMAC is composed of five counties Anoka, Carver/Scott, Dakota and Washington.
The Mission of SMAC is to coordinate the response of the suburban metropolitan counties to homelessness and maximize access to funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development McKinney-Vento Continuum of Care (CoC) competition.
The Suburban Metro Area Continuum of Care (SMAC) is a network of organizations, community residents and businesses that plan programs with the primary goal of ending homelessness in Anoka, Washington, Dakota, Scott and Carver Counties.
Responsibilities
SMAC is responsible to lead the following efforts and report the results to HUD on an annual basis:
1. The Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA)
2. Point-In-Time (PIT) Count
3. Housing Inventory Count (HIC)
4. Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR)
5. Housing Hub (previously Coordinated Entry)
Importance of the Continuum of Care (CoC)
- It can assess capacity and identify gaps. CoC planning provides communities with an opportunity to step back, critically assess capacity, and develop solutions to move homeless people toward permanent housing and self-sufficiency.
- It is proactive rather than reactive. CoC planning helps communities look comprehensively at needs, to anticipate policy or demographic changes, and develop the capacity to respond to these changes.
- It creates common goals for which to advocate. CoC planning helps communities develop a common vision and a set of common goals.
- The CoC creates coordination and linkages with others. Continuum of Care planning helps providers identify ways of coordinating and linking resources to avoid duplication and facilitate movement towards permanent housing and self-sufficiency.