Who We Are – Homeless Continuum

Description & History of HCCSC

Find out more about how and why HCCSC was formed

Foreword

The Homeless Continuum of Care of Stark County (HCCSC) is a broad-based open membership representative of all agencies, organizations, businesses, entities and individuals interested in ending homelessness in Stark County.

No one should experience homelessness. No one should be without a safe, stable place to call home.

HCCSC Mission Statement

The purposes of the HCCSC are to:

Promote community-wide commitment to employ best practices to end homelessness in Stark County, Ohio;
Secure funding for efforts by providers and government entities to prevent homelessness and quickly re-house homeless individuals (including unaccompanied youth) and families in Stark County, while minimizing the trauma and dislocation that homelessness causes to individuals, families, and communities;
Promote access to and effective utilization of mainstream programs by homeless individuals and families; and
Optimize self-sufficiency among individuals and families that experience homelessness.

About Us

HCCSC is a coalition of various health and human service nonprofit organizations, government entities, and community leaders committed to addressing homelessness in Stark County, Ohio. All partner agencies share a vested interest in preventing and ending homelessness given its prevalence among and impact on their respective client populations.

HCCSC signifies our community’s belief that services to those who are experiencing homelessness or other housing crisis requires collaboration and shared responsibility. HCCSC’s function as a neutral and inclusive convener to address homelessness is critical and more important than ever as the national movement to end homelessness calls for even greater collaboration among various systems of care.

History

HCCSC represents Stark County’s effort to achieve and maintain compliance with HUD regulations. By forming a local CoC, Stark County became eligible to apply for crucial state and federal funds to prevent and end homelessness.

HCCSC began as the Stark County Interagency Council on Homelessness when HUD began requiring that any community seeking federal funding have a local independent entity review its application. Since then, it has changed to adapt to new HUD regulations and guidance. However, led and managed by volunteers, its structure was not sustainable.

Now, HCCSC is managed by an independent nonprofit “backbone” organization called Stark Housing Network Inc. The Network was formed in 2017 and aims to manage HCCSC’s work for many years to come.