NY-608
Ulster County Continuum of Care (UCCoC)
The UCCoC encompasses the County of Ulster within the State of New York inclusive of 20 towns, 3 villages and the City of Kingston. There are two Consolidated Jurisdictions, Ulster County and the Kingston MSA.
UCCoC Mission
To coordinate a community-wide commitment to end homelessness in Ulster County through a community-based process of identifying needs and building/sustaining a system of housing and services that addresses those needs with a system-wide response to end homelessness with a focus on Racial Equity and Social Justice.
UCCoC Vision
The UCCoC is committed to creating a homelessness response system that centers on customer voice with the goal of ensuring the CoC focuses on responding to customer needs and eliminating inequities. The values of racial equity and centering voices of people with lived experience are integral to the work of the CoC.
Membership Information
Role of the UCCoC Members
Members of the UCCoC shall assist in the responsibility to carry out the duties of the UCCoC including fulfilling the mission, purpose, scope, and guiding principles of the UCCoC including the election of members to the governing board. Members are encouraged to attend meetings of the membership, to participate on committees, and collaborate with and support of other members in efforts to prevent and end homelessness.
Participation
Members are encouraged to attend and contribute to planning and problem-solving at meetings of the Board of Directors. Members are strongly encouraged to participate on committees and sub-committees. Active and proactive membership participation is expected on committees, sub-committees and in work groups. Members self-select for participation. Board members engage with individuals in the wider membership and help them self-select, encourage in-depth participation and find roles that best suit their skills, abilities, and interests.
Membership Details
Individual or agency representatives are invited to become a member of the Ulster County Continuum of Care (UCCC) a community-based coalition working to reduce and end homelessness throughout the county. Members include local government agencies, faith-based groups, law enforcement, legal services, Veteran agencies, and other parties that develop and implement strategies to reduce and end homelessness. The UCCC welcomes individuals and agencies with different perspectives including lived experience to ensure voices from a variety of backgrounds and organizations serving culturally specific communities to participate in conversations and decisions around addressing homelessness.
Membership Meetings
CoC Membership meet quarterly virtually via Microsoft Teams. Access the membership application here: https://arsl.at/LGAVXx7m
UCCOC Membership meetings are held quarterly the second Tuesday of the month at 10 am. Contact Lori Rhodes at lrhodes@caresny.org for additional information
Board Members of UCCoC
Michael Berg, Family of Woodstock
Dennis Doyle, Ulster County Planning
Joan Eck, Ulster Savings Bank
Erin Burud, Legal Services of the Hudson Valley
Michael Iapoce, Ulster County DSS
Lisa McDonald, RUPCO
Michelle DeRose, Gateway Hudson Valley
Geoff Raiti, Soldier On
Gavin Walters, Vet2Vet
Al Babcock, Ulster County Sheriff’s Department
Rhonda Garcia, Samadhi Inc.
Doug Blancero, Ulster County Community Action
Bartek Starodaj, City of Kingston
Daniel Woodham, UIDN
Katrina Williams, Ulster County Mental Health
Committee Information
Data Committee
Description: The Data Committee will review quarterly Data Quality and HMIS reports, System Performance, data from the Regional Racial Justice Committee, and outside data provided by committee members to identify housing and homeless system gaps. The committee chair will report to the Board on both local trends and HUD System Performance measures. The Board and Membership will develop actionable measures to improve CoC performance and address local homeless issues. The Data Committee Chair or designee will serve on the Regional HMIS Advisory Committee.
Coordinated Entry Committee
Description: Coordinated entry is a process developed to ensure that all people experiencing a housing crisis have fair and equal access and are quickly identified, assessed for, referred, and connected to housing and assistance based on their strengths and needs. HUD requires that all CoC’s implement coordinated entry systems within their communities based upon required core elements including access, assessment, prioritization, and referral. The CE committee will be responsible to ensure the system meets HUD’s core requirements, update policy and procedures during the implementation phases and evaluates the performance of CE.
Rank and Review Committee
Description: This committee will be responsible to review quarterly reports on HUD funded project performance in accordance with the Ranking and Performance Policy. Three members will be appointed from the Board of Directors and two others from general membership. The committee will score renewal applications and bring ranking recommendations for Board Approval. The Board will vote on the recommendations for the NEW and RENEWAL applications.