State Organization for Homeless Services

The State of Utah is divided into three Continua of Care (CoC) and 13 Local Homeless Councils (LHC). The CoCs and LHCs are regional and local planning bodies that are responsible for aligning funding, promoting data quality, and coordinating housing and homeless services for families and individuals experiencing homelessness.

Continua of Care Councils

The CoCs are entities designated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to: 

• Promote a community-wide commitment to the goal of ending homelessness; 
• Provide funding for efforts by nonprofit providers and state and local governments to quickly rehouse homeless individuals and families while minimizing the trauma and dislocation caused to homeless individuals, families, and communities; 
• Promote the utilization of mainstream programs and benefits; and 
• Utilize data to redirect services, funding, and resources as necessary. 

Local Homeless Councils

The LHCs are counties or groups of counties designated by the Utah Homeless Network (UHN) and are the designated local oversight bodies that are responsible for: 

• Developing a common agenda and vision for reducing homelessness in their respective regions;
• Developing a spending plan that coordinates the funding supplied to local stakeholders;
• Aligning local funding to projects that improve outcomes and target specific needs in the community.

Utah Homeless Network

The Utah Homeless Network (UHN) was established by the Utah Strategic Plan on Homelessness in 2019. The UHN’s role is to:

• Support connections across the LHCs, CoCs and state and local governments;
• Share best practices;
• Understand changing trends in homeless populations;
• Build a social network of professional support; and 
• Make policy recommendations to the Utah Homeless Council (UHC).

To learn more about each of the CoC’s visit:  endutahhomelessness.org