Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report

V. CONTINUUM OF CARE NARRATIVE
The Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Continuum of Care (CoC) concept
was introduced in the mid-1990’s, in recognition of the fact that efforts to end homelessness
must be community driven since it is unlikely that any single entity can resolve the problem of
homelessness within a community. HUD encourages communities to address housing and
homelessness through a comprehensive, collaborative, and strategic approach. The
Continuum of Care concept facilitates this process and is designed to help communities
visualize, plan and implement long-term solutions aimed at addressing the problem of
homelessness. To better understand the Continuum of Care concept, it is helpful to examine
a few of the entities engaged in overall planning, administrative and funding efforts, along
with shared goals pertaining to homelessness within Orange County nearby jurisdictions.
Orange County participates in and shares the local Continuum of Care’s vision for ending
homelessness. The County is the grantee at the jurisdictional level responsible for obtaining
and/or administering federal grants such as ESG, CDBG, HOME and NSP grants, and the
Housing Choice program. Details of these programs and past year accomplishments are
reported throughout this report. In addition to administering Emergency Solution Grant (ESG)
funds specifically designated for homelessness within its jurisdiction (See Section XII
Requirements for Grantees Receiving ESG Funds, and Section II D, Assessment of 2012-
2013 Action Plan – Homeless Goals), Orange County remains a committed participant in the
Continuum of Care’s process for assisting the homeless.
The Orange County Division of Mental Health and Homelessness is another County division
which assists with homeless matters. It continues to be the main division in the County that
focuses on planning for mental health, substance abuse, and homeless issues. The Division
participates in the planning and implementation of programs throughout Orange County for
citizens needing mental health or substance abuse treatment or crisis intervention. An
important aspect of this Division’s work is the continued oversight of operations at the Orange
County Central Receiving Center, CRC Phase 2, the ANCHOR transitional housing program
and other resources for treatment and intervention to assist those suffering with mental
illness or substance use disorders. The ANCHOR Program (Accessing New Choices for
Housing Opportunities and Recovery) is an integral component of the Orange County Central
Receiving Center (CRC) service system. The program provides transitional housing with case
management and overlay services for chronically homeless adults who have co-occurring
substance use and mental health disorders. ANCHOR serves individuals who have been
referred through the CRC System, and is operated by The Center for Drug-Free Living, in a
collaborative effort with Orange County Government and Lakeside Behavioral Health Care.
The Central Florida Commission on Homelessness (CFCH) is another entity committed to the
overall homeless cause in the area. It is a regional body which introduced the local Ten2End
Initiative to end homelessness in the area in a previous year. The mission of CFCH is
“provide a coordinated structure for our community to address homelessness issues as it
relates to policy, funding, and coordinated services.” During the past year, the Commission
began a reorganization process with the intent of enhancing its initiative in fighting
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