MEMBERSHIP COMPARISON
The membership requirements and activities for the RI Interagency Council on Homelessness (ICH) established in R.I.G.L.§ 40-17, and the RI Continuum of Care (CoC) Board established in its Governance Charter, are quite different. ICH members represent executive branch departments, CoC Board members represent the subpopulations of people who are unhoused. Incidentally, the ICH has an advisory council, which has a similar makeup to the CoC Board.
ICH Members (or designee)
- Chief - Office of Housing and Community Development (ICH Chair)
- Director - Department of Administration
- Chair - Housing Resources Commission
- Director - Department of Human Services
- Director - Department of Health
- Director - Department of Children, Youth and Families
- Director - Elderly Affairs
- Director - Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals
- Director - Department of Labor and Training
- Director - Department of Corrections
- Commissioner - Department of Elementary or Secondary Education
- Director - Rhode Island Housing
- Director - RI Emergency Management Agency
- Representative - RI Division/Department of Veterans' Affairs
- Public Defender
- Medicaid Director (DHS)
- Secretary - Executive Office of Health and Human Services
- Chair - RI ICH Advisory Council (ex-officio)*
*The ICH Advisory Council will have equal representation of advocates, service providers, current and/or former members of the homeless community, as well as representatives specifically affiliated with youth homelessness to be appointed by the Governor. The Chair shall be elected by a majority of the members.
RI Continuum of Care Board
The composition of the RICOC Board will be in accordance with all pertinent HUD requirements of the Continuum of Care program.
The Board of the RICOC will consist of 17 RICOC members. One board member may represent the interests of more than one subpopulation and stakeholder group described below.
The Board must be reflective of the population served by the RICOC with respect to race, ethnicity, sex, age, sexual orientation, and gender identity, and include:
- At least three individuals with lived experience of homelessness and representative of the various subpopulations served by the RICOC, such as veterans, the chronically homeless, families with children, unaccompanied youth, and victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking, to the extent that someone is available and willing to represent that subpopulation on the board.;
- At least two individuals who are members of the Youth Action Board
- At least two individual representatives of organizations providing housing or services for the homeless;
- Individual members from the public and private sectors; and
- Individual representatives of the various subpopulations served by the RICOC, such as persons with substance use disorders, persons with HIV/AIDS, veterans, the chronically homeless, families with children, unaccompanied youth, the seriously mentally ill, and victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking, to the extent that someone is available and willing to represent that subpopulation on the board.
One board member may represent the interests of more than one homeless subpopulation.
COMPARISON OF RESPONSIBILITIES
ICH:
The duties and responsibilities of the council shall be:
(1) To participate in the process of developing a strategic plan to end homelessness aligned with the federal strategic plan to end homelessness that will serve to reduce the number of homeless individuals and families in Rhode Island;
(2) To coordinate services for the homeless among state agencies and instrumentalities, community-based organizations, faith-based organizations, volunteer organizations, advocacy groups, and businesses;
(3) To coordinate services not specifically for the homeless, but from which the homeless may benefit, among state agencies and instrumentalities, community-based organizations, faith-based organizations, volunteer organizations, advocacy groups, and businesses; and
(4) To identify and seek to remedy gaps in services, specifically in the area of making provisions for the availability, use, and permanent funding stream for permanent supportive housing.
CoC
The Board's primary responsibilities under applicable federal requirements are:
Operate the RICOC;
- Designate a Homeless Management Information System ("HMIS") Lead Agency;
- Oversee the operations of HMIS;
- Ensure the HMIS is administered in compliance with requirements prescribe by HUD;
- Conduct planning activities;
- Designate a Collaborative Applicant for the annual Continuum of Care application;
- No less frequently than every five (5) years following the initial approval of the Charter, review, update, and approve the process for selecting Directors.
Operations:
The Board governs the following operational activities:
• Hold meetings of the full membership;
• Cause to be conducted an annual invitation to new members; vote to approve new members;
• Appoint Committee, Subcommittee and Working Groups as needed. Standing Committees will report to the Board;
• Establish and monitor performance targets in consultation with recipients and subrecipients and take action on poor performers;
• Monitor performance and outcomes of programs and report findings to HUD;
• Establish and oversee a Coordinated Entry System in consultation with Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) recipient(s) that meets the necessary requirements outlined in the Interim Rule and the additional definitions and requirements specified in the HUD Notice Establishing Additional Requirements for a Continuum of Care Centralized or Coordinated Assessment System.
• With approval by or ratification of the Housing Resources Commission, approve and cause to be submitted the annual application for funding to HUD in accordance with the requirements outlined in the Notification of Funding Availability (NOFA) published by HUD;
• Establish priorities for funding projects in the state of Rhode Island and a project selection process that is transparent, inclusive and based on standards in 24 CFR 578.19(b); and
• In consultation with Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) recipients (State Office of Housing and Community Development, Cities of Pawtucket, Providence and Woonsocket) establish criteria for ESG & RICOC funding, as outlined in 24 CFR 578.7(a)(9).
