Commission adds agency list to continuum‑of‑care recommendations and approves final report
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Summary
The commission approved a final Continuum of Care report recommending funding, HMIS data aggregation, and reestablishment of an interagency council; members amended the report to include a minimum list of participating state agencies.
Dr. Mike Strickland presented the final report on Continuum of Care organizations (CoCs) in Tennessee prepared pursuant to Public Chapter 445 (Acts of 2025). The report recommends that the General Assembly appropriate funding to CoCs to cover non‑HUD eligible expenses, fund HMIS end‑user licenses to broaden participation, and appropriate funds to the University of Tennessee Office of Social Work Research and Public Service (SWORPS) to aggregate HMIS data and produce dashboards.
Strickland also recommended reestablishing a statewide interagency council on homelessness with representation from all 10 CoCs and state agencies to coordinate policy and streamlining public information and coordinated entry measures. Commissioners debated whether the report should explicitly name agencies to be included on the interagency council. Commissioner Thomas moved to amend the report to include, at a minimum, named agencies (examples cited: corrections, mental health, labor/workforce, and other relevant departments) while leaving flexibility to add others; the motion carried by voice vote. After the amendment passed, the commission voted to approve the final report.
The approved recommendations include a request to streamline state websites that link Tennesseans to homelessness services and to develop common measures for coordinated entry and performance dashboards.
