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2026 Continuum of Care Board Candidate Interest Form

OVERVIEW

Continuum of Care (CoC) Board Purpose
Thank you for your interest in serving on the Orange County CoC Board. The Orange County CoC Board is the governing body for the Orange County CoC whose purpose and scope is to implement the Continuum of Care Program. The Continuum of Care Program is authorized by Subtitle C of Title IV of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11381-11389). As noted in CFR 24 Part 578.1 (a federal regulation), the Continuum of Care program is designed to:
A. Promote a community-wide commitment to the goal of ending homelessness through Regional Coordination and collaboration.
B. Advocate for funding and resources to end homelessness and provide funding for proven efforts by nonprofit providers, States, and local governments to quickly rehouse people experiencing homelessness while minimizing the trauma and dislocation caused to individuals and families experiencing homelessness, and the communities impacted by homelessness.
C. Promote access to and effective utilization of mainstream programs by individuals and families experiencing homelessness.
D. Promote the implementation of best practices and evidence-based approaches to homeless programming and services.

CoC Board Nomination and Election Process
The CoC Board nomination and election process begins in August/September, with the CoC Board’s establishment of the CoC Nominating Ad Hoc. After the nomination period is announced, the CoC General Membership is given the opportunity to nominate candidates or self-nominate. The Office of Care Coordination, as the Collaborative Applicant for the Orange County CoC, supports by providing the Candidate Interest Form and confirming nominees are CoC General Members. Once the candidates have completed the Candidate Interest Form, the CoC Nominating Ad Hoc proceeds with determining a process to verify all candidates meet minimum qualifications before recommending candidates to move forward in the selection process. In November, candidates are presented to the CoC General Membership for voting. The candidates with the highest votes and that represent identities, experiences, and backgrounds prioritized for the CoC Board membership are then presented to the CoC Board membership for ratification at the December CoC Board meeting and seated in January of the following year.

For more information on this year’s timeline and process, please visit the CoC Board Nomination & Election webpage.
CoC Board Member Responsibilities and Expectations
The Orange County CoC Board is the CoC’s governing board that represents the stakeholder groups as detailed in the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act. The Board is to be comprised of 19 to 25 members and is charged with responsibilities and authorities on behalf of the General Members of the Orange County CoC. CoC Board members are expected to:
  1. Serve a three (3) year term on the CoC Board from January 2027, through December 2029.
  2. CoC Board members will serve no more than two (2) consecutive full terms
  3. Consistently attend CoC Board meetings. All CoC Board members must attend at least seventy-five percent (75%) of meetings each year and not be absent for three (3) consecutive meetings in order to remain in good standing. (Currently, the CoC Board meets monthly on the fourth Wednesday of each month from 2pm – 5pm).
  4. Be CoC General Members who demonstrate a high level of ethical behavior; working knowledge of and compassion about addressing homelessness and furthering effectiveness and collaboration within the CoC Board and across the CoC’s work; and leadership and collaborative spirit in the best interest of the Orange County CoC.
  5. Conduct hands-on work of creating and facilitating the committees, ad hoc groups of the Orange County CoC, including the CoC Program Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) ad hoc. Every member of the CoC Board must serve on a minimum of one committee, working group, or ad-hoc each year and may be appointed to Chair a CoC Committee.
  6. Build community awareness of the needs of all homeless and at-risk populations identified in the CoC.
  7. Ensure, to the greatest extent possible, access to services for subpopulations of focus identified by the CoC.
  8. Ensure relevant organizations and projects serving various homeless and at-risk subpopulations are represented in the planning and decision-making for the overall coordination of homeless services for the CoC.
  9. Ensure regional coordination and collaborative work across the CoC through the use of the Homeless Management Information System and Coordinated Entry System.
  10. Coordinate the CoC Programs and set goals and priorities for ending homelessness in Orange County.
  11. Approve Orange County CoC policies, procedures and standards as recommended by CoC Committees.
Through this nomination and election process, the CoC Board is recruiting for 8 to 14 Board members.

For additional information, please contact the Office of Care Coordination via email at CareCoordination@ceo.oc.gov.
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