Continuum of Care (CoC)
A Continuum of Care (CoC) is a regional strategic planning body that works on housing and related services with the goal of reducing homelessness. The CoC includes prevention, outreach and assessment, emergency shelter, transitional housing and permanent supportive housing – many partnerships!
In Minnesota, there are 10 CoC’s; St. Louis County happens to be its own CoC where others are more regional (e.g., the Northeast CoC is made up of counties surrounding St. Louis County). Each CoC has governing board (Heading Home Advisory Council in St. Louis County) and a CoC Coordinator who works with partners and community to coordinate HUD funding for various rapid-rehousing, transitional and permanent supportive housing projects. The CoC Coordinator also supports community wide planning and project monitoring and support.
Lived Experience Council
The St. Louis County (SLC) Lived Experience Council (LEC) has been serving as SLC’s Continuum of Care (CoC)’s advisory and action group to work on improving our homelessness response system since 2021. The LEC is comprised of people with lived experience of homelessness and housing instability from across SLC. LEC members provide their valuable time, energy, and expertise to guide SLC CoC. They also work directly with the SLC CoC governing board, the Heading Home Advisory Council (HHAC) and other program areas.
Heading Home Advisory Committee
The Heading Home Advisory Committee is the community-directed entity responsible for oversight of homelessness planning, coordinating, and funding activities in the St Louis County Continuum of Care (CoC).
CoC Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO)
Each year, HUD administers a grant program called the Continuum of Care (CoC) Program Competition, also known as the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). This grant was previously called the Notice of Funding Availability or “NOFA”. This roughly $3.9 million grant supports infrastructure and services for people experiencing homelessness within the St. Louis County CoC planning region. St. Louis County has been designated by the Heading Home Advisory Council as the Collaborative Applicant, which is responsible for coordinating the NOF in our community. This website contains relevant information and documentation for the NOFO and will be updated as needed, especially during the competition phase, from July through the Fall.
St. Louis County CoC's Ranking and Review Policy can be found here.
FY26 CoC NOFO
SLC CoC project esnaps applications are due at the end of the day on Monday 9/28.
On Wednesday, September 16, 2026, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit granted HUD an emergency stay pending appeal of the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island’s ruling to vacate HUD’s FY 2026 Continuum of Care Competition and Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program Grants NOFO (FY26 CoC NOFO) in the related cases State of Washington, et al. v. HUD, et al., 1:26-cv-00439 (D.R.I.), and National Alliance to End Homelessness, et al. v. HUD, et al., 1:26-cv-00436 (D.R.I.). The First Circuit’s order notes that “HUD has made a strong showing that it is likely to succeed on the merits” of its appeal and that “it would be unable to implement the NOFO in a timely manner -- thereby creating funding gaps -- unless a stay enters.”
Today, HUD reopened its FY26 CoC NOFO to accept applications with a new deadline of September 30, 2026 at 8:00PM ET. The NOFO is unchanged except for the new deadline and the technical correction in the first bullet below. The additional 12 days will allow CoCs to finalize and submit their applications.
Questions regarding the 2026 CoC NOFO may continue to be submitted to CoCNOFO@hud.gov.
Click here to see NOFO documents from HUD.