FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

COC MEMBERSHIP

How much does it cost to be a member?

Membership is completely free!

What are the benefits of becoming a CoC member?

  •   Networking and shared resources with 100+ partners 

  •   Collaboration with others working to end homelessness 

  •   Free training opportunities 

  •   Eligibility to apply for specific funding opportunities connected to the CoC 

What are the requirements of CoC membership? 

Membership is open to anyone committed to ending homelessness or assisting people who are experiencing housing insecurity - this includes nonprofit, for profit, individual, faith-based, educational, health, housing or governmental entities.  

  • There are two types of membership: Voting Membership and Affiliated Membership: 

    VOTING 

  • Each entity has one vote by a designated voting representative 

  • A voting representative must be in attendance at at least 75% of the monthly General Meetings OR have a representative participate in at least 1 committee with at least 75% attendance at the monthly committee meetings 

  • Membership organizations are considered inactive when the 75% minimum participation requirement is not met in a calendar year.

    AFFILIATE (non-voting) 

  • Individuals/entities who cannot commit to the attendance requirements, or individuals of member agencies seeking to obtain individual membership may join as non-voting affiliates 

  • Affiliates do not have voting rights and are not subject to the attendance requirements 

  • However, Affiliate Members may be removed if they do not attend any general meetings in a calendar year. 

What do I need to do to become a member?

Becoming a member is easy! 

1. Review the CoC website for information about the CoC and membership 

2. Complete the membership application on the website: https://www.stlcoc.org/membership-application-1 

3. The Governance & Membership committee receives all applications and will review your application. The committee discusses and votes on applications at their monthly meeting. A member of the committee will follow up with you after their review/vote

What is the meeting schedule?

  • GENERAL MEETING – 3rd Thursday monthly, 10-11:30am 

  • OPEN BOARD MEETING – 2nd Thursday monthly, 10-11:30am 

  • Committees meet monthly. For more information on committees, click here

ABOUT THE COC

How many entities are members of the CoC?

As of 2025, the CoC has more than 100 member entities including nonprofit, for profit, individual, faith-based, educational, health, housing and governmental entities. 

How long has the CoC been around?

The St. Louis city CoC has been existence since 1993.  The Mckinny Vento Act was 1987 that led the way for CoC establishment in 1993. 

Is the CoC regional or only for the city?

The St. Louis City CoC is specific to St. Louis City. There are a total of 8 CoCs in the state of Missouri, including a St. Louis County CoC. The St. Louis City CoC seeks to work collaboratively with other CoCs across the region. 

What role does the City of St. Louis play in the CoC?

The city's Department of Human Services currently serves as the CoC's contracted Collaborative Applicant. Other departments of the city such as Public Safety, Mental Health and Corrections, are members of the CoC. 

Who is eligible to become a CoC board member?

Any active individual voting member or individual from an active voting membership organization may serve as a Board member. Only one board member per membership organization is allowed. There is a standard 2 year term for each board position. 

How do Board Member elections work?

Annual elections typically happen in December. Mid-year vacancies are filled within 90 days. Voting is limited to CoC member entities and happens through an online voting form. Upon membership sign-up/renewal, each voting member entity designates a primary, secondary and tertiary voting member for election purposes. Each voting entity only gets one vote per candidate. The voting link gets emailed to the primary delegate. If the primary delegate is not able to vote, they may notify the Supportive Applicant and the voting link will be sent to the secondary or tertiary delegate. 

COC RELATED RESOURCES

What type of funding is available through the CoC? How does it work?

  • HUD: CoC funding is a HUD national competition that funds Permanant housing and Rapid rehousing and support services. The Collaborative Application will conduct an RFP process for applications, which then go through a Review and Rank process and are submitted to HUD with the Consolidated Application. 

  • PLANNING GRANT: The CoC also receives Planning Grant Funds  for training, consultants and staffing for the CoC. 

  • ESG: Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) funding is for emergency solutions including shelter, outreach, transitional housing and support services. These funds go through DHS and the CoC reviews and makes recommendations to the City PSA committee who makes the final decision. 

  • OTHER FUNDING: Other funders look at active CoC membership as part of their application process including MHDC, AHT and CDA.  

Is HMIS only for CoC members? 

The HMIS, or Homeless Management Information System, is the local shared database that HUD recipients are required to use. Non-HUD recipients who are CoC members may request and be approved for licenses on a case by case basis. Non-CoC members cannot have HMIS licenses.

What is Basecamp? 

Basecamp is the  online project management platform the CoC uses for communication amongst member organizations. Basecamp includes: 

  • Access to docs and files including committee minutes and other important documents 

  • Message & announcements boards 

  • Main calendar of meetings and events 

  • Task assignments for committees 

    Basecamp is open to any staff from member organizations. Staff must first sign the online waiver: https://www.stlcoc.org/base-camp-sign-up. Basecamp is managed by the Support Agency. 

For additional questions, please reach out to the CoC's support agency, Mission: St. Louis at hello@stlcoc.org