United Way/HMIS

The North Central Oklahoma Continuum of Care is an eight-county rural continuum comprised of Kay, Garfield, Grant, Payne, Pawnee, Creek, Noble and Osage counties. The continuum's mission is to be the leader in ending homelessness in the area. In 2002, through the continuum, United Way received funding for a Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) to be used by homeless providers in the continuum to better track individuals receiving homeless services. The goals of the HMIS are to better serve clients, avoid duplication of services and establish a network with other human service providers in the region to maximize available resources to assist the homeless in their move to self-sufficiency. Currently, there are 11 agencies using the HMIS, and over 4,800 clients have been entered into the system. These clients have received over 12,000 services from the agencies reporting on the HMIS. Some of these services include food, shelter, clothing, transportation, counseling, case management and bill payment assistance. In December 2005, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced that they had renewed the United Way HMIS grant through June 2008.