About the Continuum

What is the Central Illinois
Continuum of Care?

A Continuum of Care (CoC) is a system set up by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that allows providers in a geographic space to collaborate to end homelessness. All providers that receive ESG or CoC funds must participate in their local CoC. Many agencies that do not receive HUD funding (e.g., many faith-based organizations) participate in their local Continuum of Care because they share the similar vision and project of assisting people experiencing homelessness.

As a Continuum, we provide assistance to individuals and families experiencing homelessness across 11 counties in the state of Illinois. Most of our counties are considered rural and therefore we face unique challenges that differ from large metropolitan places. We have a collective goal of reducing and ending homelessness in our area.

Our counties include Dewitt, Ford, Iroquois, Kankakee, Livingston, Logan, Mason, McLean, Menard, Piatt, and Vermilion.

The Lead Agency for our Continuum is The Center for Human Services located in Bloomington, IL. The CoC Lead, Liam Wheeler, coordinates with community leaders and providers of homeless services to create an effective system to ameliorate the trauma of homelessness and house people.

Our Members

The CoC Governing Board and Member Agencies are the decision-making body responsible for managing community planning, coordination, and evaluation to ensure that the system of homeless services and housing rapidly ends people’s homelessness permanently.

Meeting Schedules

  • The following people serve on the CICoC’s Board. They coordinate planning activities with the CoC Lead, Liam Wheeler.

    • Sarah Neill - Catholic Charities, Kankakee

    • Cheris Larson - Project Oz, McLean

    • Kelsey Wenger - Salvation Army, McLean

    • Catholic Charities (lead hub organization)

    • Kankakee County Community Services, Inc. (KCCSI)

    • Fortitude Community Outreach-PADS

    • The Salvation Army-Kankakee

    • Prince Home

    • Kankakee County Housing Authority

    • City of Kankakee-Economic and Community Development

  • The Salvation Army

    • The Center for Human Services (lead hub organization)

    • PATH Crisis Center

    • The Salvation Army-Safe Harbor

    • The Salvation Army-SSVF

    • Home Sweet Home Ministries (HSHM)

    • Project Oz

    • Mid Central Community Action-Neville House

    • Mid Central Community Action-Mayors Manor

    • Chestnut Health Systems

    • Brightpoint (formerly Children’s Home + Aid-Crisis Nursery)

    • LIFE Center for Independent Living (CIL)

    • Recycling Furniture for Families (RF4F)

    • Bloomington Housing Authority (BHA)

    • City of Bloomington

    • Town of Normal

    • McLean County Regional Planning Commission (MCRPC)

    • McLean County FUSE Program

    • Supportive Housing Providers Association (SHPA)

    • Regional Office of Education #17

    • Prairie State Legal Services

    • YWCA-Labyrinth House

    • INtegRIty Counseling

    • Center for Youth and Family Solutions (CYFS)

  • Piatt County Mental Health Center

    Housing Authority of Piatt County

    • Crosspoint at the Y (lead hub organization)

    • Crosspoint Human Services

Interested in joining the CICoC?

The Central Illinois CoC serves as the HUD-designated
primary decision-making group whose main purpose and scope is to implement the CoC program. The program is designed to promote regional commitment to the goal of ending homelessness, promote funding efforts, promote access to mainstream benefits, and optimize self-sufficiency among individuals and families experiencing homelessness. Membership in the CICoC is open to all organizations and individuals seeking to prevent and end homelessness
in the region.

Membership App