Ad Hoc Committees

Previously operating as two separate entities – the Aging and Homelessness Ad Hoc Committee and the Health and Homelessness Ad Hoc Committee – this unified group was formed to address the growing number of older adults experiencing homelessness, a population with distinct and complex needs. The committee works to identify these unique needs and develop targeted recommendations, fostering collaboration among housing, health, and social service providers to better serve unsheltered individuals.

By promoting integrated best practices and facilitating smoother transitions between health and homeless service systems, the committee takes a holistic approach to care. It also develops strategies and use cases to link systems through data, aiming to enhance the Continuum of Care and support housing attainment for people who are unsheltered and in need of healthcare. These efforts take into account regional variations in needs and available resources.

To inform its work, the committee may organize focus groups, conduct surveys, or engage in key informant interviews, actively incorporating the voices of those with lived experience. Membership includes representatives from hospital and healthcare systems, housing and homelessness service providers, individuals with lived experience, and 2-1-1.

The Ad Hoc Youth Committee advises the CoC on strategies to prevent and end homelessness among youth and young adults, including those exiting systems such as foster care or juvenile justice. The committee works to improve services and housing options tailored to the unique needs of youth.

Key functions include:

• • Identifying gaps and barriers in the youth homelessness response system

• • Promoting low-barrier, age-appropriate, and trauma-informed services

• • Strengthening coordination with youth-serving systems (e.g., child welfare, education, behavioral health)

• • Supporting youth access to coordinated entry and appropriate housing resources

• • Informing CoC policies, planning, and funding processes related to youth homelessness

The committee supports the development of a more effective and responsive system for youth at risk of or experiencing homelessness.

The Ad Hoc Justice-Impacted Committee supports the San Diego Continuum of Care’s regional goals by addressing the unique needs of individuals experiencing or at risk of homelessness who are justice-impacted. The committee focuses on ending the criminalization of homelessness, preventing system exits into homelessness, and promoting equity across housing and service systems.

Through cross-sector collaboration, the committee works to:

• • Strengthen coordination with criminal justice and reentry systems

• • Advocate for low-barrier, housing-focused solutions

• • Expand access to permanent housing and supportive services

• • Build a system rooted in equity, inclusion, and prevention

This committee advances the vision of a regional, coordinated response that reduces homelessness among justice-involved individuals and supports long-term stability.

The Coalition Building Committee aims to bring together providers, advocates, public partners, philanthropic partners, and people with lived experience across the CoC to align, collaborate, and strengthen how homelessness is collectively address in San Diego.

This committee focuses on:

• Identifying and advancing shared local, state, and federal policy priorities
• Strengthening coordination and advocacy efforts
• Informing CoC strategy, funding, and planning through a policy and systems lens
• Centering lived expertise to guide and ground our work

This committee will advise the CoC on local, state, and federal policy priorities that impact homelessness prevention and response, and will also support coordination across coalitions and advocacy efforts to strengthen the CoC’s collective voice and influence.