Welcome to the Bristol County Continuum of Care
(Formerly the New Bedford Homeless Service Provider Network – HSPN)
The New Bedford Continuum of Care (MA-505) has grown! In May 2024 the adjoining Continuum of Care (CoC) known as the Greater Bristol County Attleboro Taunton Coalition to End Homelessness or “GBCATCH” merged into New Bedford’s CoC creating a much larger CoC. Reflecting all of Bristol County’s cities and towns with the exception of Fall River, the Bristol County CoC (temporarily named as such) coordinates a comprehensive response to homelessness using a “Continuum of Care” approach through its active network of providers, members of the faith community, social service workers, state agencies, local non-profits providing a myriad of services, foundations, developers and those with lived experience and expertise.
The BCCC meets regularly to address the most pressing issues around the complexity of homelessness and works toward ensuring every individual and every family has access to appropriate, sustainable safe, decent and affordable housing.
If you are interested in working toward this end, join with us and check out the work the BCCC is doing in Bristol County. Our website is undergoing a transition from the HSPN to the new merged CoC so we thank you for your patience as we rework some of the details of our site.
Need Help?
The Bristol County Continuum of Care has a Coordinated Entry System that focuses on, and works to, assist those CURRENTLY sleeping outside or in an emergency shelter.
Beyond that, we want to remind you of the following resources that may be available to you if you are in a housing crisis:
EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1, 2024 PLEASE CONTACT THE FOLLOWING…
IF YOU ARE CURRENTLY SLEEPING OUTSIDE, IN A CAR, IN AN ABANDONED BUILDING, IN OTHER PLACES NOT MEANT FOR HUMAN HABITATION OR IF YOU ARE IN AN EMERGENCY SHELTER ALREADY, PLEASE CONTACT COORDINATED ENTRY:
Monday – Friday 8am – 5pm
508-501-0900
ce@comcounseling.org
For individuals needing shelter, please contact the shelter directly:
Sr. Rose (men) – New Bedford – 508-997-3202
Grace House (women) – New Bedford – 774.628.9743
Samaritan House – Taunton – 508-824-6497
Domestic Violence – New Bedford – 508.999.6636
For families with minor children or women who are pregnant, please contact the state’s Emergency Housing Assistance Program call center:
Monday – Friday 8am – 5pm
866-584-0653
For those needing rental assistance for past due rent (which typically needs a 14 day notice to quit), please contact:
RAFT – www.nhs.mass.org
Catholic Charities – 508-999-4757
PACE – 508-993-0033
For those seeking subsidized housing/apartment options check out:
HUD Guide for housing opportunities (click on “find affordable housing opportunities near me”)
https://resources.hud.gov/
NB Age Friendly’s Housing Resources Guide
https://s3.amazonaws.com/newbedford-ma/wp-content/uploads/sites/34/20201117102348/AGING-HOUSING-MANUAL.Final_.pdf
New Bedford Housing Authority’s Online Application, State Champs Application and Housing Briefing
https://newbedfordhousingauthority.org/
The BCCC is committed to the concept that each person is entitled to live in dignity and is focused on the elimination of homelessness in Bristol County.
News Now!
2024 PROJECT RANKING and SCORES RELEASED
On September 19, 2024, the Bristol County Continuum of Care (BCCC) membership received, reviewed and voted on the 2024 CoC Rank and Order of Projects. The BCCC’s Performance Review Committee (PRC) comprised of BCCC members with no relationship–financial or otherwise–to any of the applicants for funding in the FY2024 round previously received, reviewed, vetted, evaluated,[ Continue reading. ]
CITY RELEASES COMPREHENSIVE REPORT ON HOMELESS RESPONSE SYSTEM
The City of New Bedford has released a landmark report detailing the City’s response to homelessness and identifying key areas for improvement. At the suggestion of service providers, the Mitchell Administration allocated American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA) funds to commission the report, conducted by the Technical Assistance Collaborative (TAC), a leading expert nationally in human[ Continue reading. ]
RFP RELEASED for 2024 COC COMPETITION ROUND
COC COMPETITION MA-505 RFP is NOW AVAILABLE! On Saturday, August 10, 2024, the Bristol County Continuum of Care (BCCC), acting through the City of New Bedford’s Office of Housing & Community Development (it’s Collaborative Applicant), issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) that includes both instructions and application forms for New/DV Bonus and Renewal projects 2024[ Continue reading. ]
2024 REVIEW and RANKING PROCEDURES FOR COC COMPETITION
The procedures used by the CoC in the review, evaluation and ranking of renewal, new/dv bonus and reallocation projects is annually updated and made available to the CoC, project applicants and the community. This information is also referenced within the published RFP. The 2024 CoC’s Review and Ranking Procedures are available here: BRISTOL COUNTY COC[ Continue reading. ]
2024 REALLOCATION PLAN
In anticipation of each CoC funding cycle, the Bristol County Continuum of Care (BCCC) issues its guidance regarding its policies/process for the reallocation of funding from an existing project to a higher performing and/or new permanent housing project. A copy of the CoC’s Reallocation Plan.2024 can be downloaded here: BRISTOL COUNTY COC REALLOCATION PLAN.2024
2024 COC COMPETITION TIMELINE
The 2024 Continuum of Care (CoC) funding competition through the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) opened on July 31.2024 and will conclude no later than HUD’s Submission deadline of October 30, 2024. Given the 90 day turnaround on the grant deadline, the Bristol County Continuum of Care’s own CoC Competition Calendar is[ Continue reading. ]
2024 RESOURCE | TRAINING SERIES :: IMMIGRATION
The Bristol County Continuum of Care (BC3) hosted a virtual training session on Immigration at the Intersection of Homelessness on Wednesday, June 26, 2024 as part of its Resource | Training Series. Helena DaSilva Hughes, Executive Director of the Immigrants Assistance Center (IAC), Corinn Williams, Executive Director of the Community Economic Development Center and Kenneth[ Continue reading. ]
HOMELESS DATA 2024
As has been the case for the past 15 years, the City of New Bedford’s Office of Housing & Community Development, acting in its capacity as the Continuum of Care’s (CoC’s) Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) lead, and on behalf of the CoC, has completed its annual “Point In Time” (PIT) count creating a census of[ Continue reading. ]