Steering Committee

The NYC Continuum of Care (NYC CoC) Steering Committee provides overall leadership to ensure the CoC carries out its vision and meets all HUD mandates and requirements. The Steering Committee provides direction to, and coordinates the efforts of CoC Committees, approves and sets policy priorities, and communicates with the public and external stakeholders to build their understanding of homelessness and the solutions required to prevent and eradicate it. The Steering Committee votes on operation-focused and strategic matters, while all votes tied to funding decisions and ranking priorities are made by the Independent Review Team.

Homelessness reflects comprehensive, intersectional inequities across institutions and systems that disproportionately impact people of color. The NYC CoC Steering Committee is dedicated to proactively and authentically implementing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices throughout all aspects of the CoC, including Steering Committee membership and representation among CoC-funded agencies and their leadership structures.

For more information on the Steering Committee, please see the NYC CoC Bylaws (.pdf).

Co-Chairs:

Kristen Mitchell (she/her) - Associate Commissioner, Homelessness Program Innovation & Intergovernmental Reporting, NYC Department of Social Services (DSS)

Howard Charton (he/him) - Director of Quality Assurance and Compliance, Breaking Ground

Tierra Labrada (she/her) - Associate Director of Advocacy, Supportive Housing Network of NY (SHNNY) 

Voting Members:

The 17 Steering Committee members are composed of two (2) at-large, four (4) coalition, four (4) government, four (4) persons with lived experience, and three (3) non-profit organization representatives. The members are elected for two-year, staggered terms. The Annual Election takes place in the fall of each year.