![Homeless](/sites/unitedwayfrederick/files/styles/internal_page_header/public/FCCH.WebsiteImage_1.png?h=84a453cc&itok=gEAZsRCx)
Making Homelessness Rare, Brief and Non-recurring
Frederick County Continuum of Care Collaborative (FCCCC) is comprised of individuals, government agencies, faith-based organizations, nonprofit and community-based organizations that share a common concern for the needs of Frederick County’s residents who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. The Collaborative works to evaluate the needs of our County’s residents who are homeless, advocates for resources, and coordinates services to meet these needs.
In addition, in partnership with the State of Maryland's Department of Health & Community Development, the Collaborative is a member of the State's Balance of State, and serves as the Local Management Board for the FEMA Emergency Food and Shelter Program. The Collaborative has a Board of Directors that includes executives from direct shelter services, as well as others representing groups or organizations.
Frederick County Continuum of Care Collaborative
ICO United Way of Frederick County
PO Box 307, Frederick, MD 21705
FCCCC meets virtually at 2 p.m. on the last Wednesday of every month. Meetings are open to the public and each meeting will offer a specified time for public input. Voting is available only to members of the Board of Directors. Guests can receive a link to a FCCCC board meeting by contacting Joyce at jkwamenapoh@uwfrederick.org.
Collaborative Information
Throughout our daily activities, we may encounter an individual who may need assistance or witness an emergency involving someone who may be homeless. Here's how you can help.
First, if you believe that there is an emergency, then CALL 911!
However, if you believe that someone may need assistance but it's not an emergency (for example, someone is sleeping on a bench and you want to make sure they're okay), then call the nonemergency line for the City of Frederick (301-600-2100) or, if outside the City of Frederick, the Frederick County Sheriff's Office (301-600-2171). Dispatchers will deploy appropriate resources.
Actions may include, but are limited to:
- Officer dispatch
- Mobile Crisis Team dispatch to provide non-uniformed intervention
- Emergency medical team dispatch
- Dispatch of appropriate community resources
In addition, we occasionally observe instances where litter and personal items have been abandoned. On commercial streets in Downtown Frederick, an Ambassador may be available to assist with trash pickup Wednesday through Sunday, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Please call 240-805-3076 to reach an Ambassador on duty.
It is essential to treat every human with the dignity that they deserve, no matter their circumstances. Emergency personnel, the police and Ambassadors have an ongoing positive relationship with FCCCC and its members. Each response will be specific to the situation and each is designed to direct the affected individuals to the resources that are appropriate. Responses may vary widely depending on the situation at hand.
For additional resources, call 211 or 866-411-6803. 211, hosted by the Mental Health Association of Frederick County, is the community's information hotline.
If you wish to support homeless individuals, then please consider a contribution to a homelessness provider.
As described by United States Government's Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), “The Continuum of Care (CoC) Program is designed to promote community-wide commitment to the goal of ending homelessness; provide funding for efforts by nonprofit providers, and State and local governments to quickly rehouse homeless individuals and families while minimizing the trauma and dislocation caused to homeless individuals, families, and communities by homelessness; promote access to and effect utilization of mainstream programs by homeless individuals and families; and optimize self-sufficiency among individuals and families experiencing homelessness.”
Each community's Continuum of Care has a governing body and a Collaborative Applicant. In Frederick County, the governing body is the Frederick County Continuum of Care Collaborative and the Collaborative Applicant is the City of Frederick's Department of Housing and Human Services.
Periodically, funding is available by HUD and through the Continuum of Care. This page will list current funding opportunities and deadlines.
FCCCC's Board of Directors is comprised of leadership from service providers, community funders, representatives from local government and members of the community.
Executive Committee
Ken Oldham, Chair
United Way of Frederick County
Nick Brown
Religious Coalition for Emergency Human Needs
Ken Allread, Immediate Past Chair & Secretary
Advocates for Homeless Families
Diana Fulchiron
Community Foundation of Frederick County
Kelli Goetz
Frederick County Government
Michele Ott
City of Frederick
Board of Directors
Shannon Aleshire
Mental Health Association of Frederick County
Ken Allread, Immediate Past Chair
Advocates for Homeless Families
Sister Martha Beadouin
Seton Center
Nick Brown
Religious Coalition for Emergency Human Needs
Susan Brown
Frederick County Government
Lt. John Corbett
City of Frederick Police Department
Sarah Drennan
Frederick County Health Department, Local Behavioral Health Authority
Kelly English
Salvation Army
Kris Fair
The Frederick Center
Arnold Farlow
Frederick Rescue Mission
Diana Fulchiron
Community Foundation of Frederick County
Abbie Ricketts
BEACON
Kerri-Ann Henson
Frederick County Public Schools
Maria Herrera
Spanish Speaking Community of Maryland, Inc.
Debbie Marini
Frederick County Department of Social Services
Melissa Muntz
SHIP of Frederick County
Ken Oldham
United Way of Frederick County
Michele Ott
City of Frederick Department of Human & Human Services
Michelle Petersen
Friends of Neighborhood Progress
Joanne Sharff
Heartly House
Jennifer Weil
Maryland Legal Aid
The work of the Frederick County Continuum of Care Collaborative is possible with the knowledge, skills and experience from the community's outstanding service providers. The below list is a sampling of providers in Frederick County. This list changes often; all providers are welcomed to participate in the Collaborative's work. In fact, we'll be more effective with each provider's input.
Advocates for Homeless Families
The Salvation Army
Frederick County Housing and Community Development
Frederick County Public Schools
City of Frederick Police Department
Frederick Rescue Mission
Faith House
Frederick Community Action Agency
Mental Health Management Agency
Friends for Neighborhood Progress
Community Foundation of Frederick County
Goodwill
Mental Health Association
United Way of Frederick County
Habitat for Humanity
St. Katharine Drexel Catholic Church
Frederick County Department of Aging
On Our Own
Religious Coalition for Emergency Human Needs
Student Homelessness Initiative Partnership (SHIP) of Frederick County
St. John’s Roman Catholic Church
Gale Recovery
Interfaith Housing Alliance
St John the Evangelist Catholic Church
Potomac Case Management
Calvary/Centennial United Methodist Church Co-op Parish
Health Care is a Human Right
Frederick County Executive
Peace & Social Justice Ministry
The Frederick Center
The HUD Point in Time (PIT) count is an annual count of people experiencing homelessness in Frederick County on a single night in January. It includes people who are in shelters, transitional housing, or places not meant for human habitation. The count is conducted by Frederick County Continuum of Care Collaborative (FCCCC) and the City of Frederick. The count is used to distribute resources, identify service needs, and track progress toward ending homelessness.
In many respects Frederick County, Maryland is quite fortunate. Both the unemployment and poverty rates for Frederick County are lower than the rates for Maryland and the United States. And yet, homelessness still exists. The Coalition believes that any level of homelessness is unacceptable in Frederick County, and we are dedicated our efforts to ending it.
Under the leadership of Todd Johnson, FCCCC's Chairperson (2012-2015), FCCCC initiated the strategic planning process in 2013 by establishing a Strategic Planning Committee that was empowered to develop a strategic plan with regular reports back to the entire membership of the FCCCC. Betsy Day, President/CEO of the Community Foundation of Frederick County agreed to serve as the chairperson of the FCCCC Strategic Planning Committee.
As part of the strategic planning process, the FCCCC Strategic Planning Committee undertook an extensive asset mapping process and worked to catalog all services, programs, and resources that are available for homeless individuals and families. Central to the Strategic Plan is the a system of care (known as the “Continuum of Care”) which starts at one end of the continuum with homelessness prevention and outreach services, then moves to emergency shelter followed by transitional housing, and finally to permanent housing or permanent supportive housing. Supportive services like case management are provided along the “continuum” and help people to move from one resource to the next as they work towards self-sufficiency.
The 2015 Strategic Plan can be found here. Note that FCCCC underwent a name change in 2022. Its preceding name was Frederick County Coalition for the Homeless.
United Way of Frederick County (UWFC) provides this webpage to Frederick County Continuum of Care Collaborative (FCCCC) as a complimentary service to the Frederick County community, those struggling with homelessness and those at risk of or emerging from homelessness.
UWFC's role is to mobilize the caring power of the whole community to improve lives. Making homelessness rare, brief and non-recurring is a major community challenge and is directly aligned with United Way's mission.
However, FCCCC is independent of United Way. While United Way is fully invested in ending homelessness, FCCCC's strategies, decisions, activities, endorsements and/or responsiveness lies, without exception, exclusively with FCCCC and its leadership.