A Continuum of Care for homeless people

This dissertation develops a case study of the Maricopa Association of Governments Continuum of Care For Homeless People. It utilizes Principal-Agent Theory to assess the response of the Maricopa Association of Governments Continuum of Care For Homeless People (MAGCCHP) to incentives provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in four key areas. First, this dissertation addresses the response of the MAGCCHP to HUD incentives for the planning process. Second, it addresses response of the MAGCCHP to HUD incentives to coordinate service providers. Third, it addresses the response of the MAGCCHP to HUD incentives to develop and utilize a comprehensive data gathering and reporting system. Finally, it assesses the response of the MAGCCHP service providers to HUD incentives in the development of funding outside of HUD funding. These four policy areas were selected for examination because they are explicitly stated HUD interests that are tied directly to HUD's funding of Continuums of Care. The study examines the attachment of incentives to these four policy areas by HUD and the MAGCCHP response to these incentives.;Data were collected through the evaluation of agency documents and interviews of people involved in the Continuum of Care process. Results indicate that the MAGCCHP exceeded expectations in developing and utilizing an institutionalized planning process and data reporting system. It was also found that the MAGCCHP did not coordinate service providers or require them to develop external funding sources beyond HUD funding.