This Community Plan for the Durham area has been created to provide a long-term, comprehensive approach to homelessness in the Durham area that deals with the full range of people who are homeless or are at risk of becoming homeless. The Community Plan for Homelessness in Durham will provide a focal point for joint community action. It will also serve as a guide for decision-making and evaluation of individual project proposals for addressing homelessness. This plan will accomplish the following objectives:

- give community service organizations in Durham a framework within which to work together to achieve common goals;

- assist the agencies providing services to make the best possible use of scarce resources by reducing overlap and duplication;

- enable service providers to evaluate progress in reaching objectives;

- establish priorities in Durham around homelessness to support recommendations for distribution of funding allocations from government programs and other sources of funding;

- serve as a guide for decision-making and evaluation of individual project proposals for addressing homelessness; and 

- set a common vision for fundraising activities

This Community Plan is intended to be updated throughout the period of 2000-2003 as projects funded in accordance with this Plan are created and established. Community involvement is encouraged from all individuals, and a means to provide a response is provided in Section 10.0 Communications Strategy. The Community Plan will continue to be updated on a regular basis after the conclusion of the SCPI program in March, 2003.

The Community Plan will cover both short-term and long-term goals for reducing and preventing homelessness in the Durham area. All community partners in the Durham area recognize the need for a comprehensive approach to deal with the full range of needs of people who are homeless or who are at risk of becoming homeless, and will ensure these needs are met through the development of a "continuum of supports" approach.