There will be a continued integration of new populations. Funders and monitors will require more accountability. All of these trends will have a great impact of nonprofit homeless service providers. In response to the growing complexity of the problems, the great need and the shrinking resources, homeless service providers have formed community wide coalitions for the homeless. A coalition for the homeless is a organization of community people who are committed to ending homelessness and providing more efficient services to those who experience homelessness.
Coalitions take a variety of forms.
Some are organized into a formal independent organization, with paid or unpaid staff, officers or core group planners, by-laws, tax exempt status, budgets, and membership fees. Others are informal gatherings of service providers working under the legal and financial umbrella of another organization. Coalitions can organize themselves in efficient organizations that meet the needs of the local service providers. The purpose of the local coalition can also vary. Some coalitions establish informal collaborations and provide mutual support as service providers.