The Metro Supportive Services Advisory Committee (MSSAC) meets from 2:00pm-4:00pm or 6:00pm-8:00pm on the third Thursday of every other month.

The MSSAC is comprised of federal, state, and local government staff and policy makers; housing providers and advocates; community members (including individuals who are currently or having recently experienced homelessness); representation from the seven metro counties; and private funders of housing and shelter. 

 The MSSAC is charged with the responsibility of facilitating communication, addressing barriers, and reviewing annual evaluation & recommendations. 
                                                                                      

Facilitating Communication:    The MSSAC serves as a vehicle for the community to voice suggestions and concerns regarding the implementation of the metro supportive services program.  Conversely the MSSAC serves as the appropriate vehicle for the Regional Metro Committee (RMC) and Administrative Entity to communicate questions, needs, and changes in the supportive services program to the metro community.  The MSSAC therefore needs to actively establish open communication with funded and non-funded providers, individuals accessing services, the RMC and Administrative Entity to ensure that the operation of the metro supportive services program is an open and transparent process for all stakeholders.

 
Addressing Barriers:   The metro supportive services program is a new initiative, in which the metro counties are working together in a greater collaborative capacity than ever before.  As the metro supportive services program is implemented it is anticipated that barriers will be identified by providers, individuals being served, the administrative entity, and the RMC.  These barriers may be in the form of county residency requirements, changes in federal mainstream funding, etc.  For the purpose of this committee, barriers will be defined as: issues that arise through the implementation of the metro supportive services fund which hinder the efficacy of the supportive services fund, the stability or mobility of individuals being served by the program, and/or the  stability of programs being funded.  The MSSAC will be the appropriate entity to consider these barriers and will make recommendations to the RMC for possible solutions.   

 
Annual Evaluation & Recommendations:   While the Administrative Entity will be charged with collecting and reporting quantifiable data regarding the metro supportive services program; the MSSAC will annually assist the RMC by reviewing the Administrative Entity’s aggregate data, collecting qualify-able and anecdotal data from the community, and making recommendations for future actions.  Since future state funding and metro county collaboration will be dependent upon the ability to communicate the success of this program, the MSSAC will be charged with helping the RMC to distill that “success story” to be used in the RMC’s reports to the state and county commissioners.  Should the program NOT show positive outcomes, the MSSAC will help the RMC identify why results were not positive and will help create recommendations to the state and county boards for future steps. 

 
For all activities listed above, the MSSAC will report directly to the RMC.  Additional tasks and responsibilities of the MSSAC will be added by the direction of the RMC.