Internal Dynamics and External Contexts: Evaluating Performance in U.S. Continuum of Care Homeless Networks

Understanding public service performance remains a persistent challenge, particularly when services are delivered through complex interorganizational networks. This difficulty is amplified in contexts addressing wicked problems such as homelessness, where needs are multifaceted, solutions are interdependent, and outcomes are hard to measure. In the United States, the Continuum of Care (CoC) system represents a federally mandated and HUD-funded network model designed to coordinate local responses to homelessness through collaborative governance. Despite its standardized structure and federal oversight, CoC performance varies significantly across regions. This study investigates the conditions that influence CoC network performance, focusing on the delivery of Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) services, a critical intervention for addressing chronic homelessness. It applies a dual-theoretical framework that combines Ansell and Gash’s collaborative governance model with Emerson et al.’s integrative framework, allowing for a comprehensive assessment of internal network factors—such as board composition, leadership structure, and HUD funding—and external system contexts, including political orientation, income levels, and housing market pressures. Drawing on regression analysis of data from 343 CoCs across the United States, the study identifies structural and contextual drivers of high-performing networks. The findings contribute to the literature on public service delivery in complex systems and offer actionable insights for improving collaborative responses to entrenched social problems.