Washoe County Continuum of Care
Lived Experience Advisory Board
RISE coordinates the LEAB since 2024, amplifying the voices of people with lived experience of homelessness in local, regional, and state policy decisions.
About
What is the LEAB?
The Lived Experience Advisory Board brings together community members who have personally experienced homelessness. Their perspectives directly shape policy, funding priorities, and service design across the Washoe County Continuum of Care — ensuring that decisions are informed by the people most affected.
Since July 2024, RISE has coordinated the LEAB — providing the logistical, administrative, and developmental support members need to meaningfully participate in the CoC.
How RISE Supports the LEAB
RISE handles the behind-the-scenes work so members can focus on what matters most — advocacy, leadership, and making their voices heard across the Continuum of Care.
Meeting Coordination
RISE manages all scheduling, agenda preparation, and facilitation logistics for LEAB meetings — ensuring sessions run smoothly and that members are equipped to engage fully. This includes coordination with the CoC Leadership Council (NNCLC) and RAH meetings where LEAB participates.
LogisticsTransportation
Access to reliable transportation is often a significant barrier for community members experiencing homelessness. RISE ensures LEAB members can attend all meetings and advocacy events by arranging and funding transportation — removing a critical obstacle to participation.
Access & EquityAdministrative Support
From note-taking and record-keeping to preparing policy presentations and communications, RISE handles the administrative load behind the board's work. This allows LEAB members to focus their energy on advocacy and decision-making rather than paperwork.
OperationsPolicy Advisory & Advocacy
RISE facilitates LEAB's active advisory role — supporting members in developing policy recommendations, preparing presentations, and advocating at local, regional, and state levels. LEAB members regularly attend CoC Leadership Council and Coordinated Entry Committee meetings to ensure lived experience shapes policy outcomes.
PolicyMember Compensation
LEAB members are compensated for their time and expertise — a recognition that lived experience is a valuable and legitimate contribution to policy work. RISE manages all aspects of member pay, ensuring full compliance with payroll regulations while honoring members' contributions.
Equity & RecognitionLeadership Development
RISE invests in members' growth as community leaders through targeted skill-building in meeting facilitation, public speaking, and policy review. The goal is to build long-term capacity — empowering members not just to participate in systems, but to lead and transform them.
GrowthLEAB participation since July 2024
LEAB members have stepped into active, influential roles across the CoC ecosystem — attending key committees, informing federal funding decisions, and building community resources that directly serve people experiencing homelessness.
LEAB members participated in the annual HUD-mandated Rating and Ranking Committee — a federally required process that determines how CoC funding is prioritized and distributed across the region.
LEAB regularly attends and actively participates in CoC Coordinated Entry Committee meetings — the system that determines how people are assessed and connected to housing resources across Washoe County.
LEAB members attend NNCLC and RAH meetings, delivering policy recommendations and presentations directly to CoC leadership — ensuring lived experience shapes decisions at the highest level of the local system.
LEAB has also partnered with Two Hearts Community Foundation to build an updated local resource list — giving people experiencing homelessness access to current, accurate service information across the region.
Key milestones
From RISE assuming coordination in mid-2024 to ongoing committee participation and community partnerships, here's how the LEAB's work has grown.
RISE takes on full logistical, administrative, and facilitation support for the Lived Experience Advisory Board within the Washoe County Continuum of Care — establishing infrastructure for members to meaningfully participate in CoC decision-making.
For the first time under RISE coordination, LEAB members participate in the HUD-mandated annual Rating and Ranking Committee — directly influencing how federal CoC dollars are evaluated and allocated across the region.
LEAB establishes a consistent presence at CoC Coordinated Entry Committee meetings — contributing lived-experience perspectives to the system that connects individuals and families to housing assessments and services.
LEAB partners with Two Hearts Community Foundation to develop and maintain an updated, locally relevant resource list — ensuring people experiencing homelessness in Washoe County have access to accurate, current service information when they need it most.