The Obama administration has been nothing but bold with its determination for healthcare and financial services reform but is that audacity too much for the fight against homelessness? Late last month, the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness released a comprehensive federal plan that will serve as a roadmap to prevent and end homelessness by 2020. The United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) is comprised of 19 member agencies that span the nation’s housing, health, job, education, and human services that are charged to coordinate the Federal response to homelessness and to create a national partnership at every level of government and with the private sector to reduce and end homelessness in the nation while maximizing the effectiveness of the Federal government in contributing to the end of homelessness.
The strategic plan calls for ending Veterans and chronic homelessness by 2015, and to ending homelessness among children, family and youth by 2020. Opening Doors includes strategies based on the fact that housing, health, education and human service programs must be coordinated to end homelessness. The plan also calls for increased access to stable and affordable housing and permanent supportive housing for all Americans.
While seniors aren’t a specific target of the plan, many parts of the plan focus on ending homelessness for veterans which are a large part of the US’s aging population. The plan and the goals are clear and well written but dodges the trillion dollar question: Where will the funding come from to reach these goals?
Click for the 74 page plan Opening Doors: Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent & End Homelessness
