The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) is welcoming input and feedback as they create a new Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness.
USICH launched the first Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness in 2010. Since then, homelessness dropped by 9% — nearly 50% among veterans and 30% among families — and 82 communities and 3 states ended veteran or chronic homelessness.
Since 2016, homelessness has been rising, reversing a years-long trend of declining numbers of people living on the streets and in shelters. More than half a million people were experiencing homelessness in 2020 — even before the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year marked a first for two troubling trends: More people were unsheltered than sheltered, and the number of unsheltered families with children increased.
The federal strategic plan will help communities leverage the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, which represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to not only respond to the immediate needs of the pandemic but also invest in long-term solutions to homelessness. The American Rescue Plan and the CARES Act could help quickly rehouse more people than ever before — up to 211,000 households — and could end homelessness in some communities.
USICH invites feedback from anyone, particularly people who have experienced or are currently experiencing homelessness; people who serve the LGBT, BIPOC, or veteran communities; and people whose work involves the justice system.
Learn more about USICH's new federal strategic plan and submit your comments .