Help USICH Envision the Next Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness

The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) is in the process of creating a new Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness, and we want your input.

Regardless of the path our plan ultimately takes, it will be guided by equity and evidence. USICH is dedicated to addressing deep-rooted racial inequities and to advancing proven practices like Housing First. We believe housing should be a right – not a privilege.

Comments can be submitted online at usich.gov/fsp.

“The plan is not for our agency alone but a plan for how all federal agencies will work together to support progress,” said USICH Interim Executive Director Anthony Love.

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.

Unfortunately, much of that progress stalled in the last few years. 

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.

The council began discussing the Biden-Harris administration’s vision for the federal strategic plan during its July meeting and will tentatively meet again in late October.

Comments can be submitted online at usich.gov/fsp.

Questions? 

• For Help Establishing Partnerships and Leveraging Resources: Find Your Regional Coordinator here
• For Public Affairs: Please contact Caroline Cournoyer, Communications Manager at caroline.cournoyer@usich.gov