Opening doors to end homelessness
We were excited this week to hear and read about the U.S. Interagency Council on Homeless’ (USICH) new plan to prevent and end homelessness in the next 5-10 years. After a live web cast on June 22, the USICH released “Open Doors, the Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness.” Their vision is that no one should have to experience homelessness and everyone should have a safe, stable place to call home.
The USICH has set out four goals:
- End chronic homelessness in five years.
- Prevent and end veteran homelessness in five years.
- Prevent and end homelessness in families, youth, and children in 10 years.
- Set a path to ending all types of homelessness.
There are five ways they plan to accomplish these goals:
- Increase leadership, collaboration and civic engagement.
- Increase access to stable and affordable housing.
- Increase economic security/employment.
- Improve health and stability.
- Retool the homeless crisis response team.
According to Nan Roman, President of the National Alliance to End Homelessness, this is the first-ever comprehensive plan to end homelessness that has clear, measurable goals. We will be interested to see how this plan unfolds across the country, especially here in Central Florida.
We definitely see similarities between the federal plan and our community’s Central Florida Commission on Homelessness “Ten 2 End” plan.