Secretary Fudge, with support from other members of the Biden-Harris Administration, launched House America: an all hands on deck effort to address the nation’s homelessness crisis. House America calls upon state and local leaders to partner with HUD, the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, and the federal government achieve two goals by the end of 2022:

  • First, to rehouse as many people experiencing homelessness into stable, permanent homes as possible, and
  • Second, to add as many new units of affordable and permanent supportive housing units into the pipeline.

And the good news is that the funding support is already available to cities and states through the American Rescue Plan.

We launched House America alongside more than two dozen mayors, county leaders, governors, and Tribal Nation leaders, who have each set ambitious re-housing and unit creation goals and we encourage others to join this effort. By enlisting these state and local leaders, we believe we can accelerate local cross-agency partnerships and alignment, create urgency and accountability, and break through the obstacles and challenges to housing connections and creation.

While Congress works toward passing the Build Back Better Agenda, which includes a historic investment in affordable housing and making housing safer and more accessible, House America is the Biden-Harris Administration’s effort seize the moment at hand, to set the national trajectory on homelessness back in the right direction, to bend the trendline on homelessness downward again, and to reignite the momentum that was once there to connect as many people experiencing homelessness into permanent homes using the proven Housing First approach. And once that momentum is reignited, to build upon it to end homelessness in America for good.

Read the full article about ending homelessness by Richard Cho at National Alliance to End Homelessness.