Homeless News

Washington- Secretary Marcia L. Fudge of HUD reports that the participation of states, municipalities, and tribes in “House America” has successfully provided housing for over 100,000 households that were previously experiencing homelessness. Not only this, there has been an addition of 40,000 affordable housing units into development. HUD organized leaders from 105 communities across 31 states, territories, and the District of Columbia to join House America, facilitating the provision of crucial technical assistance to these communities. House America, a collaborative initiative by Secretary Marcia L. Fudge and the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH), represents a comprehensive approach to tackle the issue of homelessness in the country.

Secretary Fudge thinks, “Everyone deserves a safe, stable place to call home. Through House America, I’m proud to see that communities have stepped up to get people off the streets and into homes”. The Bidden-Harris administration is helping individuals get a home by using a housing-first approach, using American Rescue Plan funding, and other resources.

The House America Initiative encouraged communities to make use of federal resources to address homelessness. The 105 communities associated with the House America Initiative got funding through American Rescue Plan to expand permanent housing opportunities such as 20,000 housing vouchers and $1.5 Billion HOME ARP from HUD. In addition to this, it also plans to raise $65 Billion in state and local fiscal recovery funds via the U.S. Department of Treasury.

Secretary Fudge also planned to engage the local, tribal, and state leaders across the country by creating a national partnership to rehouse homeless people and move them into permanent housing. Fudge urged state and local leaders to house at least 100,000 households experiencing homelessness and add 20,000 new affordable housing units by Dec 2022.

The Bidden-Harris administration took several measures to end homelessness in the last two years. The measures included the White House Housing Supply Action Plan to close the housing supply gap in five years and signed the American Rescue Plan Act.

Putting an end to veteran homelessness is also a top priority for the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs along with addressing overall homelessness. VA and HUD announced its goal of permanently housing more than 40,000 homeless veterans which in turn reduced veteran homelessness by 11%.

Officials from the Biden-Harris administration actively engage in Point in Time counts nationwide to accurately assess the number of individuals experiencing homelessness. This approach helps in comprehending local needs, tracking trends, gathering community feedback, and precisely directing funding and resources.