Obama administration releases new plan to end homelessness
By Jessica Pall (Catholic News Service)
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Catholic and nonprofit organizations working to combat homelessness say no two homeless cases are the same and that no single proposal can address the problem.
But advocates for the homeless told Catholic News Service they see hopeful signs in a federal plan unveiled June 22 by the Obama administration.
The plan, titled "Opening Doors: Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness," was released at the White House by the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, which has expressed concern over national data from 2008-09 that shows a significant rise in family homelessness.
Described as "the nation's first comprehensive strategy to prevent and end homelessness," the plan was mandated by the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing Act, known as HEARTH, which was signed into law by President Barack Obama in May 2009.
Among other things, the plan calls for strengthening partnerships -- and forging new partnerships -- among government agencies to help the more than 600,000 Americans who are sleeping on the streets and in shelters every night through existing housing, health care, education and human service programs.
"I think the plan was well-written and has the potential to be effective," said Eileen Higgins, who is an associate division manager with family and parish support services of Catholic Charities in the Archdiocese of Chicago.
Higgins and representatives of Montgomery County Tenants Work Group in Maryland and St. Ignatius Non-Profit Housing Corp. in Detroit discussed the administration's plan with CNS in telephone interviews.
Catholic Charities in Chicago is part of Catholic Charities USA, a national network of diocesan and other social services agencies. Like its other counterparts, the Chicago agency uses government grants to help in its work of providing social services.
Currently, Higgins said, her agency has a grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's low-income housing trust to fund two full-time social workers who are helping place up to 25 chronic homeless individuals in housing and provide support services to help them maintain their housing.
She expects such collaboration with the government to continue under the new strategic plan.
A certain percentage of homelessness "can be prevented," Higgins said, "but often many people don't come for help soon enough before it becomes too late to salvage their situation."
Matt Losak, chair of Montgomery County Tenant Work Group, believes that government intervention will be beneficial.
"Being homeless 10 years is a lifetime to an individual," said Losak, referring to the overall goal of the new plan to end homelessness in the nation in 10 years. "Even one day seems like a lifetime."
His organization works to combat the rising cost of rent and help renters who, forced into short-term leases, constantly move or are turned out onto the streets.
"Combining good public policy with church and nonprofit organizations is a recipe for minimizing many public ills and can help carry out our obligation to see to the health of our society," he said.
Speaking as a renter, citizen and renter advocate, Losak said it is important to end homelessness without undue burden on any one sector of society.
"Seldom are there two cases alike," John Ballard told CNS. He is executive director at St. Ignatius Non-Profit Housing Corp., a small community development organization.
Ballard had not read the entire plan but said he was glad to hear homelessness is a higher priority agenda item than it has been in the past. However, he stressed that homelessness is a difficult issue and hoped the government will be able to translate its plan into something that will have a meaningful impact on people.
In the past, St. Ignatius has rehabilitated and built homes that are then rented to low-income households. But with the collapse of the local housing market in Detroit, the organization has been dealing with tenants' rights and foreclosures.
The White House briefing on "Opening Doors" was led by Barbara Poppe, executive director of U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness. Joining her were the secretaries of the departments of Housing and Urban Development, Health and Human Services, Veteran Affairs and Labor.
"Communities across the country have stressed the need for federal leadership to prevent and end homelessness," Poppe said. "For the first time, the nation will have goals, strategies and measureable outcomes that will guide us toward a fiscally prudent government response."
"We know that the federal government alone cannot address this challenge," said Labor Secretary Hilda Solis. "Achieving the goals in 'Opening Doors' will require strong partnerships with Congress, states, localities, philanthropy, and faith based and community organizations across the country. After all, the people of our nation are best served when we work as a team."
At the center of the plan is the principle that no American should be without a safe, stable place to call home. It focuses on four key goals: to end chronic homelessness in five years; prevent and end homelessness among war veterans in five years; prevent and end homelessness for families, youths and children in 10 years; and "set a path to ending all types of homelessness."
"Homelessness is a preventable tragedy," said HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan.
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