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These resources from our partners can help communities explore ways to better support Hispanic and Latino people who are experiencing homelessness, with an eye on building a more equitable response system.

USICH welcomes Sidney Betancourt to our Legislative Affairs team! A Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Wells Fargo Housing Graduate Fellow, Sidney holds a Master of Social Work from the University of Nevada. Before joining USICH, she worked with a legal aid team in a Las Vegas homeless outreach agency, and focused on housing and Social Security in her Senator''s District office.

As communities prepare for the challenges of keeping people experiencing homelessness safe from COVID during cold weather, we continue to add to our growing list of COVID resources, including these new tools from our Federal partners.

Washington, DC - October 20, 2020 - On Monday, The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) unveiled its new strategic plan, Expanding the Toolbox: The Whole-of-Government Response to Homelessness. The strategic plan emphasizes addressing the root causes of homelessness and prioritizing trauma-informed care to support the success of each individual and family experiencing homelessness. The plan also focuses on the importance of promoting self-sufficiency across federal agencies as a way of ending the cycle of homelessness and dependency.

“Over the past five years, the number of individuals experiencing homelessness has risen in spite of increased funding from the federal government,” said John Pallasch, USICH Chair and Assistant Secretary for Employment and training at the U.S. Department of Labor. “To make meaningful progress at addressing this, federal, state, and local governments must begin to break down barriers, and move away from the siloed and fractured paradigm that has come to define service delivery. Workforce development must work with housing and other essential partners to create a coordinated and consistent approach to service delivery—One Workforce. With today’s report, I hope this will serve as a blueprint to begin that process.”

Expanding the Toolbox makes clear that homelessness is on the rise and real reforms are needed. Policies that do not address the real root causes of homelessness combined with high housing costs in overregulated markets have exacerbated the homelessness condition in America.

“The status quo is not working, and homelessness is increasing across the board with many cities in crisis. Real change needs to occur to truly reduce homelessness,” Dr. Robert Marbut, Jr. Executive Director of USICH.

The strategic plan Expanding the Toolbox: The Whole-of-Government Response to Homelessness

Contact: Robert Marbut

Email: robert.marbut@usich.gov 

Our partners at the Department of Housing and Urban Development hosted a live roundtable discussion with homelessness providers, medical experts, faith-based organization leaders, and government officials on Wednesday, October 21, 2020.

                          

If you have questions regarding the material covered in this webinar, please contact your USICH regional coordinator using this map.

Please click on “Additional Considerations for Influenza Vaccination.”

City officials in Boston partnered with law enforcement to count the number of unsheltered people experiencing homelessness in the area.

Be sure to plug into this recording of three communities who shared tips and guidance on how they are planning for the future of their homelessness response system.

These resources from our partners at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development are designed to help communities implement safe and effective approaches to winter shelter planning during COVID-19.

These resources from our partners can help communities explore ways to better support Hispanic and Latino people who are experiencing homelessness, with an eye on building a more equitable response system.

USICH welcomes Sidney Betancourt to our Legislative Affairs team! A Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Wells Fargo Housing Graduate Fellow, Sidney holds a Master of Social Work from the University of Nevada. Before joining USICH, she worked with a legal aid team in a Las Vegas homeless outreach agency, and focused on housing and Social Security in her Senator''s District office.

As communities prepare for the challenges of keeping people experiencing homelessness safe from COVID during cold weather, we continue to add to our growing list of COVID resources, including these new tools from our Federal partners.

The American Bar Association''s Commission on Homelessness and Poverty explains how the homeless court model responds to the special legal barriers to housing, employment, and stability that people experiencing homelessness face. 

This HUD notice announces the availability of $50 million in funding that will support approximately 6,000 new HUD-VASH vouchers.

This new report is focused on USICH’s efforts and national outcomes in the first half of the year.

Join leaders from Houston, Los Angeles, and Seattle/King County as they share lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic and how it''s impacting long-term planning for the homelessness response system.

As COVID-19 impacts communities, USICH is working closely with federal partners to support efforts to help keep people experiencing homelessness safe.

If you have questions regarding the material covered in this webinar, please contact your USICH regional coordinator using this map.

Members of the homelessness service system should participate in local and state discussions around equitable distribution of vaccines in their communities. Recently published guidance from CDC''s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) provides that jurisdictions may choose to vaccinate residents of congregate facilities at the same time as frontline staff, due to their shared risk of disease (i.e. as part of Phase 1). Many states currently include homeless shelters in Phase 2.

It is strongly recommended that you review your State''s vaccination plan and reach out to your local and state public health partners to ensure there is a clear understanding of when and how people experiencing homelessness will be prioritized for the COVID-19 vaccine. You may also wish to review the CDC''s recent FAQ about COVID-19 vaccination among people experiencing homelessness.

In addition, HUD''s COVID-19 Homeless System Response: Vaccine Planning and Distribution page will soon feature up-to-date resources, including a communications toolkit, that can be shared in your communities.

Recordings and materials from all previous PIT Count Office Hours are available on the HUD Exchange PIT Count Office Hours page.

As we shared last week, CDC recently published guidance that provides considerations for phased implementation of COVID-19 vaccination and sub-prioritization among recommended sub-populations.

Communities are strongly encouraged to review your State''s vaccination plan and to reach out to your local and state public health partners to ensure there is a clear understanding of when and how people experiencing homelessness will be prioritized for the COVID-19 vaccine.