From Don Fornoff, Bishop’s Task Force on Homelessness:
The United States Interagency Council on Homelessness is a federally coordinated project that addresses homelessness on the national level. Its directions also help local and state efforts. On September 23, 2024, the USICH released a new series called “Ending Homelessness Before It Starts: A Federal Homelessness Prevention Framework.”
The framework was developed by several federal agencies and adopted by agency leaders. It is an action guide for ‘local, tribal and state governments; non-profits, funders, systems, providers, and advocates of housing, health, human services, justice, education, employment, child welfare, and emergency services.’ Most importantly, the framework was informed by people who have lived experience of homelessness.
USICH Director Jeff Olivet was quoted: “We (meaning everyone who deals with this issue) end homelessness every day for thousands of people. But for every person housed, more lose their home. To make progress toward ending homelessness as we know it, we must close this revolving door and stop homelessness before it starts. To do that, USICH urges communities to work together across systems and sectors, using this prevention framework and our new prevention spotlight series, to keep people from ever experiencing the trauma of living without a home.” The chair of USICH is HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, who says, “Homelessness can be deadly- but it is also preventable.” The article states that during the pandemic, efforts made towards prevention proved that they can be successful.
The framework:
Details steps for developing a community-wide, cross-system approach to homelessness prevention. Defines categories of homelessness prevention. Shares promising practices for homelessness prevention programs. Lists federal resources that can be used for prevention.
There is now a blog series on specific methods of homelessness prevention, guaranteed basic income and eviction protection, among them, with a focus on specific populations. I encourage all of us, as advocates and doers of Christ’s message, to review what USICH has to say and provide refreshment to local efforts to serve the unhoused. We can’t afford more homeless people, as the incredible efforts to do good are grinding against the incredible pressure of the newly unhoused, pushed out by unfair and destructive practices. All deserve our food, our shelter, our encouragement, our love, yet we need to play our parts to be honest about systemic failures.
Please visit usich.gov/prevention to read about the framework and the blog series.
Be well, do good works, love one another,
Don Fornoff, member of the Bishop’s Task Force on Homelessness
