From Introduction

The President and Congress charged the Council via the HEARTH Act to develop and submit the Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness to Congress by May 20. The Plan will serve as a roadmap for joint action by Council agencies to guide the development of programs and budget proposals towards a set of measurable targets. The Plan will reflect interagency agreement on a set of priorities and strategies the agencies will pursue over a five year period.

USICH is centering its plan on the belief – the moral foundation – “no one should experience homelessness – no one should be without a safe, stable place to call home.” The Council has charged the Plan’s planning process to align federal resources effectively and appropriately toward four key objectives: 1) finish the job of ending chronic homelessness; 2) prevent and end homelessness among Veterans; 3) prevent and end homelessness among families, youth, and children; and 4) set a path to ending all types of homelessness.

We affirmed six core values to be reflected in the plan:

• Homelessness is unacceptable
• There are no “homeless people”, but rather people who have lost their homes who deserve to be treated with dignity and respect
• Homelessness is expensive; it is better to invest in solutions
• Homelessness is solvable; we have learned a lot about what works
• Homelessness can be prevented
• There is strength in collaboration and USICH can make a difference

We decided the development of the Plan should be guided by key principles. It should be:

• Collaborative
• Solutions‐driven and evidence‐based
• Cost effective
• Implementable and user friendly
• Lasting and scalable; and
• Measurable, with clear outcomes and accountability