The White House rolls out a plan to address homelessness

Yesterday, the Biden administration unveiled a new plan that establishes a goal of reducing America’s homeless population by 25% over the next two years.

🏘️ Background: An average of 2,500 people/day in the US have exited homelessness since 2017, per the US Interagency Council on Homelessness. But roughly the same amount of people have lost housing over the past five years. Meaning the overall US homeless population has remained relatively stable at 550,000–600,000 individuals.

📑 Now, back to the plan… Among other things, the White House’s 104-page platform ordered federal agencies to work with local governments to reduce unsheltered homelessness, expand housing, and attempt to prevent homelessness before it happens. The plan requests an increase of $360 million on top of its current $8.7 billion budget to fund these programs, though other details are scarce.

• The Biden administration also committed itself to a policy called “Housing First,” or the idea that people should be housed before underlying problems like addiction or mental illness are addressed.

🇺🇸 Elsewhere: NYC, Portland, and Los Angeles each announced plans over the past two months aimed at reducing homelessness in their respective cities.