The federal government, five cities and California have struck an agreement they say will cut red tape at all levels of government to reduce homelessness more quickly.
The cities selected to participate in the program — Los Angeles, Dallas, Phoenix, Chicago, Seattle — along with California, are home to nearly half of the nation's homeless population.
The nation had 582,462 people experiencing homelessness, which amounts to roughly 18 out of every 10,000 people when the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development conducted its most recent count in January 2022.
The communities are taking meaningful action to address unsheltered homelessness on their own, Susan Rice, Biden's domestic policy advisor, said during an online briefing. But, the administration's "first-of-its-kind partnership will help strengthen and accelerate local efforts at these sites, and communities across America, to ensure every unsheltered person has access to the housing they need," she said.
President Biden's fiscal year 2024 budget would dedicate $10.3 billion to homelessness assistance programs.
Elected officials from each of the cities and California Secretary Lourdes Castro Ramirez spoke during an online event about regional efforts to combat the problem and how it is manifesting in each area.
In Chicago, Deputy Mayor Jennifer Johnston said, the city's unhoused population are taking shelter on the city's transit system, so that is where they have focused efforts to try to bring people inside.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said she
"To have 47,000 people living in homelessness in our city is an emergency," Bass said.
Los Angeles moved 1,200 people to hotels on a temporary basis, but then ended up with a bottleneck as it tried to get the paperwork done so the people could qualify for HUD vouchers and move into permanent supportive housing, she said.
This memorandum of understanding "creates regulatory relief, so we can house people right away. I love that the wording in the MOU talks about unsticking bureaucracy," Bass said.
California and its cities have invested billions of dollars in efforts to reduce homelessness. Most of its major cities have approved bond measures to build housing.
Los Angeles has been
Rice lauded Bass for what she said was "an extraordinary job of prioritizing the issue of homelessness."
"I think we can do some groundbreaking work that can really provide a model for other states and cities experiencing homelessness," Bass said. "It's an honor to be chosen. I am really excited about the work we can do today."
King County has approved $1 billion for community treatment centers targeting addiction, County Executive Dow Constantine said.
Seattle, the largest city in King County, is experiencing growing pains that have contributed to its homelessness problem, Mayor Bruce Harrell said. The city is growing at a 2.4% rate, the nation's fastest, according to the latest census figures.
"We are master replicators in Seattle," Harrell said of being included in the effort. "We aren't afraid to use best practices from other leaders. It's good to be on the call and to unite with our county, state and federal government."
Efforts in Dallas have resulted in a 14% decrease in homelessness and a 30% decrease in chronic homelessness, said Dallas Mayor Pro Tem Carolyn King. In that city, they make sure they include at least one person who has experienced homelessness on every committee. They have a monthly alliance forum with all the agencies tackling the issue.
The announcement is the next phase in the program launched by the Biden administration in December that aims to reduce homelessness by 25% by 2025.
The administration will send a federal official to each community for up to two years to help cut red tape and streamline federal funding, said Denis Richard McDonough, secretary of the Department of Veteran Affairs and chair of U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, during the online briefing. The official will also work with philanthropic groups and the private sector to help develop programs.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will provide technical assistance to help communities leverage federal programs, like Medicaid, to provide behavioral healthcare. The Social Security Administration will work with the communities to improve access to support services, like housing vouchers and Medicaid.
Earlier this year, HUD released a package of grants totaling $486 million and 3,300 housing vouchers to help 62 communities reduce the number of people living on the streets and in homeless encampments. Of that total, Chicago and Los Angeles each received $60 million, and Dallas received $22 million.
"It is unacceptable that people in America are living without housing, or even shelter," said USICH Director Jeff Olivet. "The ALL Inside initiative treats homelessness with the urgency of the public health crisis that it is."
