In the spirit of the season, the Biden-Harris administration released a federal plan for ending homelessness in America this week that starts with the ambitious goal of reducing homelessness 25% by 2025. All In: The Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness is the most ambitious effort by any administration to prevent people from becoming homeless, address inequities that disproportionately impact underserved communities, including people of color and other marginalized groups, and help cities and states reduce unsheltered homelessness.
“My plan offers a roadmap for not only getting people into housing but also ensuring that they have access to the support, services, and income that allow them to thrive,” said President Biden. “It is a plan that is grounded in the best evidence and aims to improve equity and strengthen collaboration at all levels.”
“All In” is built around six pillars: three foundations—equity, data and evidence, and collaboration—and three solutions—housing and support, crisis response, and prevention. Within each pillar are strategies and actions that lay the groundwork for a future when no one experiences homelessness—not even for one night.
The release of this plan also coincides with Homeless Person’s Memorial Day, which commemorates the people who have lost their lives while living without a home. People who experience homelessness die nearly 30 years earlier than the average American and at the average age that Americans died in 1900. “All In” responds to homelessness as a life-and-death crisis rooted in housing and health problems—not as a crime for the justice system to solve.
— Chairman LeRoy J. Jones, Jr.
P.S. President Zelensky of Ukraine was in Washington this week and met with President Biden who reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to the Ukrainian people, who have now been under Russian assault for 300 days. You can watch President Zelensky’s moving address to Congress here. “We’re in this together — for decency, for democracy, for freedom and the rule of law.”