USICH released its new federal strategic plan to prevent and end homelessness, a requirement under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. Here are my thoughts.
This plan deviates in significant and disappointing ways from USICH’s first two plans: Opening Doors released in the Obama Administration, and Home, Together released under the leadership of Obama appointee @m_j_doherty .
It reflects a typical Trump Administration approach: blame previous admins, misrepresent info, contradict their own policy, cite little evidence. It fails to provide concrete direction for communities struggling with increasing unsheltered homelessness & the effects of COVID-19.
Unsheltered homelessness is increasing. Many families are on the verge of eviction. Youth have fewer opportunities. Serious issues call for a serious plan grounded in evidence, collaboration & partnership with people with lived experience & that has clear ways to track progress.
The housing first approach is not housing only as portrayed in this plan, nor is it a one-size fits all model. This approach invests in the people it serves, and services are tailored to each person or family’s specific needs and circumstances. And it is not just about evidence.
It is about our values. Should people have to prove that they deserve housing before they can access it? Are some people less worthy of dignity & self-determination? Based on a simple reading of this new USICH plan, the answer to these questions for this Administration is yes.
The plan is also disingenuous. In one example, it calls for a renewed focus on racial disparities but does not indicate how grantees can meaningfully combat these disparities without training on the causes of them, which has been banned through White House Executive Orders.
This is not the tool that is needed by communities facing some of the most difficult challenges in our field since the Great Recession. Please continue to rely on practices rooted in evidence and informed by people with lived expertise & that support dignity for all.
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
