10 Years to End Homelessness
In 2000, the National Alliance to End Homelessness issued a report telling the nation to put its collective foot down; homelessness is an unacceptable problem, the report said, and research proves it is an issue that can be solved. Eight years since the release of A Plan Not a Dream, over 300 communities across the country have implemented Ten Year Plans to End Homelessness locally.
The NAEH’s recommendations for Ten Year Plans to End Homelessness are based on research and best practices from around the country. The idea is to end homelessness rather than continue managing it through shelters and other ad hoc approaches.
Sound ambitious? Perhaps. But keep in mind that widespread urban homelessness is a relatively new phenomenon. Prior to the 1980s, there weren’t nearly as many homeless people in America as there are today. And now, despite an infrastructure (upwards of two billion dollars) designed to deal with the problem, homelessness persists.
“When we recognize a problem in our cities, we make a plan to address it,” said Philip Mangano, the Director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness. This is exactly what hundreds of communities across the nation are doing. Social service providers, the faith community, government officials, and private sector representatives are coming together to take a hard look at how they might end homelessness for good in their communities.
Since plans are created at the grassroots level, they vary greatly in scope and definition. Most, however, contain the same basic components:
- Collection of research and data to improve system-wide effectiveness;
- Homelessness prevention initiatives – such as hospital, mental institution, and prison discharge planning protocols to prevent homelessness;
- Rapid re-housing and Housing First to improve cost efficiency and ensure long-term stability;
- Improvement of infrastructure and measures to close the widening socioeconomic gap – such as creation of affordable housing, livable incomes, and providing services for those at the lowest end of the economic spectrum. (Source: NAEH & ICH)
The National Alliance to End Homelessness also lays out a comprehensive, in-depth guide to creating an effective Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness. In short, here’s how they define the most effective plans:
Strategies with the most momentum are those built with support and input from a broad range of partners― public, private, and nonprofit. They are based on independent research and effective practices both within and beyond their jurisdictions. They have the endorsement of top city officials and include the commitments of all relevant resources and partners. Through such coordination and planning, cities are changing homelessness from being a permanent fixture embedded in the current economic and social climate to a finite and solvable problem that can be ended in ten years. Click here to read more…
Cities implementing Ten Year Plans to End Homelessness are seeing positive results. King County, Washington, for example, successfully moved 2,500 formerly chronically homeless individuals off the streets and out of shelter and into permanent, supported housing.
Find out if your community has a Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness. If there is a plan, get involved. Make sure the most important elements are being implemented. If your community does not have a Ten Year Plan, find out why. Contact your local elected representatives and service providers. Ask questions. Read up on the best way to go about creating a Ten Year Plan. Learn from other communities.
Shannon Moriarty
has worked in various homeless shelters and service organizations around the country. She is a graduate student studying housing and urban policy at Tufts University.
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