Federal Government Announces Significant Efforts to Reduce Homelessness
WASHINGTON – The Biden-Harris Administration announced a series of measures to address homelessness across the country, reaffirming the Administration’s commitment to ensuring all Americans have access to safe, stable housing. This includes updating regulations that streamline the repurposing of surplus federal properties for affordable housing and homelessness services, making resources available to a select number of states under the second cohort of the Housing and Services Partnership Accelerator with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and awarding approximately $39.8 million to support veterans through the HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program.
“These announcements reflect HUD’s unwavering commitment to addressing the root causes of homelessness and advancing innovative solutions,” said HUD Agency Head, The Honorable Adrianne Todman. “By expanding partnerships, repurposing federal properties, and investing in programs like HUD-VASH, we are making meaningful progress toward our shared goal of ending homelessness and building stronger, more equitable communities.”
In collaboration with HHS, HUD announced an opportunity for states to apply to participate in a second cohort of the Housing and Services Partnership Accelerator. The program will provide individualized technical assistance to help states reduce homelessness by addressing health-related social needs, such as services that connect older adults and people with disabilities to affordable, accessible housing. The Accelerator also will facilitate sharing of lessons learned and promising practices for improving collaboration and coordination across the housing and healthcare sectors to optimize resources and close resource gaps, align state and local policies, deliver more integrated and seamless services, and ultimately help more people secure and maintain stable housing.
“Homeless people need more than temporary shelter. They must have access to a comprehensive set of services that connects them to housing they can afford and maintain over the long term. Title V will allow the federal government to use empty federal properties to house homeless people and provide these vital services. The Housing and Services Partnership Accelerator will help local program administrators better serve older adults and people with disabilities by providing technical assistance and sharing lessons learned across sectors,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “As USICH’s chair, I am proud of these groundbreaking efforts to use excess federal properties to help those who have lost it all get back on their feet.”
In partnership with the General Services Administration (GSA) and HHS, HUD streamlined the use of surplus, unutilized, and underutilized federal properties in support of people experiencing homelessness. Currently, over 140 properties across the country have been repurposed, and today’s announcement will increase the number of properties that can be used to assist Americans facing homelessness. These modernization efforts demonstrate the Biden-Harris Administration’s ongoing work to address homelessness by connecting individuals to safe, accessible, and affordable housing, alongside the wraparound services needed to maintain stable housing.
“This rule streamlines the assessment of federal properties for potential use in addressing homelessness and makes it easier for these properties to get into the hands of state and local governments and nonprofits that are working to address this challenge,” said Katy Kale, GSA Deputy Administrator and U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness representative. “GSA looks forward to implementing this rule in partnership with HHS and HUD and contributing to this important effort to improve the overall well-being of communities by connecting people experiencing homelessness with housing.”
Lastly, HUD will award approximately $39.8 million in additional funding through the HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program, which offers rental assistance and supportive services to veterans experiencing homelessness. As of the end of Fiscal Year 2024, HUD has connected nearly 90,000 veteran households to stable, rental homes and services through VA health centers. This funding is a key step in the Administration’s goal of ending veteran homelessness by ensuring that those who have served our country have access to stable housing and essential services. Earlier this year, the Biden-Harris Administration announced that veteran homelessness has dropped to its lowest level on record.
Since day one, the Biden-Harris Administration has tackled the nation’s homelessness crisis with the urgency it demands, prioritizing resources and programs that help communities reconnect individuals to housing, while maintaining a long-term focus on increasing the availability of affordable housing. Over the past year, the Administration has announcement major funding opportunities to address homelessness, including the $3.5 billion Continuum of Care Competition and the $175 million CoCBuilds grant program. These newest announcements reflect the Administration’s commitment to ending homelessness across the country– and to supporting people who are at risk.
###
HUD’s mission is to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all.
More information about HUD and its programs is available at www.hud.gov and https://espanol.hud.gov.
You can also follow HUD on Twitter and Facebook or sign up for news alerts on HUD’s Email List.
Learn More About HUD’s Property Appraisal and Valuation Equity Work
HUD No. 24-326
HUD Public Affairs
(202) 708-0685
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
FOR RELEASE December 27, 2024
Sources: hud.gov , Midtown Tribune news