The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the US Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) launched a new federal framework, Ending Homelessness Before It Starts: A Federal Homelessness Prevention Framework.
To tackle nationwide homelessness, the US Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH), developed through the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), has created a framework designed to help and partner with leaders from local government, tribal, and nonprofits. The Homelessness Prevention Framework is the first comprehensive guide for developing collaborative approaches to prevention. The framework outlines three primary goals for homelessness prevention:
- Identifying individuals at risk of homelessness.
- Providing tailored support based on their needs.
- Scaling programs effectively to keep them in their homes or quickly transition them to new housing.
From the press release:
“During the pandemic, we saw the benefits of investing in housing, health care, and other systems that prevent people from losing homes. During the worst of the pandemic, these nationwide efforts prevented millions of evictions and helped prevent a massive rise in homelessness from 2020 to 2022,” said US Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra.
The framework:
- Details steps for developing a community-wide, cross-system approach to homelessness prevention
- Defines categories of homelessness prevention
- Shares promising practices for homelessness prevention programs
- Lists federal resources that can be used for homelessness prevention
The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) works across federal, state, and local systems to strengthen homelessness prevention efforts. This includes updating the Youth.gov webpage with new resources and providing guidance to support youth aging out of foster care. HHS’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) released an Eviction Prevention Toolkit for tenants with mental health or substance use disorders.
