MESSAGE FROM THE UNITED STATES
INTERAGENCY COUNCIL ON HOMELESSNESS
Chair and Vice-Chair
Making the Smart Investment – Ending Homelessness in America
As Chair and Vice-Chair of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, we are pleased to announce that President Obama’s Fiscal Year 2014 Budget demonstrates an unwavering commitment to the goals of Opening Doors. Overall, the President’s Budget requests $5.3 billion in homeless programs across all Federal agencies.
Over the last three years, with President Obama’s leadership and strong partnerships among Federal agencies, and with states and local communities, we have implemented Opening Doors by helping communities reduce the number of Veterans who experience homelessness by 18 percent and the number of Americans who experience chronic homelessness by 10 percent. We’ve also demonstrated that smart, targeted investments can reduce homelessness – even in the wake of a historic recession. This year’s Budget strengthens our investment in targeted homelessness programs by 21.1 percent over fiscal year 2012 enacted levels and provides our communities more of the resources they need to become stronger, healthier, and more productive by preventing and ending homelessness.
This Administration is dedicated to ensuring that our Nation’s Veterans, families, children, and all who suffer chronic homelessness have a safe, stable place to call home. We are investing in responsible solutions that not only reduce homelessness, but also strengthen our communities by promoting stronger educational outcomes and reducing the taxpayer burden of preventable and costly emergency care and institutional services.
Thank you for your partnership in this important effort. We hope you will join us to accelerate the pace of our efforts to achieve the goals of Opening Doors.
Sincerely,
| Secretary Erick K. Shinseki | Secretary Shaun Donovan |
| USICH Chair | USICH Vice-Chair |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | Department of Housing and Urban Development |
