Panel: End all homelessness in 10 years

• Tweet

WASHINGTON, June 22 (UPI) -- A sweeping plan to end U.S. homelessness in a decade by blending government, business, faith-based and non-profit efforts was unveiled Tuesday.

"As the most far-reaching and ambitious plan to end homelessness in our history, this plan will both strengthen existing programs and forge new partnerships," U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan said in his capacity as chairman of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness. "Working together with Congress, state and local officials, faith-based and community organizations, and business and philanthropic leaders across our country, we will harness public and private resources to build on the innovations that have been demonstrated at the local level nationwide.

Combining permanent housing with support services, federal, state and local efforts reduced the number of people who are chronically homeless by one-third in the last five years, the council said.

Moving forward, the council said it four goals are to end chronic and veteran homelessness by 2015, end homelessness for families by 2020 and set the nation on a path to end all types of homelessness.

The report, "Opening Doors: Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness," is a road map for joint action by the 19 USICH federal member agencies with local and state partners in the public and private sectors, offering 12 objectives and 52 strategies to achieve its goals.

"No one should be without a safe, stable place to call home," Donovan said.

The plan "will put our nation on the path toward ending all types of homelessness," he said.