An article, “The recipe for going ‘all in’ on ending homelessness in America,” in Catholic Review, highlights a partnership between Catholic Charities USA and the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) to address the housing shortage. The article mentions “All In: The Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness,” a plan released by USICH for reducing homelessness by 25% by 2025. The plan lays out several housing priorities, aligned with the policy agenda of Opportunity Starts at Home, including expanding rental assistance, increasing support for affordable housing, and preserving the public housing stock.
“To prevent and end homelessness, we need communities of health professionals, social workers, businesses, people of faith, business leaders and governments at every level working together to help people who are struggling. No community — urban, suburban, rural, or tribal — is unaffected by this crisis,” write the authors, Jeff Olivet and Sister Donna Markham. “We are all responsible, and we must listen to the real experts: people who have experienced the tragedy of homelessness. We must truly see the unhoused — not grow accustomed to passing them by without seeing their full humanity.”
Catholic Charities USA is a Steering Committee member of the Opportunity Starts at Home campaign and provides insight on the concerns of faith-based organizations to inform the campaign’s multi-sector housing advocacy strategy.
Read the article here.