In March 2015, the Interagency Council on Homelessness (ICH) released Homeward DC, a roadmap to transforming the homeless services system in the District of Columbia and ensuring that by 2020, homelessness in the District is rare, brief, and non-recurring. The plan identifies a series of action items across five key strategies:
1. Develop a more effective crisis response system;
2. Increase the supply of affordable and supportive housing;
3. Remove barriers to affordable and supportive housing;
4. Increase the economic security of households in our system; and
5. Increase prevention efforts to stabilize households before housing loss occurs.
There is no one single solution when it comes to ending homelessness. It will take simultaneous investment in and focused energy on all of the strategies identified above to move from a shelter-based system to one that is focused on rapid stabilization and connection back to permanent housing. Accordingly, the ICH member agencies and partners are working to advance progress on all of these strategies. However, one of the most critical pieces of our systems change work is ensuring the “front door” to our service system — emergency shelter — operates both efficiently and effectively.
To read the full report click here.
