The Secretary Reiterated His Commitment to Address Homelessness among Youth and Young Adults as USICH Chair

On Wednesday, May 1, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra hosted the second quarterly meeting of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH). The meeting focused on interagency work to prevent and address homelessness among youth and young adults (ages 12-24).

The USICH quarterly meeting followed a separate meeting held earlier in the week on April 29, between Secretary Becerra and members of the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) Task Force on Homelessness. Secretary Becerra thanked Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, Chair of the Task Force, and over 40 mayors from across the country for their leadership. They discussed how the federal government and localities can work together to address homelessness. Additionally, Secretary Becerra heard directly from several mayors about unique efforts and challenges in their localities.

During the USICH quarterly meeting, Secretary Becerra and other attendees highlighted the important accomplishments to date of the Biden-Harris Administration to address homelessness among youth and young adults. Participants shared insights into their efforts to prevent and end homelessness among youth and discussed opportunities for new USICH partnerships centered around youth homelessness. As one example, HHS, in partnership with the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Department of Justice, Department of Education, Department of Agriculture, and USICH, updated Youth.gov’s website to feature programs serving those aged 12-25 experiencing homelessness, including recently released federal research, resources, and guidance. Youth.gov will now better reflect the needed multi-sector approach to help prevent housing instability among young people and support those already experiencing homelessness with more comprehensive research, tools, and opportunities.

“For the last three years, we’ve been working around the clock to advance a whole-of-government strategy to address homelessness. At HHS, we know – and the research shows – that homelessness and other forms of housing insecurity are key social drivers of negative health outcomes,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “We’ve provided resources through our Administration for Children, Youth, and Families initiatives and numerous other grant programs to help people experiencing homelessness, including people who are at highest risk of homelessness.”

Since becoming the Chair of USICH, HHS has taken several actions to address homelessness head-on. HHS in partnership with the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) launched in February the Housing and Services Partnership Accelerator. The program supports states to develop or expand housing-related supports and services for Medicaid-eligible people with disabilities and older adults who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

In January, HHS, through the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), awarded millions to two programs designed to prevent homelessness. ACF also released new guidance to help communities leverage HUD’s Foster Youth to Independence Program, which provides rental assistance and supportive services to young adults transitioning out of foster care, who are particularly vulnerable to homelessness. 

In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) approved an amendment to New York’s Medicaid section 1115 demonstration which will establish base rates for safety net providers, address critical social needs for millions of Medicaid recipients, helping to preventing New Yorkers from becoming homeless.

HHS administers a variety of other programs that provide support services for low-income and vulnerable populations, older adults, and people with disabilities to address risk factors in order to prevent homelessness, and work to end homelessness. Many of these programs work closely with other federal agencies and partners, in keeping with the Administration’s commitment to improving coordination. HHS is effectively leveraging resources and streamlining access to services to better serve the American people.

The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness is the only federal agency solely dedicated to preventing and ending homelessness in the United States. USICH harnesses the collective power of 19 federal agencies— through the USICH Council—to drive a coordinated federal homelessness strategy and to support state and local efforts to prevent and end homelessness.

The following representatives participated in the meeting:

• HHS Secretary, Xavier Becerra
• U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary, Tom Vilsack,
• Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, Neera Tanden
• U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Acting Secretary, Adrianne Todman
• U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, Executive Director, Jeff Olivet
• U.S. Census Bureau, Director, Robert Santos
• Additional representatives participated from:
  • U.S Department of Health and Human Services
  • U.S. Department of Transportation
  • U.S. Department of Education
  • U.S. Department of Labor
  • U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
  • U.S. Department of Defense
  • U.S. Department of Interior
  • U.S. Department of Justice
  • U.S. Department of Energy
  • White House Office of Management and Budget
  • White House Domestic Policy Council
  • Federal Emergency Management Agency
  • U.S. Postal Service
  • General Services Administration
  • AmeriCorps