United States Interagency Council On Homelessness

The United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) is a independent federal agency within the U.S. executive branch and is composed of 19 Cabinet secretaries and agency heads. The current chairperson is Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius . Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki serves as the vice chairperson. The Executive Director of USICH is Barbara Poppe. USICH partners with these 19 federal agencies, state and local governments, advocates, service providers, and people experiencing homelessness to achieve the goals outlined in the first federal strategic plan to prevent and end homelessness, Opening Doors.

The mission of USICH is to:

Coordinate the federal response to homelessness and to create a national partnership at every level of government and with the private sector to reduce and end homelessness in the nation while maximizing the effectiveness of the Federal Government in contributing to the end of homelessness.

The USICH staff is made up of a small team headquartered in Washington, DC, led by Executive Director Barbara Poppe. Deputy Directors and staff members serve as liaisons with each of the 19 Federal Agencies that make up the Council to make progress on the goals and strategies of Opening Doors. USICH works with states and national programs on the ground through five Regional Coordinators, who connect with state and local governments in the creation of strategic plans and to promote the strategies of Opening Doors in local communities.

USICH works with its partners to

• Establish and maintain effective, coordinated, and supportive relationships with every federal agency;
• Organize and support states and communities to effectively implement local plans to end homelessness;
• Develop an effective portal to federal programs and initiatives;
• Establish and maintain productive communications with Congress;
• Establish partnerships with public and private sector stakeholders;
• Monitor, evaluate, and recommend improvements in serving those experiencing homelessness and disseminate best practices;
• Provide professional and technical assistance to states, local governments, and other public and private nonprofit organizations.

The annual budget of USICH enacted in FY 2011 was $2,680,000

In 2010, the agency released the first federal strategic plan to end homelessness in the United States which includes four goals

1. To finish the job of ending chronic homelessness by 2015.
2. To prevent and end homelessness among Veterans by 2015.
3. To prevent and end homelessness for families, youth, and children by 2020.
4. To set a path to ending all types of homelessness.