Sec. 2. Findings
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Congress makes the following findings: Nationally, on any given night, there are approximately 83,000 people who are experiencing chronic homelessness. Chronically homeless people often live in shelters or on the streets for years at a time, experience repeated episodes of homelessness without achieving housing stability, or cycle between homelessness, jails, mental health facilities, and hospitals. In 2003, the New Freedom Commission on Mental Health recommended the development and implementation of a comprehensive plan designed to facilitate access to 150,000 units of permanent supportive housing for consumers and families who are chronically homeless.
The Commission found that affordable housing alone is insufficient for many people with severe mental illness, and that flexible, mobile, individualized support services are also necessary to support and sustain consumers in their housing. The United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH), originally authorized by title II of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act ( 42 U.S.C. 11311 et seq. ) and reauthorized by the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act of 2009 (division B of Public Law 111–22 ), is responsible for coordinating the Federal response to homelessness in cooperation with the Secretaries and senior leaders of the 19 Federal member agencies.
Since the USICH’s implementation of Opening Doors: Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness , chronic homelessness in the United States has been reduced by 22 percent, including a 13 percent reduction in unsheltered chronic homelessness. Research indicates that permanent supportive housing is a cost-effective solution to chronic homelessness that leads to improved residential stability and reduction in psychiatric symptoms. Studies have also shown that supportive housing is associated with significant reductions in costs for emergency room visits, hospitalizations, shelters, sobering centers, jails, and other public services used by people experiencing homelessness.
By implementing permanent supportive housing, communities are making progress toward ending chronic homelessness.
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- Pub. L. 111-22
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