A Message From Outgoing USICH Director Jeff Olivet: Despite Challenges, Homelessness Is Preventable and Solvable

It has been an honor to serve as executive director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) for the past three years. As my time here comes to an end, I am deeply grateful to President Biden, Vice President Harris, and our 19 council member agencies. I am especially grateful to our council chairs and vice chairs who served during my tenure: Secretaries Fudge, McDonough, Becerra, and Vilsack. Their leadership, guidance, and collaboration have been extraordinary.   

To the talented team of public servants at USICH: Thank you for your expertise, hard work, and deep commitment to the work of ending homelessness in this nation. You are the heart and soul of USICH and you always will be.  

To the many local, state, and tribal partners I have gotten to know while traveling the country, thank you for the lifesaving work you do every day and for doing your best in the most challenging circumstances.  

To the thousands of people I have met across the country who are using their personal experiences of homelessness to shape how our cities and the nation respond to homelessness: Thank you for bringing your expertise to the fight. You are leading the way. We appreciate you. We need you at every single table, involved with every single decision. 

To the people I have encountered who are still experiencing homelessness: We see you. We know you deserve better, and we are working hard to make things better. We know it’s never fast enough because no person should have to spend even a single night on the streets, in a shelter, or without the safety of a home.  

Much work lies ahead for all of us—federal agency staff, national and local advocates, service providers, faith community leaders, the corporate sector, philanthropy, and state and local officials. We must continue to pull together to find compassion and common ground. We must go upstream to stop homelessness before it starts. We must courageously name racism and its harmful impacts. We must resist the pressure to advance policies that focus on arresting, fining, and jailing people who are struggling to survive. We must instead continue to focus on the real solutions to homelessness—housing, health care, and strong wrap-around supports.  

Despite the challenges we face in our collective work to prevent and end homelessness, I still believe down to my core that homelessness is solvable. I can envision a nation where no one experiences the horrors of homelessness for even one night. I hope you can too.  

And if we work together, we can get there. If we provide the resources needed to make sure there is enough affordable housing for all, enough mental health and substance use treatment for all, enough good paying jobs and economic opportunity for all—regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or nation of origin—we can become a better nation. A stronger nation. A more compassionate nation. A nation where every one of our friends and neighbors finally has a home to call their own.