USICH Director Participates in Boston’s Annual Homeless Count
This week, USICH Executive Director Jeff Olivet participated in Boston's annual count of people experiencing homelessness along with Mayor Michelle Wu and other federal leaders.
The Point-in-Time Count provides a snapshot of homelessness in America , which helps the federal government measure trends in homelessness and more accurately target funding and resources. It is published by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as part of the Annual Homeless Assessment Report.
Several Biden-Harris administration officials participated in counts last month—which happen over a single night in each area—to better understand local needs and to hear from communities. VA Secretary Denis McDonough, who serves as chair of USICH, participated in the count in Denver and Washington, D.C. Meanwhile, USICH Director Olivet also participated in the count in Maricopa County, Arizona.
According to the 2022 count—which was released in December and provided the first full national look at the pandemic’s impact on homelessness—homelessness has remained relatively flat since before the pandemic began. In January 2022, 582,462 people were experiencing homelessness on a single night, representing an increase of 2,034 people (less than 1%) since 2020. Homelessness had been on the rise since 2016, but after two years of unprecedented federal investment, the Biden-Harris administration has begun to halt the rapid rise and now has a plan to reduce homelessness 25% by 2025 and ultimately end homelessness.
USICH released All In: The Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent Homelessness in December. The plan was built from the ground up and shaped by public input from more than 600 communities, tribes, and territories—including Boston. Like All In , Boston treats homelessness like a crisis of health and housing—not a crime. Read how Mayor Wu has demonstrated how to solve homelessness through housing and support that helps people stay housed.