Homeward DC 2.0, the Interagency Counil on Homelessness' second iteration of the District's Strategic Plan (FY2021 - FY2025), lays out a community vision:
Homelessness in the District of Columbia will be rare, brief, and nonrecurring. We will eliminate racial inequities in the homeless services system and create systemic fair treatment for all people.
The plan consists of 4 major components. Homeward DC 2.0:
- Summarizes the Homeless DC Plan and lessons from the last five years;
- Provides the vision, guiding principles, and building blocks of Homeward DC 2.0;
- Outlines system modeling and housing inventory needs; and
- Shares 100+ strategies supported by twelve strategic goals.
In 2015, Mayor Bowser released Homeward DC, a bold vision and strategic plan to end long-term homelessness in Washington, DC. Since its initial release, the District has made significant progress and investments in sustainable solutions to reduce homelessness, especially with regard to family homelessness. Using a comprehensive approach, the District scaled homelessness prevention services for families; reformed the family shelter system – closing DC General and launching small, service-enriched Short-Term Family Housing programs throughout the city; and expanded rental subsidies for families. This work has led to a reduction in family homelessness in the District, from a peak of nearly 1,500 families experiencing homelessness on any given night as the District began Homeward DC implementation, to just over 400 families as of January 2021 – a 73% decrease.
Homeward DC 2.0 builds on this progress, with a strong focus on realizing similar progress with unaccompanied adult homelessness. Homeward DC 2.0 is the result of a highly collaborative process led by the District of Columbia Interagency Council on Homelessness (ICH), the Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness (TCP), and the ICH’s Strategic Planning Committee, including persons with lived experiences of homelessness. The plan presents data collected through the District’s Homelessness Management Information System (HMIS) and is supplemented by data from other agencies and systems that play a direct or indirect role in the District’s response to homelessness and housing insecurity.
