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Along with Chicago, federal officials are set to land in Dallas,
Los Angeles, Seattle and the Phoenix metropolitan area as part
of a plan to speed up efforts already in the works in those
cities. Officials added, as part of the ALL Inside initiative, a
sixth official will be charged with reducing homelessness in
California outside of Los Angeles, officials said.
“President [Joe] Biden firmly believes everyone deserves a safe,
decent and affordable place to live,” White House Domestic
Policy Advisor Ambassador Susan Rice recently told reporters,
stressing early efforts will concentrate on making certain that
veterans and those aging out of the foster care system have a
place to call home.
With the White House having an overall goal of reducing
homelessness by 25% by 2025, the program will work with
officials from the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness and
its 19 federal agencies, committing for two years to get the
homeless into units by identifying new funding and bringing
together philanthropic and nonprofit groups.
While campaigning as a candidate, newly-elected Chicago Mayor
Brandon Johnson frequently referred to the issue of homelessness
across the city as a “moral crisis” that was only made worse by
the COVID-19 pandemic. The Chicago Coalition of the Homeless now
counts more than 65,000 homeless individuals across the city.
In a statement, Johnson welcomed the assistance after spending
part of his inaugural address vowing to push through his “Bring
Chicago Home” plan that calls for raising taxes on the sales of
properties worth $1 million or more in an effort to fight
homelessness in Chicago.
With the federal assistance, Deputy Mayor Jennifer Johnson said
the city will use some of the funds to help those sheltering on
CTA trains, most of whom are Black men between the ages of 30
and 51.
“So this is a racial justice issue,” Jennifer Johnson added.
“Many of those residents on the trains have complex needs, based
on ongoing struggles with chronic homelessness, mental health or
substance abuse. These complex needs obviously engage and
interact with their transient nature, making it very difficult
to reach this vulnerable population.”
City officials have also committed to using the added resources
to help house residents returning from incarcerations and those
sheltering under highways, viaducts and bridges.
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