1. Massachusetts’ Efforts to End Family Homelessness
Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Interagency Council on Housing and Homelessness
Massachusetts’ Efforts to End Family Homelessness
Linda B. Fosburg, Ph.D., Executive Director
MA Interagency Council on Housing and Homelessness
National Alliance to End Homelessness Annual Conference
Washington DC
July 17, 2006

2. Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Interagency Council on Housing and Homelessness
Executive Commission on Homeless Services Coordination, created in accordance with Governor’s Executive Order
Executive Commission Participants
Secretaries of:
Executive Office of Health and Human Services
Executive Office of Administrative and Finance
Executive Office of Elder Affairs
Commissioners of:
Department of Corrections
Department of Education
Department of Housing and Community Development
Department of Mental Health
Department of Mental Retardation
Department of Public Health
Department of Social Services
Department of Transitional Assistance
Department of Veterans Services
Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission
Office of Child Care Services

3. Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Interagency Council on Housing and Homelessness
Executive Commission Consensus Reached on Five Major Themes
Increase affordable housing for those with very low income;
Focus on more prevention;
Better coordinate services to the homeless population;
Improve data collection, coordination, and reporting; and
Establish a Massachusetts Interagency Council on Housing and Homelessness
Created MA ICHH to address:
Primary goal of ending homelessness and no longer just managing it.
Issues raised by the Executive Commission and track progress on leading indicators of resolving those issues.
Issues raised by the federally sponsored Policy Academies on both the chronic homeless and family homeless issues.

4. Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Interagency Council on Housing and Homelessness
Current Initiatives
Department of Housing and Community Development
Local Housing Authority Transitional Assistance Program
Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT)
Pilot Voucher Program
Department of Social Services
Capacity of Domestic Violence Shelter Program
Temporary shelter availability
Department of Education

5. Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Interagency Council on Housing and Homelessness
Future Initiatives
Regional Policy Academies with Stakeholders throughout MA
Additional Initiatives with the Department of Housing and Community Development
More voucher pilots
SAPHIRE
Additional Initiatives with the Department of Social Services