I am writing today to share with you that, after many fulfilling and productive years leading the National Alliance to End Homelessness, I have decided that now is the time to hand that role over to someone new. I will continue to lead the organization until the Board has named a successor, likely in the late spring of 2022.
It has been an honor and a joy to work with the brilliant and determined staff and Board of the Alliance in pursuing our mission to end homelessness. What we have accomplished, we have accomplished together and I thank them all from the bottom of my heart.
I am also grateful to the countless allies with whom we have worked over the years: national advocacy organizations; Continuums of Care; nonprofits on the front lines; philanthropy; and local, state and federal government partners. I must also thank the many, many people with experience of homelessness who have been generous with their time and insights, and have grounded our work in critically important ways.
To me, homelessness has always seemed a solvable problem, although certainly a stubborn one. The Alliance has had a major role in advancing solutions to homelessness including permanent supportive housing, Housing First, rapid re-housing, diversion, critical time intervention, and many more innovations. There is still a long way to go in addressing the causes of homelessness: the mismatch between what people earn and what housing costs; lack of health, behavioral health and other services; and the wide-ranging impacts of historical and systemic racism. Nevertheless, in a country with the wealth and advantages of ours, it has always seemed to me that it is well within both our understanding and our means to end homelessness.
It is important to note, therefore, that, while homelessness is still widespread — despite my optimism — it has been ended for hundreds of thousands of individuals and families during the years that I have worked at the Alliance. I will leave the organization knowing that while the job is not yet done, so many who experienced homelessness have a home tonight and the path to ending homelessness overall is well within our grasp.
I want to assure you that moving forward, the strong and determined Board and staff of the National Alliance to End Homelessness remain committed to the mission stated in the organization’s name. And I know that the organization will continue to rely upon the invaluable insights and learnings that so many of you have generously shared with us. It has been my honor and privilege to pursue, in this determined organization and with such skillful partners, the goal of ending homelessness — a goal I know can be achieved. Thank you.