The related content contained in the State of Michigan's website details many other aspects of efforts made to helps aid in housing.

Link Below:

The housing shortage and rising rents in communities across the nation are direct threats to the progress made. Advocates must call on Congress to maintain a commitment to ending homelessness.

Federal Funding for Homelessness Programs:

HUD’s McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants program is at the core of federal efforts to end homelessness. Each year, HUD awards Homeless Assistance Grants to communities that administer housing and services at the local level. Congress should invest in proven solutions to homelessness by providing at least $3.415 billion for Homeless Assistance Grants in FY 2021.

Affordable Housing:

Since 1980, housing affordability has been the key driver of increases in homelessness. There are four programs that represent almost all federal spending for affordable housing assistance for people with the lowest incomes: Tenant-Based Rental Assistance, Project-Based Rental Assistance, Public Housing Operating Funds, and Public Housing Capital Grants. Together, these programs provide affordable rental housing for more than 5 million people in 2.2 million households.

Link Below:

By organizing and supporting leaders such as Governors, Mayors, Continuum of Care leaders, and other local officials, USICH drive's action to achieve the goals of the federal strategic plan to prevent and end homelessness—and ensure that homelessness in America is ended once and for all.


Legislative Authority

USICH was originally authorized by Congress through Title II of the landmark Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act of 1987 (PL 100-77) to serve as an “independent establishment” within the executive branch. They were charged with coordinating the federal response to homelessness and creating a national partnership at every level of government and with the private sector to reduce and end homelessness in the nation while maximizing the effectiveness of the federal government in contributing to the end of homelessness.

Goals of USICH:
-Ending Veteran Homelessness
-Ending Youth Homelessness
-Ending Family Homelessness
-Ending Chronic Homelessness

Link: United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH)

The CDC website offers resources that describe homelessness as a public health concern, discuss the criminalization of homelessness in some jurisdictions, and give examples of legal and policy approaches to addressing homelessness.

Resources Discussed:
Homelessness and Public Health
Criminalization of Homelessness
Law and Policy Approaches

Link: CDC - Homelessness as a Public Health Law Issue - Publications by Topic - Public Health Law

Social workers elevate service to others above self-interest. Social workers draw on their knowledge, values, and skills to help people in need and to address social problems. 

Ethical Principle: Social workers challenge social injustice.

Social workers pursue social change, particularly with and on behalf of vulnerable and oppressed individuals and groups of people. Social workers' social change efforts are focused primarily on issues of poverty, unemployment, discrimination, and other forms of social injustice. These activities seek to promote sensitivity to and knowledge about oppression and cultural and ethnic diversity. Social workers strive to ensure access to needed information, services, and resources; equality of opportunity; and meaningful participation in decision making for all people.

Social workers treat each person in a caring and respectful fashion, mindful of individual differences and cultural and ethnic diversity. Social workers promote clients' socially responsible self-determination. Social workers seek to enhance clients' capacity and opportunity to change and to address their own needs. Social workers are cognizant of their dual responsibility to clients and to the broader society. They seek to resolve conflicts between clients' interests and the broader society's interests in a socially responsible manner consistent with the values, ethical principles, and ethical standards of the profession.

Social workers understand that relationships between and among people are an important vehicle for change. Social workers engage people as partners in the helping process. Social workers seek to strengthen relationships among people in a purposeful effort to promote, restore, maintain, and enhance the well-being of individuals, families, social groups, organizations, and communities.

Link: Code of Ethics (socialworkers.org)

Is building new lives for America’s homeless through housing and community outreach. 

HomeAid identifies long-term, reputable nonprofits who are in need of additional capacity to house and provide resources and services to people experiencing homelessness. HomeAid pairs these nonprofits with building partners, who donate their time, materials and labor to rehabilitate and build new spaces for those they serve.  Their model allows them to serve a variety of populations and needs, including:

Every HomeAid project includes support services that help residents move toward self-sufficiency, such as education, job skills training, financial counseling, and physical and emotional support. 

Link: HomeAid's Mission - HomeAid America

Link: The Fair Housing Act (justice.gov)

to implement the right to adequate housing by all the levels of government. 

- Homelessness is a failure of governments to keep human rights obligations they have to all humans. 

Link to video below:

“This decision reaffirms the principle that our Constitution applies equally to everyone, whether poor or rich,” said Miriam Aukerman, ACLU of Michigan staff attorney. “Jail time is a harsh price to pay for holding up a sign or simply asking for spare change.”

The ACLU of Michigan argued that the state’s anti-begging law is unconstitutional because peaceful panhandling – like requests for charity by nonprofits, sport teams, or the Salvation Army -- is protected speech under the First Amendment. The appeals court agreed with the ACLU affirming the lower court’s decision, stating:

“Begging, or the soliciting of alms, is a form of solicitation that the First Amendment protects.”

Link:
Federal Appeals Court Strikes Down Michigan’s Anti-Begging Statute as Unconstitutional | American Civil Liberties Union (aclu.org)

- Article 25 number 1
Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.

Link: https://www.ottawaunitedway.org/about-lha

-Such small spaces can make a huge impact on a persons life.