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Serving Homeless Individuals and Families in Libraries: National Resources and Directories

Resources to support library staff's work with homeless patrons, including referral and resources to facilitate interpersonal interactions.

National Coalition for the Homeless

The National Coalition for the Homeless is a national network of people who are currently experiencing or who have experienced homelessness, activists and advocates, community-based and faith-based service providers, and others committed to a single mission: To prevent and end homelessness while ensuring the immediate needs of those experiencing homelessness are met and their civil rights protected.

The National Coalition for the Homeless hosts a Directory of Resources, which includes National, State (Connecticut, Louisiana, New Hampshire, Western Massachusetts, Washington) and City (Los Angeles, CA , New Orleans, San Francisco, Santa Cruz, CA, Seattle, Tampa Bay, FL and Washington, DC) resources.

U.S Interagency Council on Homelessness

The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) leads the national effort to prevent and end homelessness in America. USICH coordinates the federal response to homelessness and leads action among 19 federal member agencies and fosters partnerships at every level of government and with the private sector.

By organizing and supporting leaders state and local officials, USICH drives action to achieve the goals of the federal strategic plan to prevent and 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.

USICH produces a bi-weekly newsletter. Sign up here.

In the Tools for Action page, news and documents about homelessness are posted. Documents in the database are reviewed every six months to make sure they are still accurate and relevant.