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United States Interagency Council on Homelessness

Fiscal Year 2016 Performance and Accountability Report

Contents

Preface from the Executive Director ........................................................................................................................2

Management Discussion and Analysis......................................................................................................................3

Introduction..........................................................................................................................................................3

The Council ...........................................................................................................................................................4

Summary of FY 2016 Progress..............................................................................................................................6

National Implementation of Opening Doors ......................................................................................................11

Agency Operations..............................................................................................................................................17

Financial Statements, Auditor’s Reports ............................................................................................................17
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Preface from the Executive Director

On June 22, 2010, the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness and 

its 19 federal agency members released Opening Doors, the first-ever 

comprehensive federal plan to prevent and end homelessness. Amended in 

2012 and 2015, the plan sets four ambitious goals in order to drive action and 

progress: 

 Prevent and end homelessness among Veterans in 2015 

 Finish the job of ending chronic homelessness in 2017 

 Prevent and end homelessness for families, youth, and children in 2020 

 Set a path to ending all types of homelessness 

Through the urgent action mobilized by Opening Doors, we’ve seen significant 

reductions in homelessness across all our goals since 2010: 

 11% reduction nationwide 

 22% reduction in chronic homelessness 

 19% reduction in family homelessness, including a 64% drop in unsheltered homelessness among families 

 47% reduction in Veteran homelessness, including a 56% drop in unsheltered homelessness among 

Veterans 

More than 30 communities, including the entire states of Virginia, Connecticut, and Delaware, have also 

effectively ended homelessness among Veterans. That progress has forever changed the conversation about 

homelessness in this country. It’s no longer a matter of if we can end homelessness, but how quickly we can get it 

done. 

Through implementation of Opening Doors, USICH and its member agencies are driving unprecedented change in 

states and communities across the country. 

By setting ambitious goals and asking leaders to publicly commit to them, we have generated significant 

momentum on a problem once believed to be unsolvable. For example, almost 900 elected officials from 45 

states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico signed on to the Mayors Challenge to End Veteran Homelessness. 

Efforts to end Veteran homelessness are laying the groundwork for communities to end chronic, family, and youth 

homelessness – and all homelessness.

By defining what it means to end homelessness, we have given government and communities alike the 

goalposts they need to focus their efforts and resources. Federal criteria and benchmarks have clearly defined 

how community systems must operate to ensure that homelessness is prevented whenever possible, and if it 

can’t be prevented, that it is a rare, brief, and one-time experience for individuals and families in America. 

Communities across the country are using those criteria to drive investments into proven strategies. Many are 

fundamentally rethinking how they structure and administer the programs and services that address 

homelessness.

By shifting federal programs to Housing First approaches, we have made federal dollars go further and have 

improved outcomes for people – and for communities. Systems built on evidence-based Housing First principles 
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focus resources on getting people experiencing homelessness quickly connected to safe and stable housing. By 

providing guidance to communities on how to implement Housing First approaches, both at the system- and 

program-level, we’ve supported communities across the country to more quickly connect people to and help 

people maintain permanent housing. 

We have helped other mainstream systems, like TANF, SSI/SSDI, Medicaid, Workforce, Head Start, and 

affordable housing programs understand how they can support the work to prevent and end homelessness.

Many of those programs have released guidance and tools to support state and local agencies to better support 

individuals and families experiencing or at-risk of experiencing homelessness to connect to and maintain housing. 

The Social Security Administration, for example, provided guidance on how to improve access to SSI/SSDI for 

people with disabilities who are experiencing homelessness. Systems like child welfare and the criminal justice 

system are increasing their understanding and response to homelessness, or the risk of homelessness, among the 

populations they serve. 

This performance and accountability report discusses the specific actions we took in FY 2016 to make this 

progress possible, and also describes our agency operations.

Management Discussion and Analysis

Introduction

USICH was established in 1987 by the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act and most recently 

reauthorized by the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act of 2009. 

USICH’s mission is to coordinate the federal response to homelessness and to create 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.

USICH is a model of successful interagency collaboration, as highlighted in a 2014 GAO report, and in a report 

recently released by the Urban Institute, which found that USICH was “uniquely positioned to help achieve the 

nation’s ambitious goals to end homelessness.” USICH does not administer programs or have regulatory authority; 

rather, our tools for advancing good governance are through innovative collaborations and strategic engagements 

that drive smart, efficient systems change among our partners and stakeholders. Our focus on data and 

performance measurements seeks to maximize several billions of dollars in targeted homelessness funding, and 

to engage other non-targeted programs, by providing a foundation for evidence-informed practices. 

USICH also bridges siloed areas of government to reduce fragmentation and duplication in federal policy and 

programs, and strengthens the effectiveness of programs and resources through interagency and cross-sector 

collaboration. Our work is making a difference in communities, as exemplified in USICH’s leadership in ending 

Veteran homelessness. We have also led the development of clear interagency criteria and benchmarks for 

defining the end of Veteran homelessness and chronic homelessness, which detail local actions and system 

changes necessary, and which are informing the development of criteria and benchmarks for ending family and 

youth homelessness as well. 

USICH’s interagency collaboration also extends to breaking down silos between the health care and housing 

sectors. The integration of health care and supportive services with stable housing is a key objective of Opening 

Doors, and a central part of the strategy to end chronic homelessness. Over the past few years, USICH worked 
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closely with HHS to clarify the types of supportive services that can be covered under Medicaid that are critical to 

fostering housing stability and to improving mental and behavioral health, resulting in guidance released in June 

2015. To further assist states to make use of these opportunities and to take such efforts to scale, USICH, HHS, 

and HUD launched a federal interagency initiative that is providing intensive technical assistance and program 

support to eight states to coordinate Medicaid covered housing-related services with housing resources to scale 

supportive housing. 

The Council

USICH’s Council consists of 19 federal Cabinet secretaries and agency heads. The Council meets four times each 

year to review progress on Opening Doors implementation, make decisions to support collaboration among 

Council member agencies, and discuss opportunities to strengthen efforts to prevent and end homelessness. In 

addition to USICH member agencies, the White House Domestic Policy Council (DPC) actively participates in 

Council activities. During Council meetings, members review progress on Opening Doors’ population goals and 

determine and authorize activities to support the Plan’s implementation. Topics the Council discussed in FY 2016 

included: 

 Deciding upon new strategies to end Native American homelessness

 Deciding upon actions to reduce criminal justice system involvement among people experiencing 

homelessness

 Implementing a federal regional strategy to prevent and end homelessness

 Reviewing progress on ending Veteran and chronic homelessness

 Integrating health care services with homelessness assistance programs and housing

 Identifying strategies to maximize mainstream resources to end homelessness

 Coordinating supportive services with housing interventions to prevent and end family homelessness

 Strengthening coordination across federal agencies’ programs serving youth experiencing homelessness

 Interagency sustainability planning for the transition to a new administration. 

In December 2015, Department of Labor Secretary Thomas Perez ended his tenure as Council chair. At that time, 

Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell was elected Chair and 

Department of Education (ED) Secretary John King was elected Vice Chair, with both serving in these roles through 

December 2016. In December 2016, the Council is expected to recommend that the incoming Acting Secretary of 

HUD serve as Chair and the incoming HHS Acting Secretary serve as Vice Chair. 

In preparation for Council meetings, USICH meets with senior advisors to agency principals on a bi-monthly or 

more frequent basis to set the strategic direction for the Council. Through our quarterly Council Policy Group 

(CPG) meetings, USICH also provides a regular forum for senior staff from member agencies to coordinate policies 

and programs, collect data, develop special initiatives, and prepare recommendations for consideration by Council 

members and for Council meeting discussions. CPG meetings this year focused on key elements of implementing 

Opening Doors, including: performance management; implementing a federal regional strategy to prevent and 

end homelessness; progress toward the goals of ending Veteran and chronic homelessness; developing strategies 

to leverage mainstream resources; advancing strategies for ending family and youth homelessness; and 

interagency sustainability planning for transition to a new administration.
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Performance Goals and Objectives

Accomplishing the goals of Opening Doors requires leadership at all levels of government and strong partnerships 

with businesses, researchers, philanthropy, and nonprofits. It also demands a commitment to reassessment and 

the ability to alter course based on changing conditions and lessons learned. USICH continues to work with all of 

these sectors to advance the implementation of Opening Doors and to achieve the Plan’s performance goals:

1. Prevent and end homelessness among Veterans in 2015. 

2. Finish the job of ending chronic homelessness in 2017.

3. Prevent and end homelessness for families, youth, and children in 2020. 

4. Set a path to ending all types of homelessness.

The Plan, as amended, also identifies 10 objectives that drive USICH’s work.

Increase leadership, collaboration, and civic engagement.

Objective 1: Provide and promote collaborative leadership at all levels of government and across all sectors to 

inspire and energize Americans to commit to preventing and ending homelessness

Objective 2: Strengthen the capacity of public and private organizations by increasing knowledge about 

collaboration, homelessness, and successful interventions to prevent and end homelessness

Increase access to stable and affordable housing.

Objective 3: Provide affordable housing to people experiencing or most at risk of homelessness

Objective 4: Provide permanent supportive housing to prevent and end chronic homelessness

Increase economic security.

Objective 5: Improve access to education and increase meaningful and sustainable employment for people 

experiencing or most at risk of homelessness

Objective 6: Improve access to mainstream programs and services to reduce people’s financial vulnerability to 

homelessness

Improve health and stability.

Objective 7: Integrate primary and behavioral health care services with homeless assistance programs and 

housing to reduce people’s vulnerability to and the impacts of homelessness

Objective 8: Advance health and housing stability for unaccompanied youth experiencing homelessness and 

youth aging out of systems such as foster care and juvenile justice

Objective 9: Advance health and housing stability for people experiencing homelessness who have frequent contact 

with hospitals and criminal justice

Retool the homeless crisis response system.
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Objective 10: Transform homeless services to crisis response systems that prevent homelessness and rapidly 

return people who experience homelessness to stable housing

Summary of FY 2016 Progress

As mentioned above, the 2015 Point-in-Time (PIT) count continues to show a consistent reduction at the national 

level in the overall rates of homelessness since the launch of Opening Doors. In addition, communities and states 

across the country have begun to hit historic milestones in their progress in ending homelessness, particularly 

among Veterans. The progress is remarkable given that much of it took place as the country was still recovering 

from an economic recession, and is evidence that we have significantly changed the trajectory of homelessness in 

America.

Goal 1: End Homelessness among Veterans in 2015

While we have not yet met the goal of ending Veteran homelessness, USICH and Council agencies are continuing 

to drive toward the goal through the Solving Veterans Homelessness as One (SVHO) interagency decision making 

body, made up of USICH, HUD, VA officials. SVHO plans and executes strategic actions through goal setting, policy 

gap identification, communication, and action. 

In FY 2016, SVHO focused on advancing the transformation of transitional housing programs to bridge housing, 

confirming an effective end to Veteran homelessness in communities, strengthening landlord engagement 

strategies, ensuring the efficient and effective mobilization of resources by federal agencies, and strengthening

the community capacity to mobilize those resources. Some examples of SVHO’s work this year include:

 We released the Criteria and Benchmarks for Achieving the Goal of Ending Veteran Homelessness, as well 

as specifications, tools, blogs, and FAQs, to support communities’ understanding of how to achieve the 

goal. We also updated and republished 10 Strategies to End Veteran Homelessness.

 We are continuing to lead interagency processes for reviewing and confirming communities' achievement 

of milestones and goal of ending Veteran homelessness, and encouraging and supporting local 

communities in public announcements of their achievements.

 We continue to support Mayors' offices and other local stakeholders to use the criteria and benchmarks 

to set local goals, to strengthen local efforts, to measure their progress, and to document the 

achievement of the goal.

 We prepared several case studies on ending Veteran homelessness, and are continuing to partner with 

HUD, VA, and the White House on the Mayors Challenge monthly technical assistance conference calls.

 Together with VA and HUD, we identified and are implementing a plan of action to ensure transitional 

housing programs – and particularly Grant and Per Diem programs – are playing effective roles in ending 

Veteran homelessness and are aligned with Housing First principles. 

 We worked with HUD to design and implement the Tribal HUD-VASH program that allows Native 

American Veterans to seek housing on their Tribal lands.

 We worked with HUD to design and implement project-based HUD-VASH vouchers to help encourage the 

development of affordable housing for Veterans. 
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 We continue to guide and inform technical assistance efforts, including coordinating interagency TA 

coordination calls, providing guidance to coaches, partners, and team leaders using lessons learned from 

confirmation process to assist TA providers in targeting TA. 

 We continue to drive interagency work focused on landlord engagement by: 1) documenting activities, 

lessons learned and best practices; 2) supporting local landlord campaigns; 3) increasing public 

awareness; and 4) directly engaging landlords. We worked with the White House to develop a PSA by First 

Lady Michelle Obama to landlords. We launched a landlord engagement page on our website to 

consolidate all the tools and resources. 

 We continue to support DOD/VA collaboration for preventing homelessness among transitioning service 

members.

Goal 2: Finish the Job of Ending Chronic Homelessness in 2017

Although there has been a 22% reduction in chronic homelessness between 2010 and 2015, there is still a great 

deal of progress to be made and work to do. In FY 2013, USICH launched an Interagency Working Group on 

Chronic Homelessness to develop key strategies needed to achieve the goal of ending chronic homelessness. The 

working group focuses on implementing activities to accelerate progress, including: increasing access to 

permanent supportive housing opportunities, aligning Federal policies, funding, messaging and technical 

assistance, and securing the requested resources for FY 2017 to bring permanent supportive housing to scale. 

During FY 2016, examples of the working group‘s efforts included:

 Developed and released the Criteria and Benchmark for Achieving the Goal of Ending Chronic 

Homelessness. These criteria and benchmark define the federal government’s vision for ending chronic 

homelessness and help communities understand how they can build and fine-tune robust, coordinated 

systems to ensure that people experiencing chronic homelessness are on a path to permanent housing 

that is paired with the necessary supportive services. 

 Increased the availability of permanent supportive housing for people experiencing chronic homelessness 

by approximately 15,000 units, through improved targeting, prioritization, reallocation of existing 

resources, and new funding opportunities. This was in large part achieved through interagency efforts to 

develop and promote HUD’s updated notice on prioritizing persons experiencing chronic homelessness 

and other vulnerable persons experiencing homelessness in permanent supportive housing, which was 

released this year.

 Launched the first year of the Medicaid and Housing Agency Partnerships Technical Assistance initiative, 

which provides intensive technical assistance to eight states to strengthen state-level collaboration 

between health and housing agencies to bring to scale supportive housing by coordinating housing 

resources with Medicaid-covered housing-related services.

 Provided additional technical assistance and messaging around topics like Housing First, the prioritization 

of people experiencing chronic homelessness in permanent supportive housing, outreach and 

engagement, working with the criminal justice system, and systems change. 

 Supported and issued guidance on the President’s FY 2017 budget request to increase the national supply 

and availability of permanent supportive housing to 25,500 units— the scale needed to achieve the goal 

of ending chronic homelessness.
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 Released the brief Fulfilling the Dream: Aligning State Efforts to Implement Olmstead and End Chronic 

Homelessness, which outlines seven key strategies to guide states in developing an action plan to achieve 

both an end to chronic homelessness and compliance with the mandate issued through the Supreme 

Court ruling Olmstead v. LC.

 Developed and promoted a fact sheet on 10 Strategies to End Chronic Homelessness. 

 Developed and promoted a fact sheet on ending long-term homelessness for people with complex needs.

 Updated the Supportive Housing Opportunities Planner (SHOP) tool, which helps Continuums of Care 

(CoCs) and local planners make strategic decisions regarding the use of CoC Program funds for supportive 

services. 

 Developed and promoted a set of strategies to guide community efforts to identify those experiencing 

chronic homelessness on the streets and in shelters, hospitals, jails, and other settings and connect them 

with the supportive housing, benefits, and health care they need to end homelessness in their 

community.

 Began work to coordinate messaging and policies across government agencies to ensure that the national 

response to the opioid epidemic also accounts for and addresses opioid use disorders among individuals 

experiencing homelessness, promoting and supporting evidence-based treatment and care paired with 

housing solutions.

 Promoted best practices outlined in a joint interagency guide, co-authored by SSA, HHS, and VA, on key 

strategies for connecting people experiencing homelessness to SSI and SSDI through two field hearings in 

Virginia and California.

 Finalized the selection of the FY 2015 Pay for Success Permanent Supportive Housing Demonstration 

Program grant recipients and began implementation. This demonstration will provide permanent 

supportive housing to people experiencing chronic homelessness who are cycling between the criminal 

justice system and homelessness service system. 

Reentry Council: Housing/Homelessness Sub-Committee

USICH staff participates in DOJ’s Reentry Council and lead the Housing and Homelessness sub-committee, as a 

way to increase alignment between Department of Justice (DOJ) led re-entry work and USICH-led work on ending 

chronic homelessness. In response to the overlap between chronic homelessness and involvement in institutions, 

such as correctional facilities and psychiatric centers, USICH continued its strong partnership with DOJ in FY 2016. 

The following includes examples of this partnership:

 Worked with DOJ and HUD to encourage states to align efforts to end chronic homelessness with efforts 

to ensure the rights to community integration for people with disabilities under Olmstead v. L.C. and 

published a brief encouraging this integration. 

 Hosted the October 2015 Council meeting, which focused on identifying strategies to reduce criminal 

justice system involvement among people experiencing homelessness, both by reducing the 

criminalization of homelessness and increasing access to post-incarceration housing and services. 

 Launched new tools and guidance that increase partnerships between the criminal justice system and 

homeless assistance and housing, including a fact sheet on reducing criminal justice system involvement 

among people experiencing homelessness, and a guide to connecting people returning from incarceration 

with housing and homelessness assistance. USICH also partnered with DOJ’s COPS office, HUD, and HHS to 

publish a COPS newsletter highlighting law enforcement’s role in providing alternatives to the 

criminalization of homelessness in December 2015. 
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 Began development of additional resources aimed at improved collaboration between reentry service 

providers and homelessness services providers, including a legal aid brief and a housing status assessment 

tool for the criminal justice system.

 Advised DOJ and HUD on their joint Pay-for-Success pilot focused on creating and testing supportive 

housing for people who are frequent users of jails and shelters. A funding solicitation was released in early 

FY 2016, with program implementation and expansion continuing into FY 2017 and beyond. 

Goal 3: End Homelessness among Families and Children in 2020

During FY 2016, USICH co-led a 13-agency Interagency Working Group on Family Homelessness to identify 

resources and key strategies needed to achieve the goal of ending homelessness among families and children in 

2020. The working group developed short-term and long-term strategies and implemented activities to advance 

those strategies. Specific activities in FY 2016 included:

 Continued to disseminate and educate communities regarding the vision of a systemic response to family 

homelessness as described in Family Connection: Building Systems to End Family Homelessness.

 Hosted a convening for 5 communities (Minnesota, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee and Washington, DC) 

focused on strategies for building partnerships between the child welfare and the homelessness 

assistance systems. 

 Assisted ED and HUD to better align agency data and continued to promote local data sharing between 

CoCs and LEAs. 

 Partnered with NAEH and federal agencies to disseminate guidance regarding rapid re-housing 

performance benchmarks and program standards. 

 Developed fact sheets, Ending Family Homelessness: Improving Outcomes for Children and Ending 

Homelessness Among Families with Children in 2020, describing the impact of family homelessness on 

children and how the resources requested in the President’s FY 2017 budget proposal would help to end 

family homelessness.

 Disseminated HHS’ profiles of early childhood homelessness in each of the 50 states and the District of 

Columbia that serve as data-driven snapshots to provide background for local, state, and federal planning 

to prevent, address, and end homelessness among families with young children. 

 Disseminated HHS’ guidance, Enhancing Family Stability: A Guide for Assessing Housing Status and 

Coordinating with Local Homelessness Programs for TANF Agencies, to help state TANF agencies 

recognize the important role they have in identifying and serving families experiencing and at risk of 

homelessness. 

 Assisted HUD to refine and revise family housing interventions modeling projections to reflect findings of 

the Family Options Study.

 Continued to provide technical assistance and evaluation design support to grantees in ACYF’s supportive 

housing demonstration focused on child welfare involved families. 

 Partnered with HHS, DOJ, and HUD to launch the federal Domestic Violence and Housing Technical 

Assistance Consortium, which will provide national training, technical assistance, and resource 

development for the domestic violence community and the housing and homelessness service system.

 Supported HUD to adopt and promote stronger incentives within FY 2016 CoC program competition NOFA 

to strengthen CoC’s focus on ending family homelessness through continuing to retool transitional 

housing.
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 Developed a resource guide, Guide to Reviewing Domestic Violence Transitional Housing Projects with the 

CoC Competition, to strengthen CoCs understanding of domestic violence transitional housing projects.

 In coordination with the White House, HHS, ED, and HUD, convened a meeting of more than 20 national 

organizations from various sectors including housing, education, child welfare, and healthcare to discuss 

the impact and advance awareness of the investments sought within the President’s FY 2017 budget 

request needed to end family homelessness. 

Goal 4: End Homelessness for Youth in 2020

The Council initially took steps to address youth homelessness in 2013 through the issuance of the Federal 

Framework to End Youth Homelessness, which sets forth two key strategies for ending youth homelessness: 

1. Increasing knowledge of the scope and nature of youth homelessness; and 

2. Increasing community capacity to prevent and respond to youth homelessness. 

As part of the federal strategy to implement the Framework, USICH developed an Interagency Working Group on 

Youth Homelessness, focused on improving the knowledge of the prevalence and needs of youth experiencing 

homelessness, as well as breaking down silos between programs and services that serve youth who are at risk of 

homelessness. During FY 2016, highlights of this group’s accomplishments included:

 Continued to disseminate and educate communities on Preventing and Ending Youth Homelessness: A

Coordinated Community Response, which articulates a preliminary vision of the set of programs and 

services that are needed to effectively prevent and end youth homelessness in communities.

 Advanced a set of strategies adopted at the July 2015 Council meeting focused on assisting communities 

to expand their capacity to respond to youth homelessness through 1) building a foundation for a 

coordinated and comprehensive community response, and 2) building the capacity of local communities 

to implement the components of a coordinated and comprehensive response.

 Submitted to Congress a comprehensive report on federal efforts to end youth homelessness, including 

recommendations that could impact practices, policies and funding.

 Developed a preliminary interagency data model to inform the scale and scope of interventions and 

resources needed to end youth homelessness in 2020.

 Disseminated HHS guidance to child welfare and runaway and homeless youth (RHY) grantees on eligible 

uses of child welfare funding. 

 Disseminated HUD and HHS guidance in the form of FAQs about the development and implementation of 

coordinated entry processes specific to working with runaway and homeless youth populations. 

 Supported HUD and HHS to further advance the integration of HHS’s Runaway and Homeless Youth 

Management Information System with HUD’s Homeless Management Information System (HMIS).

 Initiated development of guidance and resources to strengthen data collection and reporting 

requirements among federal programs, supporting a more coordinated estimate of youth homelessness 

across federal agencies.

 Co-presented a webinar, along with HUD and ED, on data-sharing to promote examples of local efforts to 

improve strategies for data-sharing and program alignment between CoCs and LEAs.

 In June 2016, USICH partnered with DPC, ED, HHS, HUD, and the True Colors Fund to host a second White 

House Policy Briefing on Youth Homelessness focused on innovative practices, high-priority policy issues, 
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research regarding the prevalence and characteristics of youth experiencing homelessness, and roles of 

Federal agencies and partners. 

 Developed messaging and disseminated ED guidance on new provisions to strengthen the ability of 

children and youth experiencing homelessness to enroll, attend, and succeed in school under the Every 

Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).

 Partnered with A Way Home America and federal agencies to launch the 100-day challenge to end youth 

homelessness in Austin, Cleveland, and Los Angeles. Federal agencies provided technical assistance and 

input on the development of the communities’ strategic plans and goals for the 100-day timeframe.

Increase Access to Mainstream Resources

Targeted homelessness resources alone are not adequate for ending homelessness. Accessing mainstream 

resources, including education, employment, housing, health care, and financial supports are critical. In FY 2016, 

Council agencies continued to focus on leveraging these resources through: bright spotting model examples, using 

guidance to clarify policy, messaging to elevate attention, providing technical assistance and tools, engaging 

industry groups, and partnering with national experts. Key accomplishments in FY 2016 include: 

 Developed a series of tools to strengthen state and local partnerships that help homelessness service 

providers, school systems, youth services providers, and early childhood education providers work 

together more effectively.

 Continued efforts to encourage public housing authorities and multifamily housing owners to prioritize 

admission to households experiencing homelessness and worked with HUD to disseminate a toolkit for 

owners and managers of HUD-funded multifamily housing developments to facilitate community 

involvement and successful implementation of the homeless preference. 

 Continued to educate communities on CMS’ information bulletin regarding how Medicaid can help pay for 

services essential to people’s success in housing.

 Supported Continuums of Care to engage mainstream systems in community-level efforts to prevent and 

end homelessness.

 Strengthened collaborations between SSA field offices and homelessness services organizations.

National Implementation of Opening Doors

USICH continues to support local implementation of the strategies outlined in Opening Doors through 

engagement with regional and state coordinating bodies, elected officials, PHAs, and community leaders. USICH 

provides a range of targeted community engagement and technical expertise in communities through the 

implementation of place-based work, partnerships, and strategic communications. USICH’s National Initiatives 

Team has six full time employees, including five staff who are based in communities throughout the United States. 

USICH uses the majority of its travel funding to enable members the National Initiatives Team and other USICH 

staff to travel to communities and provide on-the-ground support and guidance, to facilitate important meetings, 

deliver presentations and training sessions, and help ensure that local communities are using Federal, State, and 

local resources in alignment with best practices. USICH's staff is also resourceful in leveraging virtual technology 

to support communities. 

In FY 2016, USICH continued to have the greatest focus and most proactive engagement with twenty-five (25) 

Priority communities that accounted for 40% of all people counted as experiencing homelessness during the 2015
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PIT count. These communities were selected by USICH and our partners based on an analysis of the PIT count and 

other relevant data sources. Highlights of USICH’s work with states and local communities in 2016 included the 

following:

 Continued to provide information to the field and shared real world challenges in implementing federal

programs back to agencies to resolve and better support community level efforts, improving crucial

partnerships between states, communities, and the Federal government.

 Built collaborations at the local and state levels, directly convening people to form new collaborative

structures.

 Provided guidance and strategic direction to existing local leadership to implement a more coordinated

approach to homelessness, including alignment with Opening Doors.

 Provided technical assistance and capacity building through the expertise of the members of our National

Initiatives Team, and through the deployment and implementation of tools and resources created by

USICH and our partners.

 Fostered peer-to-peer connections that enable community partners to learn from each other’s

innovations and successes.

 Supported the efforts of mayors and their teams in achieving their commitments under the Mayors

Challenge to End Veteran Homelessness, described more fully in the section below.

 Continued to work with Federal partners to strengthen the coordination and implementation of various

technical assistance efforts, including:

o The VA-funded 25 Cities effort, a joint effort with VA and HUD that provided the 25 Priority

Communities with guidance and support for developing coordinated entry systems to ensure the

most effective, targeted use of Federal, state, and local resources; and

o The HUD-funded Zero: 2016 initiative, through which more than 70 communities, including 4

states, are receiving technical assistance to strengthen their efforts to drive to the end of Veteran

homelessness by the end of 2015 and the end of chronic homelessness by the end of 2016.

o HUD’s Vets@Home, a technical assistance initiative to help Continuums of Care meet the goal of

ending Veteran homelessness.

 Provided guidance and technical assistance to help communities continue to improve their coordinated

entry systems, to take initial systems to full geographic coverage within their jurisdictions, to align

mainstream systems and resources more fully with the coordinated entry systems that have been

developed, and to ensure that such systems are effectively reaching all populations experiencing

homelessness.

 Promoted USICH’s Supportive Housing Opportunities Planner Tool to help communities assess the impact

of improved targeting of their permanent supportive housing to people experiencing chronic

homelessness.

 Expanded work in support of state-level planning and coordination activities, especially in the 17 states

that include priority communities, including an emphasis on supporting the activities of states’

interagency councils on homelessness and providing guidance on the use of mainstream resources (such

as Medicaid, TANF, and affordable housing funding) to create housing and services opportunities for

people exiting homelessness.
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 Partnered with HHS, HUD, and other federal partners to establish and strengthen regional structures to 

ensure that efforts to end homelessness are sustained and prioritized.

 Used criteria and benchmarks for ending Veteran homelessness to help guide communities as they take 

action to achieve the goal and worked with communities to apply these criteria and benchmarks to their 

local systems and data.

 Promoted the Master List Template and Benchmark Generation Tool to help collect and track data 

necessary for benchmarks measurement and to automatically calculate benchmark performance.

 Promoted Ending Homelessness for People Living in Encampments: Advancing the Dialogue, and 

supported the implementation of its strategies.

Mayoral Partnerships

Mayors are critical partners in local community efforts to prevent and end homelessness, and in FY 2016 USICH 

continued its strategies for engaging these local leaders. This year USICH’s partnerships with mayors included the 

following activities: 

 Continued work with HUD, VA, and Joining Forces on the implementation of the Mayors Challenge to End 

Veteran Homelessness, engaging a growing coalition of mayors, governors, and other local officials that 

signed on to the challenge and committed to ending Veteran homelessness in their communities. 

 Aided the mayors in pursuit of this goal by organizing peer learning conversations between mayoral staff 

with shared interests and concerns.

 Partnered with HUD and the White House on technical assistance calls for mayors and their staff.

 Supported increased collaboration between mayors and other local stakeholder efforts in order to 

increase community and state capacity to end homelessness.

 Participated in a Summit of West Coast Mayors, representing Los Angeles, San Francisco, Eugene, 

Portland, and Seattle, and continued to support those mayors and their teams in driving progress and 

addressing challenges, such as encampments and unsheltered homelessness.

 Utilized USICH’s 10 Strategies to End Veteran Homelessness promoting tools, guidance and other 

resources to assist mayors and communities.

 Promoted landlord engagement resources and events for mayors including resources Risk Mitigation Case 

Profiles and Private Landlords Partnering to End Homelessness.

 Engaged individual mayors to provide guidance and resource ideas based on specific community needs 

and organized peer learning conversations between policy advisors to mayors.

 Leveraged expertise from mayors already making significant progress towards the goals of Opening Doors

to share promising practices and create momentum with other communities across the country.

 Collaborated with the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) and delivered presentations at several 

difference committee meetings, including USCM’s Hunger and Homelessness Task Force, Veterans Task 

Force, and the newly-created Veterans Homelessness Task Force.

Philanthropic Partners & Advocates

USICH advances the implementation of Opening Doors by fostering strategic partnerships for implementing 

initiatives, amplifying key messages, and identifying opportunities for collaboration. The importance of publicprivate partnerships has never been greater. As states and communities continue to face challenges due to 

constrained resources, private sector and philanthropic organizations dedicated to serving populations at-risk of 

or experiencing homelessness will need to play even larger leadership roles. Coordination among such 
November 2016

United States Interagency Council on Homelessness 14

stakeholders is essential to achieving the goals of the Plan. In an effort to foster greater public-private 

partnerships in FY 2016, USICH:

 Promoted leadership in local planning efforts and awareness of evidence-based approaches among

philanthropy and private funders.

 Partnered with Funders Together to End Homelessness and other philanthropic organizations to share

information on opportunities for collaboration and the role of philanthropy in efforts to end

homelessness.

 Engaged local leaders regarding ways to involve philanthropy and coordinate efforts with funders in local

community planning and implementation efforts.

 Partnered with A Way Home America in the implementation of a national collaborative movement

focused on ending youth homelessness.

 Partnered with national organizations to host conversations with individuals with lived experiences of

homelessness to inform local, state, and national policy-making and ensure more direct connections with

stakeholders.

Engaged national mainstream housing organizations to educate them on progress and opportunities for

collaboration of their membership in addressing local gaps in availability of affordable housing for

individuals exiting homelessness.

Additionally, USICH hosts quarterly meetings with national advocacy organizations and Council agencies, creating 

a rare opportunity for open dialogue among stakeholders and policy makers from multiple agencies. In FY 2016, 

the meeting dealt with topics such as: Council priorities for current and future years, ways to directly engage 

individuals with lived experiences of homelessness to inform policy decisions, opportunities under WIOA, and 

criteria and benchmarks for ending homelessness for all populations. 

Communications

USICH develops and deploys a comprehensive annual communications strategy to support the goals of the Agency 

and the implementation of Opening Doors. The strategy includes a variety of tools and tactics based on an 

ongoing analysis of our communications objectives and key audiences. USICH works in collaboration with its 

member agencies to share information with policymakers and leaders at the federal, state and local levels. We 

also provide tools, information, and resources to enhance the capacity of communities to implement solutions to 

homelessness. In FY 2016: 

 We built and re-launched our website, under the new federal security and design standards, that

improves our user’s ability to find the tools and resources they need to implement the strategies within

Opening Doors.

 We strengthened the national drumbeat around our success in ending Veteran homelessness and

translating that success to other people experiencing homelessness.

 We established or expanded the federal vision on a number of critical topics related to homelessness,

including Housing First, transitional housing, effective shelter, encampments, tiny houses, criminal justice

reform, and racial inequity.
November 2016

United States Interagency Council on Homelessness 15

Online Publishing and Social Media Engagement

At USICH, we use our website and social media platforms to ensure that information and materials are widely 

disseminated and to have impact on communities with which we may not be able to have direct contact.

 In FY 2016, USICH completed a redesign of the website, resulting in a 9.5% increase in number of pages

visited and a 7% increase in time spent on site by visitors. USICH published 39 new reports, tools,

webinars, and other resources and had over 297,000 visits to the website.

 Our website features the popular USICH News feed, which drives national discussions regarding best and

promising practices and explores a variety of high-priority issue areas. We published 65 articles in FY 2016

from USICH policy experts, nonprofit and community leaders, researchers, and federal partners.

 We developed and distributed 27 newsletters and alerts to reinforce policy priorities, engage

stakeholders, and promote understanding of the Administration’s efforts to prevent and end

homelessness. Our distribution list contains more than 17,000 subscribers, a 31% increase in subscribers

from FY 2015.

 Used social media to increase the reach of our information on promising practices and successful

community solutions. During FY 2016, engagement on Facebook grew by 37% over FY 2015, and the

number of followers on Twitter increased by more than 30% over FY 2015.

In-Person Engagement and Events and Media Relations

USICH staff are regularly asked to represent the agency and the Administration to a variety of audiences. In FY 

2016, staff spoke at more than one hundred public events, including conferences, briefings, and meetings, that 

targeted key audiences. Topics covered included information related to all of Opening Doors’ goals and objectives, 

with strong emphasis on topics related to Veteran homelessness, youth homelessness, coordinated entry 

systems, Housing First practices, and engagement of mainstream systems, like Medicaid and Social Security. In FY 

2016, we:

 Facilitated workshops and trainings at conferences and convenings around the country. For example,

USICH staff facilitated more than a dozen workshops at the National Conference on Ending Homelessness

and the National Conference on Ending Family and Youth Homelessness in FY 2016, and also played key

roles in the Corporation for Supportive Housing Summit and the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans

Conference.

 Hosted six webinars, averaging more than 750 attendees per event, on topics such as Connecting People

Experiencing homelessness to SSI/SSDI Benefits, Determining the Homeless Status of Youth, and

Understanding the Criteria and Benchmarks to End Veteran homelessness. Participated in many and

various webinars hosted by partners.

 Helped organize several convenings to advance the priorities of Opening Doors. Examples including:

o Hosted a convening for 5 communities (Minnesota, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee and

Washington, DC) focused on strategies for building partnerships between the child welfare and

the homeless assistance systems.

o In coordination with the White House, convened a meeting of more than 20 national

organizations from various sectors including housing, education, child welfare, and healthcare to
November 2016

United States Interagency Council on Homelessness 16

discuss the impact and advance awareness of the investments sought within the President’s FY 

2017 budget request needed to end family homelessness. 

o In coordination with the White House, co-hosted the 2nd White House Youth Policy Briefing, to 

reconvene with stakeholders from multiple sectors to assess our progress and press forward to 

achieving the Opening Doors goal of ending youth homelessness in 2020.

 USICH staff are routinely interviewed by and quoted in the media, including NPR, the Los Angeles Times, 

the Christian Science Monitor, and numerous local newspapers and radio and TV stations. 

Common Vocabulary, Data Standards, and Integration and Strategic Use of Data

USICH continues to lead efforts across agencies to develop and promote a common federal vocabulary and data 

standard regarding housing status across all targeted homelessness and key mainstream programs for low-income 

households. Work to develop a common vocabulary began in 2011 as part of a Congressional mandate in the 

HEARTH Act and is critical to our ability to identify people served by government programs that are experiencing 

or at-risk of homelessness and to measure the impact of programs. Highlights of efforts in this area in FY 2016 

include the following: 

 Supported HUD and HHS to advance the integration of HHS’s Runaway and Homeless Youth Management 

Information System with HUD’s Homeless Management Information System (HMIS).

 Agencies have continued efforts to provide guidance training, and technical support to grantees to 

advance this integration of data sources.

 USICH is developing a document that helps explain the different federal data sources on homelessness, 

their different purposes, and how communities’ can use all of those data sources to inform their efforts, 

which will be published in FY 2017.

 In FY 2016, USICH also focused on efforts to increase the role of mainstream programs in identifying and 

tracking housing status and homelessness, focusing specifically on TANF, workforce systems, criminal 

justice agencies and re-entry programs, and Medicaid. Specific efforts included:

o Assisting HHS to develop and disseminate guidance to TANF agencies on assessing homelessness 

and housing status among TANF recipients. 

o Continuing efforts with DOL to identify opportunities fore for workforce systems to track 

homelessness and housing status among workforce program participants under the Workforce 

Innovation and Opportunity Act. 

o Beginning efforts with HHS to identify opportunities through the child welfare system for 

assessing and tracking homelessness and housing status among child welfare-involved families 

and youth.

o Continuing efforts to provide information to Medicaid agencies, health care providers, and 

hospitals on assessing housing status and homelessness, including use of the Z59.0 homelessness 

diagnosis code in ICD-10.
November 2016

United States Interagency Council on Homelessness 17

Agency Operations

The success of Opening Doors is dependent on USICH’s ability to maintain a highly skilled staff. USICH employee 

performance is tied directly to the Agency’s mission, strategies, objectives, and overall performance. 

In order to keep operational costs at a minimum and focus budgetary resources directly on accomplishing the 

Agency’s mission, USICH outsources support for several mission support components to other government 

entities, namely the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the General Services Administration (GSA), via 

cost-sharing arrangements. These support areas include HR, finance, payroll, legal counsel, and EEO processing. 

USICH maintains control of the work and authorization processes, and both USDA and GSA execute transactions 

and performs other operations support work as directed by USICH. USICH also outsources its website and 

network support to private entities. These mission support areas fall under the direct responsibility of the 

Agency’s Director of Finance and Administration. 

USICH now utilizes USDA’s accounting system to track and report on its finances, as financial management 

support was transferred from GSA to USDA. No instances of improper payments occurred during FY 2016 or 

previous years.

Financial Statements, Auditor’s Reports

As a Federal agency, USICH prepares annual financial statements, in conformity with U.S. Generally Accepted 

Accounting Principles, and undertakes an independent annual audit to ensure reliability in assessing the Council’s 

financial health and performance. Each year, USICH prepares the following financial statements: 

 Balance Sheet

 Statement of Net Cost

 Statement of Changes in Net Position

 Statement of Budgetary Resources

These statements are accompanied by corresponding notes. For FY 2016, USICH received an unmodified or clean 

audit opinion that the financial statements were fairly stated in all material respects. USICH manages its finance 

and payroll support functions through USDA and GSA in Kansas City, MO. These transactions are supported by 

USDA’s Pegasys accounting system, and other subsystems. During FY 2016, both USDA and GSA received 

favorable opinions on their SSAE No. 16 audits.

USICH’s financial statements and notes are presented in the format required for the current year by OMB 

guidance such as Circular A-136, Financial Reporting Requirements, and other applicable guidance and are audited 

via the Generally Accepted Auditing Standards issued by the AICPA and the standards of financial audits contained 

in the Government Auditing Standards issued by the Comptroller General of the United States, and other 

applicable guidance. 

Balance Sheet

The balance sheet presents the total dollar amounts available for use by USICH (assets) against the amounts owed 

(liabilities) and amounts that comprise the difference (net position). Total Assets for USICH total $823,901 and 
November 2016

United States Interagency Council on Homelessness 18

$809,309 are attributable to the Agency’s Fund Balance with the Department of Treasury (Treasury), $7,220 

attributable to Accounts Receivable and $7,373 attributable to Property, Plant and Equipment. Fund Balance with 

Treasury is funding available for specific fiscal years through the Department of Treasury accounts from which 

USICH is authorized to make expenditures and pay amounts due.

For depreciation purposes, a threshold of $5,000 per item is used in order to determine capitalization. Capitalized 

property, plants, and equipment is recorded at original acquisition cost. Straight line depreciation and a useful life 

of five years are used in depreciation calculations. Acquisitions not meeting these criteria are recorded as 

expenses.

Total Liabilities equal $463,750, including accounts payable, which consists of liabilities to other government 

agencies, commercial vendors, contractors and disbursements in transit. At fiscal year-end, USICH accrues the 

amount of estimated unpaid expenses. Also, at fiscal year-end, USICH accrues payroll for services rendered by 

USICH employees and leave accrued, but not yet paid out. To the extent current and prior-year appropriations are 

not available to fund annual leave earned but not taken, funding is obtained from future appropriations. 

Statement of Net Cost

This statement presents the annual cost of operating USICH. The gross cost less any offsetting revenue is used to 

arrive at the net cost of operations. All of USICH’s costs incurred were directly related to the support and 

advancement of its mission and directives per the Administration and Congress. Net Cost of Operations for 

FY 2016 equals $3,657,109.

Statement of Changes in Net Position

The State of Changes in Net Position presents accounting items that caused the net position section of the 

balance sheet to change from the beginning to the end of the reporting period. USICH’s net position for FY 2016 is 

$360,151.

Statement of Budgetary Resources

This statement provides information on how budgetary resources were made available to USICH and the status of 

those budgetary resources at year-end. USICH is funded through a congressional appropriation totaling 

$3,530,000 for FY 2016. Net outlays for activity during FY 2016 totaled $3,520,022.

Limitations of the Financial Statements

As required by OMB Circular A-136, Financial Reporting Requirements, USICH discloses the following limitations 

on USICH’s FY 2016 financial statements, which are contained in this Report. The financial statements are 

prepared to report the financial position and results of operations of USICH, pursuant to the requirements of 31 

U.S.C. § 3515 (b). The statements are prepared from the books and records of USICH in accordance with Generally 

Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) for federal entities and the formats prescribed by OMB. These statements 

are in addition to the financial reports used to monitor and control budgetary resources, which are prepared from 

the same books and records. The statements should be read with the realization that they are for a component of 

the U.S. Government, a sovereign entity.
INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT ON THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 

Board of Directors 

United States Interagency Council on Homelessness 

Washington, D.C. 

Report on the Financial Statements 

We have audited the accompanying balance sheet of the United States Interagency Council on 

Homelessness (USICH) as of September 30, 2016 and 2015, and the related statements of net cost, 

changes in net position, and budgetary resources, for the years then ended (collectively referred to as 

the financial statements), and the related notes to the financial statements. 

Management’s Responsibility for the Financial Statements

Management is responsible for the preparation and fair presentation of these financial statements in 

accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles; this includes the design, 

implementation, and maintenance of internal control relevant to the preparation and fair presentation 

of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error. 

Auditor’s Responsibility

Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audit. We 

conducted our audit in accordance with U.S. generally accepted government auditing standards and 

the standards applicable to financial audits contained in Government Auditing Standards, issued by the 

Comptroller General of the United States; and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Bulletin 

No. 15-02, Audit Requirements for Federal Financial Statements. Those standards and OMB Bulletin 

No. 15-02, require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether 

the financial statements are free from material misstatements. 

An audit involves performing procedures to obtain audit evidence about the amounts and disclosures 

in the financial statements. The procedures selected depend on the auditor’s judgment, including the 

assessment of the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to fraud or 

error. In making those risk assessments, the auditor considers internal control relevant to the entity’s 

preparation and fair presentation of the financial statements in order to design audit procedures that are 

appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness 

of the entity’s internal control. Accordingly, we express no such opinion. An audit includes test of 

compliance with provisions of applicable laws, regulations, and contracts that have a direct effect on 

the determination of material amounts and disclosure in the financial statements. The purpose was not 

to provide an opinion on compliance with provisions of applicable laws, regulations and contracts and, 

therefore, we do not express such opinion. An audit also includes evaluating the appropriateness of 

accounting policies used and the reasonableness of significant accounting estimates made by 

management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that 

the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our audit 

opinion.
Opinion on the Financial Statements 

In our opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the 

financial position of USICH as of September 30, 2016 and 2015, and its net costs, changes in net 

position, and budgetary resources for the years then ended, in accordance with U.S. generally accepted 

accounting principles. 

Other Matters 

Required Supplementary Information 

U.S. generally accepted accounting principles require that the information in the Management’s 

Discussion and Analysis (MD&A) and Required Supplementary Information (RSI) sections be 

presented to supplement the basic financial statements. Such information, although not a part of the 

basic financial statements, is required by the Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board, who 

considers it to be an essential part of financial reporting for placing the basic financial statements in an 

appropriate operational, economic, or historical context. We have applied certain limited procedures 

to the required supplementary information in accordance with U.S. generally accepted government 

auditing standards, which consisted of inquiries of management about the methods of preparing the 

information and comparing the information for consistency with management’s responses to our 

inquiries, the basic financial statements, and other knowledge we obtained during our audit of the basic 

financial statements. We do not express an opinion or provide any assurance on the information 

because the limited procedures do not provide us with sufficient evidence to express an opinion or 

provide any assurance. 

Other Information 

Our audits were conducted for the purpose of forming an opinion on the financial statements as a 

whole. The Message From The Executive Director and the Other Information sections are presented 

for purposes of additional analysis and are not a required part of the financial statements. Such 

information has not been subjected to the auditing procedures applied in the audits of the financial 

statements, and accordingly, we do not express an opinion or provide any assurance on it. 

Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting 

In planning and performing our audit of the financial statements, we considered USICH’s internal 

control over financial reporting (internal control) to design audit procedures that are appropriate in the 

circumstances for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the financial statements, but not for the 

purpose of providing an opinion on internal control. Accordingly, we do not express such an opinion. 

A deficiency in internal control exists when the design or operation of a control does not allow 

management or employees, in the normal course of performing their assigned functions, to prevent, or 

detect and correct, misstatements on a timely basis. A material weakness is a deficiency, or 

combination of deficiencies in internal control, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material 

misstatement of the entity’s financial statements will not be prevented, or detected and corrected on a 

timely basis. A significant deficiency is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal 

control that is less severe than a material weakness, yet important enough to merit attention by those 

charged with governance. 
Our consideration of the internal control was for the limited purpose described in the first paragraph 

of this section and was not designed to identify all deficiencies in internal control over financial 

reporting that might be deficiencies, significant deficiencies or material weaknesses. During the audit 

of the financial statements no deficiencies in internal control were identified that were considered to 

be a material weakness. However, material weaknesses may exist that have not been identified. 

Report on Compliance and Other Matters 

As part of obtaining reasonable assurance about whether USICH’s financial statements are free from 

material misstatement, we performed tests of its compliance with certain provisions of laws, 

regulations and contracts, noncompliance with which could have a direct and material effect on the 

determination of financial statement amounts. We limited our tests of compliance to the provisions 

described in the preceding sentence, and we did not test compliance with all laws, regulations and 

contracts applicable to USICH. The objective was not to provide an opinion on compliance with those 

provisions of laws, regulations and contracts, and accordingly, we do not express such an opinion. 

The results of our tests disclosed no instances of noncompliance or other matters that are required to 

be reported under Government Auditing Standards or OMB Bulletin No. 15-02. 

Management’s Responsibility for Internal Control and Compliance

USICH’s management is responsible for (1) evaluating effectiveness of internal control over financial 

reporting based on criteria established under the Federal Managers Financial Integrity Act (FMFIA), 

(2) providing a statement of assurance on the overall effectiveness of internal control, and (3) ensuring

compliance with other applicable laws and regulations.

Auditor’s Responsibilities

We are responsible for (1) obtaining a sufficient understanding of internal control over financial 

reporting to plan the audit, (2) testing compliance with certain provisions of laws and regulations that 

have a direct and material effect on the financial statements and applicable laws for which OMB 

Bulletin No. 15-02 requires testing, and (3) applying certain limited procedures with respect to the 

MD&A and other RSI. 

We did not evaluate all internal controls relevant to operating objectives as broadly established by the 

FMFIA, such as those controls relevant to preparing statistical reports and ensuring efficient 

operations. We limited our internal control testing to testing internal control over financial reporting. 

Because of inherent limitations in internal control, misstatements due to error or fraud, losses, or 

noncompliance may nevertheless occur and not be detected. We also caution that projecting our audit 

results to future periods is subject to risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in 

conditions or that the degree of compliance with controls may deteriorate. In addition, we caution that 

our internal control testing may not be sufficient for other purposes. 

We did not test compliance with all laws and regulations applicable to USICH. We limited our tests of 

compliance to certain provisions of laws and regulations that have a direct and material effect on the 

financial statements and those required by OMB Bulletin No. 15-02 that we deemed applicable to 

USICH’s financial statements for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2016. We caution that 

noncompliance with laws and regulations may occur and not be detected by these tests and that such 

testing may not be sufficient for other purposes. 
Purpose of the Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting and the Report on 

Compliance and Other Matters 

The purpose of the Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting and the Report on Compliance 

and Other Matters sections of this report is solely to describe the scope of our testing of internal control 

and compliance and the result of that testing, and not to provide an opinion on the effectiveness of 

USICH’s internal control or on compliance. These reports are an integral part of an audit performed 

in accordance with Government Auditing Standards in considering USICH’s internal control and 

compliance. Accordingly, these reports are not suitable for any other purpose. 

This report is intended solely for the information and use of the management of USICH, OMB, and 

U.S. Congress, and is not intended to be, and should not be, used by anyone other than these specified 

parties. 

Largo, Maryland 

November 14, 2016 
`The accompanying notes are an integral part of these statements. 

2016 2015

Assets:

 Intragovernmental:

 Fund Balance With Treasury (Note 2) $ 809,308.52 $ 831,668.49

 Total Intragovernmental 809,308.52 831,668.49

 Assets With The Public:

 Accounts R eceivable, net (Note 3) 7,219.15 8,381.14 

 G eneral Property, Plant and Equipment, Net 7,373.09 9,788.94 

Total Assets $ 823,900.76 $ 849,838.57

Liabilities: (Note 5)

 Intragovernmental:

 Other: (Note 6)

Employer Contributions and Payroll Taxes Payable 20,909.71 15,023.85

 Total Intragovernmental 20,909.71 15,023.85

 Liabilities With the Public:

 Accounts Payable 244,228.19 254,282.23

 Other: (Note 6)

Accrued Funded Payroll and Leave 72,463.20 57,638.40

Employer Contributions and Payroll Taxes Payable 2,776.81 2,448.73 

U nfunded Leave 123,371.90 110,209.64

Total Liabilities $ 463,749.81 $ 439,602.85

Net Position:

$ 497,949.04 $ 531,293.71

 (137,798.09) (121,057.99)

 360,150.95 410,235.72

 Total Net Position 360,150.95 410,235.72

Total Liabilities and Net Position $ 823,900.76 $ 849,838.57

U nexpended Appropriations - All Other Funds (Consolidated

Totals)

Cumulative R esults of Operations - All Other Funds

(Consolidated Totals)

Total Net Position - All Other Funds (Consolidated

Totals)

U.S. INTERAGENCY COUNCIL ON HOMELESSNESS

BALANCE SHEET

As Of September 30, 2016 and 2015
`The accompanying notes are an integral part of these statements. 

2016 2015

Program Costs:

 USICH:

Gross Costs $ 3,657,109.40 $ 3,370,847.93

Net Program Costs (Note 7) 3,657,109.40 3,370,847.93

Net Cost of Operations $ 3,657,109.40 $ 3,370,847.93

U.S. INTERAGENCY COUNCIL ON HOMELESSNESS

STATEMENT OF NET COST

As of And For The Years Ended September 30, 2016 and 2015
`The accompanying notes are an integral part of these statements. 

Funds From Dedicated 

Collections 

(Consolidated Totals)

All Other Funds 

(Consolidated Totals) Eliminations Consolidated Total

Cumulative Results of Operations:

Beginning Balances $ - $ (121,057.99) $ (121,057.99)

Budgetary Financing Sources:

Appropriations used - 3,531,006.54 3,531,006.54

Other Financing Sources (Non-Exchange):

Imputed financing - 109,362.76 109,362.76 

Total Financing Sources - 3,640,369.30 - 3,640,369.30

Net Cost of Operations - 3,657,109.40 3,657,109.40

Net Change - (16,740.10) (16,740.10)

Cumulative Results of Operations - (137,798.09) (137,798.09)

Unexpended Appropriations:

Beginning Balance - 531,293.71 531,293.71 

Budgetary Financing Sources:

Appropriations received - 3,530,000.00 3,530,000.00

Other adjustments - (32,338.13) (32,338.13)

Appropriations used - (3,531,006.54) (3,531,006.54)

Total Budgetary Financing Sources - (33,344.67) (33,344.67)

Total Unexpended Appropriations - 497,949.04 497,949.04 

Net Position - $ 360,150.95 $ 360,150.95

U.S. INTERAGENCY COUNCIL ON HOMELESSNESS

STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN NET POSITION

As of And For The Years Ended September 30, 2016 and 2015

FY 2016 (CY)
`The accompanying notes are an integral part of these statements. 

Funds From Dedicated 

Collections 

(Consolidated Totals)

All Other Funds 

(Consolidated Totals) Eliminations Consolidated Total

Cumulative Results of Operations:

Beginning Balances $ - $ (117,403.98) $ (117,403.98)

Budgetary Financing Sources:

Appropriations used - 3,272,680.42 3,272,680.42

Other Financing Sources (Non-Exchange):

Imputed financing - 94,513.50 94,513.50 

Total Financing Sources - 3,367,193.92 - 3,249,789.94

Net Cost of Operations 3,370,847.93 3,370,847.93

Net Change - (3,654.01) (3,654.01) 

Cumulative Results of Operations - (121,057.99) (121,057.99)

Unexpended Appropriations:

Beginning Balance - 292,044.11 292,044.11 

Budgetary Financing Sources:

Appropriations received - 3,530,000.00 3,530,000.00

Other adjustments - (18,069.98) (18,069.98)

Appropriations used - (3,272,680.42) (3,272,680.42)

Total Budgetary Financing Sources - 239,249.60 239,249.60 

Total Unexpended Appropriations - 531,293.71 531,293.71 

Net Position - $ 410,235.72 $ 410,235.72

U.S. INTERAGENCY COUNCIL ON HOMELESSNESS

STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN NET POSITION

As of And For The Years Ended September 30, 2016 and 2015

FY 2015 (PY)
2016 2015 Budgetary Budgetary

BUDGETARY RESOURCES Unobligated balance brought forward, October 1 $ 314,588.73 $ 242,502.90 Unobligated balance brought forward, October 1, adjusted 314,588.73 242,502.90 Recoveries of prior year unpaid obligations (unobligated balances) 22,491.76 106,405.14 Other changes in unobligated balance (32,338.13) (18,069.98) Unobligated balance from prior year budget authority, net 304,742.36 330,838.06 Appropriations (discretionary and mandatory) 3,530,000.00 3,530,000.00

Spending authority from offsetting collections 2,908.22 34.20

Total budgetary resources $ 3,837,650.58 $ 3,860,872.26

STATUS OF BUDGETARY RESOURCES Obligations incurred (Note 8) $ 3,524,906.97 $ 3,546,283.53 Apportioned 10,894.21 63,784.48 Unapportioned 301,849.40 250,804.25 Unobligated balance brought forward, end of year 312,743.61 314,588.73

Total budgetary resources $ 3,837,650.58 $ 3,860,872.26

CHANGE IN OBLIGATED BALANCE Unpaid obligations, brought forward, October 1 (gross) $ 517,079.76 $ 393,945.39 Obligations incurred 3,524,906.97 3,546,283.53 Outlays (gross) (-) (3,522,930.06) (3,316,744.02) Recoveries of prior year unpaid obligations (-) (22,491.76) (106,405.14) Unpaid obligations, end of year 496,564.91 517,079.76 Obligated balance, start of year (net) 517,079.76 393,945.39 Obligated balance, end of year (net) (Note 9) $ 496,564.91 $ 517,079.76

BUDGET AUTHORITY AND OUTLAYS, NET Budget authority, gross (discretionary and mandatory) $ 3,532,908.22 $ 3,530,034.20 Actual offsetting collections (discretionary and mandatory) (-) (2,908.22) (34.20) Budget authority, net (discretionary and mandatory) 3,530,000.00 3,530,000.00 Outlays, gross (discretionary and mandatory) 3,522,930.06 3,316,744.02 Actual offsetting collections (discretionary and mandatory) (-) (2,908.22) (34.20) Outlays, net (discretionary and mandatory) 3,520,021.84 3,316,709.82

Agency outlays, net (discretionary and mandatory) $ 3,520,021.84 $ 3,316,709.82

U.S. INTERAGENCY COUNCIL ON HOMELESSNESS

STATEMENT OF BUDGETARY RESOURCES As of And For The Years Ended September 30, 2016 and 2015
U.S. INTERAGENCY COUNCIL ON HOMELESSNESS 

APPROPRIATED FUND 

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 

FOR THE YEAR ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2016 AND 2015 

Note 1 – Significant Accounting Policies 

Reporting Entity

Congress established the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness in 1987 with the passage of the Stewart 

B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act. The mission of the United States Interagency Council on

Homelessness (USICH) is to coordinate the federal response to homelessness and to create 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.

Basis of Presentation

These financial statements have been prepared from the accounting records of the U.S. Interagency Council 

on Homelessness in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) as promulgated by 

the Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board (FASAB), and OMB (Office of Management and Budget) 

Circular A-136, “Financial Reporting Requirements.” GAAP for Federal entities is the Hierarchy of 

accounting principles prescribed in the American Institute of Certified Public Accountant’s (AICPA) 

Statement on Auditing Standards No. 91, Federal GAAP Hierarchy. 

OMB Circular A-136 requires agencies to prepare principal statements, which include a Balance Sheet, a 

Statement of Net Cost, a Statement of Changes in Net Position, and a Statement of Budgetary Resources. 

The balance sheet presents, as of September 30, 2016, amounts of future economic benefits owned or 

managed by the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (assets), amounts owed by the U.S. Interagency 

Council on Homelessness (liabilities), and amounts, which comprise the difference (net position). The 

Statement of Net Cost reports the full cost of the program, both direct and indirect costs of the output, and 

the costs of identifiable supporting services provided by other segments within the U.S. Interagency Council 

on Homelessness and other reporting entities. The Statement of Budgetary Resources reports an agency’s

budgetary activity. 

Basis of Accounting

Transactions are recorded on the accrual accounting basis in accordance with general government practice. 

Under the accrual basis of accounting, revenues are recognized when earned, and expenses are recognized

when a liability is incurred, without regard to receipt or payment of cash. The preparation of financial 

statements requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets 

and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and 

the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results may differ from 

those estimates. 
Revenues and Other Financing Sources

The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness is an appropriated fund and receives appropriations. Other 

financing sources for the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness consist of imputed financing sources 

which are costs financed by other Federal entities on behalf of the U.S. Interagency Council on 

Homelessness, as required by Statement of Federal Financial Accounting Standard (SFFAS) No. 5, 

Accounting for Liabilities of the Federal Government. 

Note 2 – Fund Balance With Treasury

All of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness fund balance with treasury comes from appropriations.

This fund balance with treasury is a consolidated balance of five annual funds (910: FY 2012, FY 2013, FY

2014, and FY 2015, and FY 2016) and one no-year fund (910X). The annual fund for FY 2010 was cancelled 

and the remaining fund balance of $32,338.13 was given back to the U.S. Treasury during fiscal year 2016. 

Note 3 – Accounts Receivable, Net

The line item represents the Account Receivable Claims from Associates. It is showing a debit balance. The 

direct write-off method is used for uncollectible receivables. 

FY 2016 FY 2015

A. Fund Balance with Treasury

Apropriated Fund $ 809,308.52 $ 831,668.49

B. Status of Fund Balance with Treasury

1) Uobligated Balance

a) Available 10,894.21 63,784.48 

b) Unavailable 301,849.40 250,804.25

2) Uobligated Balance no yet Disbursed 496,564.91 517,079.76

Total $ 809,308.52 $ 831,668.49

FY 2016 FY 2015

A/R Claims - Non-Federal $ 7,219.15 $ 8,381.14

Total $ 7,219.15 $ 8,381.14
Note 4 - General Property, Plant and Equipment, Net

As of September 30, 2016 the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness shows Equipment – Administrative

total cost of $34,250.94 and a net book value of $7,373.09. The Accumulated Depreciation to date shows a 

balance of $26,877.85. The depreciation calculation method used is Straight Line with a useful life of 5 

years. However, for the items that were obligated in FY 2003 and received in FY 2005, the useful life is 3

years. A $5,000 threshold is used to determine whether items are capitalized. 

Note 5 – Liabilities Not Covered by Budgetary Resources

Liabilities of U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness are classified as liabilities covered or not covered 

by budgetary resources. As of September 30, 2016, U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness showed 

liabilities covered by budgetary resources of $311,359.48 and liabilities not covered by budgetary resources

of $152,390.33. 

Liabilities covered by budgetary resources is composed of Accounts Payable $167,135.26; Disbursements in 

Transit of $48,074.50; Employer Contributions and Payroll Taxes Payable $23,686.52; and Accrued Funded 

Payroll and Leave $72,463.20. 

FY 2016 Equipment

Furniture & 

Fixtures Software Total

Cost $ 34,250.94 - - $ 34,250.94

Accum. Depr. (26,877.85) - - (26,877.85)

Net Book Value $ 7,373.09 - - $ 7,373.09

FY 2015 Equipment

Furniture & 

Fixtures Software Total

Cost $ 34,250.94 - - $ 34,250.94

Accum. Depr. (24,462.00) - - (24,462.00) 

Net Book Value $ 9,788.94 - - $ 9,788.94

FY 2016 FY 2015

With the Public

 Account Payable $ 29,018.43 $ 29,018.43

 Other 123,371.90 110,209.64

Total Liabilities not Covered by Budgetary Resources 152,390.33 139,228.07

Total Liabilities Covered by Budgetary Resources 311,359.48 300,374.78

Total Liabilities $ 463,749.81 $ 439,602.85
Note 6 – Other Liabilities

Other liabilities with the public consist of Accrued Funded Payroll and Leave of $72,463.20, Unfunded leave 

of $123,371.90, and Employer Contributions and Payroll Taxes Payable – TSP of $2,776.81. Other 

Intragovernmental liabilities consist of Employer Contributions and Payroll Taxes Payable $20,909.71. 

Note 7 – Intragovernmental Costs and Exchange Revenue

Intragovernmental costs are those of goods/services purchased from a federal entity. 

Note 8 – Apportionment Categories of Obligations Incurred

All obligations for the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, is the amount of direct obligations 

incurred against amounts apportioned under category B on the latest SF 132. 

With the Public Non-Current Current Total

FY 2016 Other Liabilities $ 123,371.90 $ 75,240.01 $ 198,611.91

FY 2015 Other Liabilities $ 110,209.64 $ 60,087.13 $ 170,296.77

Intragovernmental Non-Current Current Total

FY 2016 Other Liabilities -$ $ 20,909.71 $ 20,909.71

FY 2015 Other Liabilities -$ $ 15,023.85 $ 15,023.85

FY 2016 FY 2015

Program A

 Intragovernmental Costs $ 1,156,152.54 $ 803,075.34

 Public Costs 2,500,956.86 2,567,772.59

Total Program A Costs 3,657,109.40 3,370,847.93

Total Program A $ 3,657,109.40 $ 3,370,847.93

FY 2016 FY 2015

Direct

 Category B $ 3,524,906.97 $ 3,546,283.53

Total Obligations $ 3,524,906.97 $ 3,546,283.53
Note 9 – Undelivered Orders at the End of the Period

The amount of Unpaid Obligated Balance, Net, End of Period includes obligations relating to Undelivered 

Orders (good and services contracted for but not yet received at the end of the year) and Delivered Orders, 

Unpaid (amounts owed at the end of the year for goods and services received). 

Note 10 – Reconciliation of Net Cost of Operations (proprietary) to Budget (formerly the Statement of 

Financing)

Liabilities not covered by budgetary resources total $152,390.33 and the change in components requiring or 

generating resources in future period shows $13,162.26. The $13,162.26 is the net increase of future funded 

expenses – leave between appropriations of annual fund 2015 and annual fund 2016. Accrued funded payroll 

liability is covered by budgetary resources and is included in the net cost of operations. Whereas, the 

unfunded leave liability includes the expense related to the increase in annual leave liability for which the 

budgetary resources will be provided in a subsequent period. 

Undelivered 

Orders

Delivered 

Orders, Unpaid

Unpaid 

Obligated 

Balance Net

FY 2016 185,205.43 $ $ 311,359.48 $ 496,564.91

FY 2015 216,704.98 $ $ 300,374.78 $ 517,079.76

FY 2016 FY 2015

Liabilities not Covered by Budgetary Resources $ 152,390.33 $ 139,228.07

Change in Components Requiring/Generating 

Resources 13,162.26 20,939.51

Budgetary Resources Obligated 3,524,906.97 3,546,283.53

Spending Authority from Recoveries and Offsetting 

Collections (25,399.98) (106,439.34)

Imputed Financing from Costs Absorbed by Others 109,362.76 94,513.50

Changes in Budgetary Resources Obligated for 

Goods, Services, and Benefits Ordered by not Yet 

Provided 31,499.55 (167,163.77)

Resources that Financete Acquisition of Assets 1,161.99 (19,549.56)

Financiang Sources Yet to be Provided 13,162.26 20,939.51 

Components not Requiring or Generating Resources 2,415.85 2,264.06

Net Cost of Operations $ 3,657,109.40 $ 3,370,847.93
Note 11 – Operating Lease and Future Lease Payments

USICH occupies office space under a lease agreement that is accounted for as an operating lease. USICH 

moved office locations in November 2013, with greatly reduced, new office space rent amounts. The current 

office lease term began on October 1, 2013 and expires on October 31, 2017. Lease payments are increased 

annually based on the USICH’s proportionate share of the building's operating expenses and real estate taxes. 

The total operating lease expenses as of September 30, 2016 and 2015 were $265,500 and $218,401, 

respectively. 

Below is a schedule of estimated future payments for the term of the lease.

2017 $ 226,720

2018 (Current Lease Expires 10/31/2017) 16,100 

Total Future Paments $ 242,820

Fiscal Year Office Space Cost Estimates