A Report on Homelessness and Florida Disability

Published on: October 1, 2015

Florida Disabliity And The Homeless

It’s vital that we as a society understand that homelessness often occurs as a result of disability, mental illness, financial ruin, or even a combination of several of these factors. It’s a very depressing subject. We must raise awareness of homelessness in America because more and more people are having the misfortune of becoming homeless after the housing crisis and the financial crash.

You should know that, if you are homeless, and you meet the criteria set forth by the Social Security Administration (SSA), you could still get Social Security disability (SSD) and supplemental security income (SSI) here in Florida. The following information targets everyone, not just the homeless. Please join Disability Experts of Florida in helping raise awareness.

The United States Interagency Council on Homelessness

Who They Are:

According to the USICH mission statement, “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.”

What They Do:

USICH works with its partners to:

  • Establish and maintain effective, coordinated, and supportive relationships with every federal agency
  • Organize and support states and communities to effectively implement local plans to end homelessness
  • Develop an effective portal to federal programs and initiatives
  • Establish and maintain productive communications with Congress
  • Establish partnerships with public and private sector stakeholders
  • Monitor, evaluate, and recommend improvements in serving those experiencing homelessness and disseminate best practices
  • Provide professional and technical assistance to states, local governments, and other public and private nonprofit organizations.

Why the USICH is Important for Obtaining Florida Disability

The USICH does not work directly with the SSA, although the SSA does provide a link to their website (http://www.usich.gov) as a service to those citizens who are homeless and need Florida disability. However, the USICH Council does include the SSA.

“The Council originally included the heads (or their representatives) of 16 Federal agencies. Five additional agencies were subsequently added by Council vote or statutory amendments, while two agencies are now inactive. The current members of the Council include the heads of the following 19 Departments and agencies: U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Justice, Labor, Transportation, and Veterans Affairs, Corporation for National and Community Service, General Services Administration, Office of Management and Budget, Social Security Administration, United States Postal Service, and the White House Office of Faith-based and Community Initiatives.”

Do you know that many of our nation’s veterans living in Florida are homeless and do not have Florida disability?

It’s a sad truth. Many families have been displaced. For them, every day is a struggle to survive. If you have time to donate to any local outreach program, soup kitchen, faith-based program or shelter, please do. Poverty is a social illness that is linked to higher disease rates, crime, and starvation. In our country, we cannot simply ignore these facts.

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