Obama Announces New Urban Policy to Shelter 1.6 Million Homeless

"Prior to the Bush administration, federal efforts to address homelessness were geared towards providing emergency housing for what was widely seen as a temporary spike in domestic homelessness. The importance of providing permanent supportive housing has become apparent only in recent years."

"While there is a lot of rhetoric about holding local communities accountable with report cards and annual reports, ['Opening Doors'] doesn't have quantifiable goals, benchmark goals, or budget implications. It's a report focused on process rather than performance," argued Phil Mangano, George W. Bush's homelessness czar. Mangano believes homelessness is best "solved through business principles and cannot be adequately addressed inside the Beltway."