White House Initiative Targets Nation’s Homelessness Epidemic

Bloomberg: Biden And HUD Launch Moonshot Bid To Beat Homelessness
The White House is launching a new national initiative to combat the rising tide of homelessness, a pact with local governments to commit resources and energy to the people suffering most due to the national housing crisis. With “House America,” the administration of President Joe Biden is asking leaders of city, county, state and tribal governments across the U.S. to make a public pledge to reduce homelessness. In turn, the federal government will provide guidance and support to achieve two goals: providing permanent housing for people experiencing homelessness and building new affordable units for those on the brink. (Capps, 9/20)

The Hill: Biden Administration Launches New National Initiative To Fight Homelessness 
The initiative, dubbed “House America,” will call on city, county, state and tribal government leaders throughout the country to publicly vow to decrease homelessness in their areas. The federal government will then provide guidance and support to help local jurisdictions supply permanent housing for individuals experiencing homelessness and construct new affordable housing options for people who are struggling, according to Bloomberg. (Schnell, 9/20)

In related news from California —

The Mercury News: Bay Area Cities Join Lofty Biden Plan To Tackle Homelessness
The Biden administration launched a new push Monday to house 100,000 Americans by the end of 2022 as the mayors of the Bay Area’s three biggest cities — all struggling with homelessness on a massive scale — jumped on board. The House America initiative, which also aims to create at least 20,000 new affordable homes nationwide, asks city, county and state leaders to publicly commit to housing more people and building low-income units using new federal funds. In exchange, federal officials will offer support and guidance to help them meet their goals. (Kendall, 9/20)

KQED: In One Week, Newsom Signed Three Major Housing Bills. Here's What They Mean
Less than a week has passed since the recall election and Gov. Gavin Newsom already has signed some of the biggest housing bills in years, including a measure that allows more than one house to be built on the single-family lots that comprise the vast majority of California’s developable land. “The housing affordability crisis is undermining the California Dream for families across the state, and threatens our long-term growth and prosperity,” Newsom said in a bill-signing statement on Sept. 16 . “Making a meaningful impact on this crisis will take bold investments, strong collaboration across sectors and political courage from our leaders and communities to do the right thing and build housing for all.” (Tobias, 9/20)

San Francisco Chronicle: San Francisco Embraces First Tiny Cabin Village For Homeless People With Plans For SoMa
After years of resistance, San Francisco is finally jumping into the tiny homes technique for sheltering homeless people with plans to install them on two parking lots between Market and Mission streets, The Chronicle has learned. The lots at 33 Gough St. have been used since December as a city-sanctioned “safe sleeping village,” holding 44 tents for unhoused people while they get counseling aimed at routing them into permanent homes. Those tents will be replaced by late fall with 70 tiny homes, dubbed cabins, similar to those already in use for years in Oakland, the Peninsula and San Jose. (Fagan, 9/20)

In other news from the Biden administration —

Politico: CDC Recommends Waiting Period For Afghan Flights To U.S. After Measles Cases 
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending the Biden administration halt flights of Afghan evacuees from military bases overseas to the U.S. for at least 21 days following a measles vaccination, according to two people with direct knowledge of the matter. After four Afghans tested positive for measles after arriving in the U.S. this month, the CDC announced that it would halt flights to the U.S. for Afghan evacuees at Ramstein Air Base in Germany and Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar for at least a week out of an abundance of caution. The agency is now recommending a stoppage on flights until Afghan evacuees receive the measles vaccine and develop immunity. (Banco, 9/20)

The New York Times: C.I.A. Officer Suffers Havana Syndrome Symptoms 
An intelligence officer traveling in India this month with the C.I.A. director reported symptoms consistent with the so-called Havana syndrome, signaling a possible escalation in the mysterious incidents that have affected American officials since 2016, current and former officials said. The circumstances of the incident are still being investigated, and officials have not yet determined whether the C.I.A. officer was targeted because the officer was traveling with the director, William J. Burns, or for other reasons. If the incident was caused by an adversarial intelligence service, it may not have known the officer was traveling with Mr. Burns. (Barnes, 9/20)

On the administration pandemic response —

Politico: Becerra Takes A Back Seat While Others Steer Covid Response
As President Joe Biden’s health secretary, Xavier Becerra runs the sprawling department responsible for delivering on the administration’s vow to end the coronavirus pandemic. But when Biden’s senior health officials gathered one Sunday in August to make the high-stakes decision that all adults should get Covid-19 booster shots, Becerra wasn’t included on the call. The nation’s top health official was instead preparing for a multi-day tour up the East Coast to tout Biden’s broader agenda, while others including Surgeon General Vivek Murthy and CDC Director Rochelle Walensky mapped out the specifics of the government’s booster strategy. (Cancryn, 9/21)

Politico: Former Obama Aide Tapped To Help With HHS Covid Messaging
HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra has brought on former Obama-era health official Leslie Dach as a temporary adviser to assist with the department’s messaging on the pandemic response. Dach, a well-known Democratic communications specialist, told POLITICO that he’ll spend the next several weeks helping to coordinate Covid-19 policy and messaging across the department — including working with the White House and agencies like the Centers for Disease Control. His official HHS title is Covid-19 strategic planning director. (Cancryn, 9/20)