The National Alliance to End Homelessness is a center-left advocacy organization that promotes left-of-center housing and homelessness intervention policies. The organization is based in Washington, D.C. and provides research reports and public policy suggestions on various issues related to the United States homeless population to state and federal leaders. The organization supports providing permanent free and subsidized housing through billions of dollars in federal government grants. ¹

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization was outspoken in its supports for programs in California and Oregon that involved state and local governments buying hotel rooms or entire out-of-business hotels to provide free housing to the homeless. ²

Background

The National Alliance to End Homelessness was founded in 1983 in response to a growing homeless population in the United States. In 1987, the organization began supporting more permanent solutions to homelessness and evolved into a national network of 10,000 service providers, government agencies, and private sector partners. ³

In 2000, the organization began lobbying Congress to adopt plans to end homelessness and worked closely with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on various grant programs. The organization supported plans for permanent housing, rapid re-housing, and local assistance programs, which are still key focus areas of the organization. The National Alliance to End Homelessness’ three main activity areas are research, policy, and capacity building. The organization has a public policy department, as well as research and capacity building arms called the Homelessness Research Initiative and the Center for Capacity Building. ⁴

Advocacy

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Alliance to End Homelessness was outspoken in its support of state and local government initiatives to purchase out of business hotels and empty hotel rooms to house homeless populations. The organization endorsed programs led by local officials on the West Coast in localities including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Portland, and Seattle. Steve Berg, the vice president for programs and policy at the Alliance, urged local governments to act quickly to purchase hotels for homeless housing before travel returned and hotel owners became less willing to sell. ⁵

The National Alliance to End Homelessness also campaigns for over $30 billion in annual federal funding for the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program, HUD-VASH, and other tenant-based voucher programs. ⁶ The organization also lobbies for $3.5 billion in funding for HUD’s McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants program. ⁷

The Alliance has also supported many of the housing-related provisions in the Biden administration’s proposed infrastructure package and proposed 2022 budget. These include allocating an additional $500 million for new homelessness programs, extending rental assistance to 200,000 more households, expanding the Housing Choice Voucher and Housing Trust Fund programs, and spending an additional $400 billion on Medicaid programs. ⁸ The Alliance also recommends $110 billion in additional funding for the Housing Trust Fund and public housing authorities. ⁹

People

Nan Roman is president and CEO of the National Alliance to End Homelessness. Roman frequently appears in television and print interviews as a source on homelessness issues. Roman receives a total compensation of $313,000 annually from the organization. ¹⁰

The chair of the board of the Alliance is Jeffrey Hayward. Other board members include chief executives at the National Gaming Association, CTIA-The Wireless Association, and the Mortgage Bankers Association. ¹¹ Former Washington, D.C. Mayor Anthony A. Williams (D) and “PBS NewsHour” anchor Judy Woodruff also sit on the board. ¹²

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2. “Policy.” National Alliance to End Homelessness. Accessed June 24, 2021. https://endhomelessness.org/ending-homelessness/policy/
3. “Mission and History.” National Alliance to End Homelessness. Accessed June 24, 2021. https://endhomelessness.org/who-we-are/our-mission-and-history/
4. “Mission and History.” National Alliance to End Homelessness. Accessed June 24, 2021. https://endhomelessness.org/who-we-are/our-mission-and-history/
5. Greenstone, Scott. “King County buys Renton hotel for homeless shelter as local leaders unite on strategy.” The Seattle Times. June 22, 2021. Accessed June 24, 2021. https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/homeless/king-county-buys-renton-hotel-for-homeless-shelter-as-local-leaders-unite-on-strategy/
6. “Affordable Housing.” National Alliance to End Homelessness. Accessed June 24, 2021. https://endhomelessness.org/ending-homelessness/policy/affordable-housing/
7. “Policy.” National Alliance to End Homelessness. Accessed June 24, 2021. https://endhomelessness.org/ending-homelessness/policy/
8. “Alliance Legislative Report.” National Alliance to End Homelessness. May 28, 2021. Accessed June 24, 2021.  https://endhomelessness.org/legislation/summary/
9. “Alliance Legislative Report.” National Alliance to End Homelessness. May 28, 2021. Accessed June 24, 2021.  https://endhomelessness.org/legislation/summary/
10. “IRS Form 990.” National Alliance to End Homelessness. 2019. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/521299641/202012729349301361/full
11. “Our People.” National Alliance to End Homelessness. Accessed June 24, 2021. https://endhomelessness.org/who-we-are/our-people/
12. “Our People.” National Alliance to End Homelessness. Accessed June 24, 2021. https://endhomelessness.org/who-we-are/our-people/