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EMBARGOED UNTIL:
Friday, Dec. 21, 2001 		Contact: HHS Press Office
(202) 690-6343

STATEMENT BY
HHS SECRETARY TOMMY G. THOMPSON
Regarding National Homeless Persons' Memorial Day

December 21, the first day of winter, is a day many of us recognize as National Homeless Persons' Memorial Day. Today, I encourage the nation to take the time to remember the millions of homeless individuals who don't have a warm bed, a nutritious meal, or a family to go home to this holiday season.

While none of us working alone can stop homelessness, this administration is committed to working together with partners at the state and community levels to better coordinate health, social service and housing programs to better meet the diverse needs of homeless individuals and families. HHS has an integral role in this partnership.

This year and in 2002, we are working with the Department of Housing and Urban Development to sponsor policy academies to share information and technical assistance to help states develop specific strategies for overcoming the barriers that prevent homeless people from accessing available services. Just this month, HHS also sponsored the "We Can Do This!" conference offering training workshops on how to meet the needs of people with mental illnesses or substance abuse problems who are also homeless. HHS also sponsors the Health Care for the Homeless Program, the Runaway and Homeless Youth Program and various substance abuse and mental health programs designed specifically for homeless individuals.

In fiscal year 2001, HHS spent nearly $263 million to fund programs dedicated to helping homeless people, in addition to billions of dollars in assistance provided through mainstream programs. The department is committed to finding ways to better coordinate service delivery, target scarce resources and take advantage of mainstream health care, substance abuse, mental health and safety net programs to provide appropriate supports and assistance to break the cycle of homelessness.

However, homelessness isn't a problem that will be solved by government alone. So much of the assistance that homeless individuals receive each day comes from the donated time and financial resources of community- and faith-based organizations, and I commend the truly incredible work that they do. This holiday season, I encourage all Americans to find ways that they can contribute to these types of volunteer efforts today and in the months to come.

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Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are available at www.hhs.gov/news.

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