In the fall of 2003,Mayor Bloomberg reached out to three individuals to lead the development of the 10-year strategy to address homelessness. They were his Chief of Staff Peter Madonia, Association for a Better New York Chairman William C. Rudin, and the United Way of New York City’s Senior Vice President Lilliam Barrios-Paoli.

The co-chairs formed a coordinating committee made up of leaders from every sector. The coordinating committee, comprised of 41 individuals, then invited providers, advocates, academics, government officials, and private sector leaders to participate as members of four task forces focused on the following themes: 1) prevention and diversion, 2) outreach, shelter services, and permanency, 3) community-based services and resource reinvestment, and 4) research and quality improvement.

In November 2003, the Mayor kicked-off the planning process at a Gracie Mansion breakfast meeting. Soon after, the task forces established their processes and routine meeting schedules. All the task forces consulted with external experts on various issues, inviting them to present and participate in meetings. In total, the four task forces, representing more than 125 organizations, held close to 50 meetings through the end of February 2004.

The work of the coordinating committee and the task forces culminated in a two-day working conference, which engaged a broader cross-section of stakeholders. More than 250 participants attended plenary sessions featuring nationally recognized experts and breakout workgroups focused on advancing the discussion around key themes of the 10-year plan.

Following the conference, task force recommendations were reviewed by the coordinating committee for final inclusion in Uniting For Solutions Beyond Shelter: The Action Plan For New York City.

Immediately following the release of the plan, public agencies designated as task leaders for various initiatives will develop work plans, listing responsible managers and timeframes for task implementation. Routine reporting updates will be scheduled and released to the public.