The Affordable Care Act is a game-changing opportunity for our shared efforts to end homelessness, which Opening Doors does address. Since the launch of the plan, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision that gives States the option of whether to expand Medicaid or not. In addition, innovative and effective approaches for bringing Medicaid to bear on ending homelessness have also emerged, creating significant opportunities for states that have expanded Medicaid coverage and to a lesser extent, for states that are not expanding Medicaid coverage; the opportunities for health care reform to drive integration of housing and healthcare may be more significant that we could have anticipated when Opening Doors was drafted.

Since the launch of Opening Doors, our understanding of what works has further solidified, and we’ve seen tremendous progress. Your input is essential to the ongoing success of Opening Doors. Please share and vote for the ideas you think would have the greatest impact in an amendment to Opening Doors.

Please consider these questions when crafting your feedback and voting for the feedback you think is most valuable. And please use the Opening Doors Amendment 2014 Participation Guide for more information on what strategies are currently included in Opening Doors. Find it here: http://bit.ly/USICH2014

1. Other than the strategies that are currently included, are there additional strategies for fully realizing the opportunities created through the Affordable Care Act that you think should be reflected in an amendment to Opening Doors?

2. What information around Medicaid’s role in ending homelessness would be most helpful to you in an amendment to Opening Doors? How would that information strengthen your community’s / organization’s efforts?

3. Are there other areas of the Plan you feel would benefit from updated information or the incorporation of additional strategies?