To be considered "chronically homeless," an individual must have been homeless for one consecutive year or have suffered four occasions of homelessness in a three year period. HUD currently defines an an “occasion of homelessness” or “homeless occasion” to mean a period of at least 15 days. Under a new proposed definition an individual would not only have to have four occasions of homelessness in three years, the four episodes must also equal a cumulative 365 days. (http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=HUD-2013-0025-0001).

What does this mean? Far fewer people will qualify as "chronically homeless," rendering them ineligible for services they need. This is unacceptable, and we must ensure that HUD does not enact the new definition.