In 1965, as part of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) was established as a federal agency responsible for addressing America’s housing needs. In the agency’s own words, its official mission is to provide “a decent, safe, and sanitary home and suitable living environment for every American.”

Since its inception, one of HUD’s primary goals has been to develop affordable housing options for the nation’s poor, through programs such as public housing and rent subsidies. HUD’s efforts to combat homelessness, however, did not begin until 1987, when the Stewart B. McKinney Homelessness Assistance Act became the first significant piece of federal legislation to deal with homelessness.

The McKinney Act funds four major programs intended to help the homeless find...