In May of 1993 President Clinton signed an Executive Order directing the 17 federal agencies that make up the Interagency Council on the Homeless (ICH) to prepare "a single coordinated Federal Plan for breaking the cycle of existing homelessness and for preventing future homelessness." A product of that effort, this document describes the changing nature of homelessness in the United States, briefly reviews the characteristics of the homeless population, and goes on to sketch the causes and outline the scale of the problem. It then turns to a concise history of programs mounted to assist homeless individuals and families in the 1980s. It evaluates those efforts and makes recommendations for new policies and programs to end homelessness. The authors contend that the ultimate answer to homelessness is also the answer to poverty (authors). [abstract]