Matthew Doherty
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|---|---|
| Executive director, United States Interagency Council on Homelessness | |
| In office 2015–2019 | |
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Matthew Doherty is a homelessness consultant who is former executive director of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness. He currently advises the state of California and the city of Austin, Texas.[1][2] He is a proponent of the "Housing First" model, which prioritizes finding private housing for homeless people instead of shelters.[2]
Doherty worked at the Corporation for Supportive Housing; the San Diego Housing Commission in California; and the King County Housing AuthorityofWashington state.[3]
Doherty joined the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness in 2012.[2] In 2015, he was appointed by President Barack Obama to lead the council, making him the top homelessness official in the United States.[3]
Doherty advised cities against forcibly dispersing camps of homeless people, which he said jeopardized "the ability to engage and develop trusting relationships to help them on paths to permanent housing."[4]
Doherty continued to serve through the Trump administration until he was fired in November 2019, as the administration prepared a crackdown on homelessness in California.[5]
In December 2019, Doherty was hired by Governor Gavin Newsom of California as an advisor on homelessness.[1]
In February 2020, he was hired as a consultant by the city of Austin, Texas.[2]
