Effectively implement Opening Doors, the U.S. interagency Council on Homelessness Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness.  Guarantee access to comprehensive, affordable health care for all through the establishment of a universal health care plan with a single-payer financing mechanism. Homelessness has been a fixture in our society for 30 years and shows little signs of abating. In 2010, 1.59 million people stayed in emergency shelters or transitional housing according to the U.S. Housing and Urban Development. This figure is a conservative estimate as it excludes individuals who avoided the shelter system, used only privately funded shelters that are not part of the HUD’s Continuum of Care network, and who doubled up with friends and families in order to avoid the streets and shelter. Homelessness is not simply a lack of housing, but also leaves families and individuals without basic needs such as food, health care, and safety.