The issue of homelessness continues to permeate our community. It is a big part of our affordable housing discussion and continues to be a challenging problem. We struggle with how to deal with it on the local level, including the number of dollars needed to address it. But while local governments struggle, we have nonprofits who have been quietly plugging the holes in the safety net for years.

This month, The Argus Foundation brought to Sarasota the regional administrator for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Denise Cleveland-Leggett, to tell us about the direction HUD is taking on affordable housing and homelessness. Cleveland-Leggett oversees seven states plus Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.