Ms. Brett Esders is a Senior Program Specialist in the Office of Special Needs Assistance Programs at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the office within HUD that oversees the programs dedicated to housing individuals and families experiencing homelessness. She serves as the lead for regulation and policy development and works to ensure HUD requirements and policies promote the goal of ending homelessness and support the effective use of Continuum of Care and Emergency Solutions Grants funding and can be easily integrated with other sources of funding that support individuals and families experiencing homelessness. Brett holds a Masters in Social Work from Columbia University.