Fix Homelessness | How to rebuild human lives

Microsoft Pulls Major Tech Conference from Seattle Over Crime, Drug Use, Homelessness

_{Ari Hoffman and Jonathan Choe
June 10, 2025
5
Homelessness}

Seattle has lost one of its most high-profile tech events due to mounting concerns over public safety and deteriorating conditions in the city’s downtown core. Microsoft has confirmed that it will no longer host its annual Build conference in Seattle starting in 2026, citing issues related to rampant homelessness, visible drug use, and urban decay. According to an internal email obtained by journalist Jonathan Choe of the Discovery Institute, Visit Seattle—the city’s official tourism and marketing organization—was informed that Microsoft will cancel its 2026 event and release all future holds for the conference in Seattle. The email, titled “DEFINITE BOOKING CANCELLATION NOTICE,” said the decision was heavily influenced by the experience of company …

Discovery Releases New Data and Policy Approach for Seattle’s Homelessness Crisis

_{Discovery Institute
November 7, 2024
2
Homelessness}

Download the Report. Discovery Institute Releases New Homelessness Data and Policy Approach for Seattle Seattle, WA- If the growth rate of unsheltered homelessness in King County remains unchanged, the population experiencing unsheltered homelessness will double from nearly 10,000 to a staggering 20,000 in less than three years. A new report from Discovery Institute’s Fix Homelessness Initiative offers policy recommendations and new data to address the crisis. A study performed by Discovery Institute found that 49.7% of people experiencing homelessness and enrolled in Seattle programs first began experiencing homelessness outside of King County. Data also reveals a dramatic redistribution of funding away from emergency and transitional beds towards permanent …

King County’s Homeless Count Revised Up to 16,868 Due to Improved Survey Method

_{Spencer Pauley
June 19, 2025
4
Homelessness}

The following is an article originally published by Spencer Pauley at The Center Square. King County’s 2024 homeless population has been revised upward by 483 people after new data was derived from a unique survey method used by the King County Regional Homelessness Authority. Unlike other agencies, KCRHA conducts its U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s required Point-in-Time, or PIT, unsheltered count in even- numbered years. Sheltered counts are done every year. When the agency initially reported its count in May 2024, 16,385 people were tallied. However, the count was recently revised to a total of 16,868 homeless people in King County. This is a result of a subset of the unsheltered homeless population being added to the count as data continued …

Farewell

_{Marvin Olasky
May 30, 2025
4
Homelessness}

After writing weekly for three years, this is column #156 and my last in Fix Homelessness. Three conclusions: “Housing First” is profoundly inhumane. Encouraging people to commit suicide by enabling their addiction — now you can drug and drink in privacy — is wrong. All drugs are not the same. People can live with a weed habit. People die with a meth habit or years of alcoholism. When addiction incapacitates a person, the right principle is Deal With Addiction First. The same principle goes for mental illness. Freedom’s not another word for no thinking left to lose. When a person goes from muttering to himself to hearing his own muttering plus voices yelling at him, it’s not kind to leave him alone. When medication can help as it often does, any …

Cereal or Eggs?

_{Marvin Olasky
May 23, 2025
4
Homelessness}

“Morning by morning new mercies I see.” That line from the hymn written in the 1920s, “Great Is Thy Faithfulness,” summarizes not only the Christian life but the way some beaten-down humans suffering homelessness come to believe that God can change their lives — or at least they can improve their own lives by moving from cereal (morning by morning) to bacon and eggs. “Bird by bird, buddy.” In the 1990s, Annie Lamott wrote Bird by Bird, a book about becoming a writer. The title comes from the time her ten-year-old brother fought frustration while trying to finish a report on birds that he’d struggled over for three months. “My father sat down beside him, put his arm around my brother’s shoulder, and said, ‘Bird by bird, …

Robert Marbut on America’s Homelessness Crisis, Strategies for Uplifting the Homeless, and Effective Government Policies

_{Wesley J. Smith and Robert Marbut
May 16, 2025
2
Homelessness}

Homelessness has reached crisis proportions. Few issues of human dignity are as heart wrenching as the wretched scenes in our most prosperous cities — San Francisco, Los Angeles, Portland, and Seattle — where one can drive down main thoroughfares and be confronted with tent encampments lining streets that provide scant shelter for thousands of destitute people. The crisis is as multifaceted as it is seemingly intractable. What is the role of mental illness in the crisis? What about drug addiction? Is the rising cost of housing part of the problem, and if so, what can be done about it? What protections does society owe these vulnerable people based simply on their humanity and what responsibilities, if any, do they owe to greater society? It’s all such a mess, it is tempting …

Two Memorable People and Why I Never Accept the First Explanation

_{Marvin Olasky
May 16, 2025
5
Homelessness}

Several readers have asked me what I’ve learned from interviewing homeless people during my stays in shelters. Hmm. One book about health care costs features this title: “Never Pay the First Bill.” I’ve encountered exceptions, but if we hope to be both compassionate and constructive, our rule should be, “Never Accept the First Explanation.” I tried to stay at shelters for at least four days. In Missouri, 32-year-old Mirenda (that’s her real name, and she specified that the fourth letter is an “e”) said on day one that she was homeless because of the foster care system. That system was clearly a problem for her, as it is for many kids bounced from house to house. Eight different placements is average, so it’s not surprising …

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Street Report

from Jonathan Choe

Drug Dens Continue to Plague Seattle’s Chinatown

_{Jonathan Choe
June 16, 2025
1
Drug Epidemic}

Happening Now Just a quick bus ride away from the drug dens of 3rd Ave & Pike St, you have Little Saigon in Seattle’s Chinatown-ID. This Asian American community gets zero relief from the criminals and addicts destroying their neighborhood. Mayor Bruce Harrell had nearly four years to handle a few city blocks in the CID. So far, it’s an epic failure in leadership. The current plan is not working. NEW: For the past few weeks, the entire news cycle has been dominated by protests and social unrest. But there are still major stories happening in Seattle that the politicians don't want you to see. Over the weekend, I spent several hours in the usual downtown hot spots.… pic.twitter.com/o5LRlZ4mnV— Jonathan Choe (@choeshow) June 16, 2025 …

Downtown Seattle Black Markets and Drug Dens Thrive, Leadership MIA

_{Jonathan Choe
June 16, 2025
2
Crime, Law, and Order}

New For the past few weeks, the entire news cycle has been dominated by protests and social unrest. But there are still major stories happening in Seattle that the politicians don’t want you to see. Over the weekend, I spent several hours in the usual downtown hot spots. Unfortunately for the residents of District 7, the black market of stolen goods and drugs dens are raging out of control on 3rd Ave & Pike St, especially in the late evening hours. McStabby’s on Pine St. remains a mess and dealers are selling drugs all over Belltown. Meanwhile, no sign of Mayor Bruce Harrell or Councilmember Bob Kettle. They should be out here in person, walking the streets to find better solutions. The current plan is not working. Complaints from Constituent One …

Notorious Homeless Vandal Accused of Recent Window Smashing Spree Arrested

_{Jonathan Choe
June 13, 2025
1
Crime, Law, and Order}

Breaking Seattle Police just busted one of the most notorious homeless vandals in the Belltown neighborhood. He’s accused of going on a window smashing spree this week on Cedar Ave. He’s also believed to be a suspect in other vandalism incidents in the area. Neighbors say he’s clearly dealing with drug addiction and mental illness. We Heart Seattle’s Andrea Suarez says she’s seen this guy before and has tried to help. The same group of repeat offenders keep running around the city causing problems. We have been working with small businesses in Belltown for weeks now reporting this loose cannon to literally every official and agency in Seattle for his machete wielding, screaming, public indecency, irrational and psychotic behavior clearly …

The Toxic Patterns that Keep People on the Streets

_{Jonathan Choe
June 10, 2025
1
Homelessness}

We Heart Seattle’s “Recovery First” Model is Working Seattle voters say the homeless drug crisis remains a top three issue. But the Harrell administration is still engaged in a game of Whack-a-Mole and has failed to find long-term solutions. That’s because they’re not addressing the drivers of this humanitarian disaster which include drug addiction, mental illness, and broken relationships. Instead, city officials are touting the wrong metrics for success such as the number of tents removed from the streets. Meanwhile, We Heart Seattle’s “recovery first” intervention model is working. And they’re outreach workers have identified some new patterns that are keeping so many people in this vicious cycle. I followed them in this …

This Man Is Only One Reason Microsoft Pulled Its Tech Conference from Seattle

_{Jonathan Choe
June 10, 2025
1
Homelessness}

The Tent That Broke the Camel’s Back This dude living in a tent is one of the reasons why Microsoft pulled its prestigious developer’s conference from downtown Seattle. Meanwhile, Mayor Bruce Harrell remains clueless on how to address the mental health crisis on the streets. It’s costing the city millions in tourism dollars. Microsoft pulls tech conference from Seattle over crime, drug use, homelessness“The customers cited the general uncleanliness of the street scene, visibility of individuals engaging in drug use & unhoused individuals.”My latest collab with @choeshow https://t.co/sCmZU8dmNj— Ari Hoffman 🎗 (@thehoffather) June 10, 2025 …

Internal Memo: Urban Decay “Contributing Factor” to Microsoft Conference Leaving Seattle

_{Jonathan Choe
June 6, 2025
2
Community Impact}

Breaking I have obtained the internal memo outlining reasons behind Microsoft Build’s exit from Seattle. This is an absolute indictment on Mayor Bruce Harrell’s administration and shows his failure to get the homeless drug crisis under control. #BREAKING: Seattle restauranteur David Meinert says the massive Microsoft Build (@Microsoft) developer conference won't be returning to Seattle next year after attendees complained about urban decay, open-air drug use, and numerous tents lining the streets. 🧵👇 pic.twitter.com/PJs9VYT1TK— Jonathan Choe (@choeshow) June 6, 2025 Seeking Next Location Microsoft Build says it has “struggled to find its footing and identity post-Covid.” It appears Las Vegas and San Francisco are two locations …

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Restorations Podcast

Brian Chandler’s Journey from Addiction to Service

_{9
Caitlyn McKenney
March 26, 2025}

In this episode of Restorations, Caitlyn McKenney is joined by Brian Chandler of Seattle's Union Gospel Mission.

Homelessness CEO Spends 24 Hours Unsheltered in Seattle

_{8
Caitlyn McKenney
February 26, 2025}

In this episode of Restorations, Caitlyn McKenney is joined by Kim Cook the CEO of Bread of Life Mission in Seattle's historic Pioneer Square.

Addiction Treatment Should Look Like This

_{7
Art Dahlen
December 5, 2024}

In this episode of Restorations, Caitlyn McKenney is joined by the founder of Battlefield Addiction Art Dahlen. As a former addict, Art shares personal insights on addiction treatment, the policy environment in Seattle, and the power of language.

Our Mission

Discovery Institute’s Fix Homelessness initiative offers innovative research and compassionate solutions to the growing crisis of homelessness, addiction, and mental illness facing many American cities. Our mission is to serve as a resource for policy leaders, business owners, and neighborhood organizations trying to meaningfully reduce homelessness and to help those suffering realize their full human potential.

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Jim Palmer of the Orange County Rescue Mission on causes and cures for America’s homelessness crisis

_{8
Jim Palmer
November 1, 2021}

In this episode of Humanize, Wesley J. Smith speaks with Jim Palmer, the president of the Orange County Rescue Mission about the many causes and potential cures of America’s seemingly intractable homeless crisis. It is a crucial, if disturbing, conversation that touches upon the most existential needs of people and our mutual responsibilities to each other. Homelessness has reached crisis proportions in which even our most prosperous cities — such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, Portland, and Seattle — witness thousands of people living in squalid tent encampments lining streets that provide scant shelter for people that many of us would rather ignore. It’s all such a mess, it is tempting to throw up one’s hands in despair. But understanding the causes of homelessness is …

Robert Marbut on America’s Homelessness Crisis, Strategies for Uplifting the Homeless, and Effective Government Policies

_{29
Robert Marbut
May 23, 2022}

[not] anything helps

Discovery Institute’s Fix Homelessness Initiative pairs journalism with research on homelessness, addiction, and mental illness. Our mission is to help city leaders, service organizations, and business owners meaningfully reduce homelessness and improve lives.

Resources

National Report

“Housing First” — and often only — has demonstrably failed. Congress and the Executive Branch must shift the focus onto untreated mental illness and substance abuse to reduce homelessness, drug overdoses, jail overcrowding, and misuse of emergency rooms. Herein we make policy recommendations to Congress to truly help rebuild human lives.

Get the National Report

Legal Guide

We have created a legal guide for cities to maintain compliance with the Martin v Boise decision. The guide outlines best practices for compliance and provides models for successful ordinances that balance enforcement, housing, and legal requirements. The guide is written by Joseph Tartakovsky, attorney for the City of Boise in the Martin v Boise case.

Get the Legal Guide

Case Studies

We have created case studies of cities that have delivered cost-effective and rapid results on homelessness. We’ll show you how San Diego built an emergency shelter and moved 700 people off the streets, how Burien eliminated camping in public parks, and how Modesto reduced quality-of-life crimes associated with homelessness by 83 percent — all within 60 days.

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