Fix Homelessness | How to rebuild human lives

Feds Flub Homelessness by Ignoring Addiction

_{Caitlyn McKenney
January 9, 2025
4
Homelessness}

The federal government is hoping you, the public, won’t notice that homelessness in America reached an all-time high last year. That was the impression given by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) when it quietly released the 2024 annual homelessness report on the Friday between Christmas, Hannukah, and New Year’s. Nationwide, 771,480 people were experiencing homelessness in 2024, an 18 percent increase from the year before and the highest number on record. The HUD administration attributes this record-setting number to a lack of affordable housing, systemic racism, and rising inflation. Impossible to hide, the report also highlights the strain caused by a surge in migrants and asylum seekers: “new arrivals” made up 13,600 of Chicago’s …

New Federal Direction Frees Cities to Ditch Housing First, Pursue Real Solutions

_{Center on Wealth & Poverty
November 17, 2025
2
What Works}

SEATTLE, WA — “Federal reforms have finally created space for local leaders to put treatment and recovery back at the center of homelessness policy,” says Discovery Institute President Steve Buri. “Real compassion means helping people reclaim stability and dignity, not leaving them trapped in addiction and illness without a path to restoration.” Following a newly-released reformed funding package from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Discovery Institute published an essential policy brief calling on local governments, Continuums of Care (CoCs), and service agencies to leverage these new federal reforms and make treatment and recovery central to local homelessness solutions. The brief outlines how “Housing First” and …

Your Vote is For Sale on the Streets of California — and What I Found Out About Life on Skid Row

_{James O’Keefe
May 20, 2026
4
Fraud}

The following article was originally published in the New York Post. Journalist and Discovery Institute Senior Fellow Jonathan Choe is mentioned in this piece. He helped expose this cash-for-ballots scheme. Watch his video. On Monday, the US Department of Justice announced that Brenda Lee Brown Armstrong, 64, of Marina Del Rey had been indicted on federal charges for illegally paying homeless people to register to vote. She now faces up to five years in prison for federal election crimes. In addition to registering homeless people to vote, Brown allegedly had those same people sign California election petitions using fake names and fake addresses. She allegedly supplied them with the names and addresses of real California voters, to write in. There’s no mistaking …

Michele Steeb Calls for “All Hands on Deck” Approach to Homelessness on The Steve Gruber Show

_{Editor and Michele Steeb
May 5, 2026
1
Uncategorized}

Michele Steeb appeared on The Steve Gruber Show on May 5 to discuss our current homelessness crisis. She explained why Housing First has failed to address the crisis, why the crisis is especially bad in California, the bill that could have begun to turn things around, but that Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed, and more. …

Mamdani Ignores New York City Homelessness

_{SIX SEVEN KEVIN
May 4, 2026
1
Homelessness}

Despite his campaign promise to end homeless encampment sweeps, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has reinstated them. Filmmaker SIX SEVEN KEVIN takes to the streets of New York City, asking business owners, residents, and homeless individuals themselves about how the mayor has been handling the homelessness crisis. 6’7 Kevin is a documentary filmmaker and journalist known for the Dregs of the City series on YouTube, where he explores America’s homeless culture from state to state. Follow SIX SEVEN KEVIN’s YouTube channel: @67kevin⁩ Follow SIX SEVEN KEVIN on X: Six Seven (@67Kevin1) / X Visit SIX SEVEN KEVIN’s website: SIX SEVEN | Documentary Filmmakers …

Madison Valley Homeless Shelter Brings Crime and Disorder to Neighborhood

_{Marsha Michaelis
April 29, 2026
8
Housing}

Wendy Yim is an aspiring writer, and by all measures a good one. Her first novel attracted the attention of literary agents and she was working on a second when she was forced to pivot to much less rewarding work: defending her neighborhood against the dangers posed by a low-barrier homeless shelter. Wendy’s family lives in Seattle’s picturesque, middle-class Madison Valley neighborhood, situated just east of Capitol Hill — a place filled with eclectic and colorful homes, winding streets lined with trees, and yards landscaped with flowers. Through the middle runs East Madison Street, host to about twenty small businesses, including a flower shop, bakery, music school, several ethnic restaurants, a small supermarket, and a massage clinic. Children make up 20% of the …

Reintegrating Faith Into the Nation’s Approach to Homelessness

_{Michele Steeb
April 17, 2026
4
Homelessness}

For more than a century, America’s response to homelessness was rooted in faith. Churches, rescue missions, Catholic Charities, and the Salvation Army fed the hungry, sheltered the vulnerable, and most importantly, walked alongside them toward restoration. They innately understood a fundamental truth: Homelessness is a human transformation challenge requiring recovery, accountability, and the restoration of purpose. Over the past decade, however, policymakers were increasingly steered toward a different conclusion. A one-size-fits-all approach was supposed to end homelessness and simplify it — housing as the solution, housing placement as the sole metric, and a uniform approach applied everywhere. For policymakers drawn to ease, the appeal was obvious. But in embracing …

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Street Report

from Jonathan Choe

Seattle Mayor Makes Way for World Cup, Pushes Homeless to Chinatown

_{Jonathan Choe
May 18, 2026
1
Homelessness}

No Outreach In Sight We are just weeks away from the FIFA World Cup Games in Seattle. Mayor Katie Wilson is furiously trying to sweep homeless drug addicts out of the downtown core. But the mess is ending up in nearby Chinatown-ID and Beacon Hill. I spent several hours overnight in these hoods and it is worse than ever. Dozens of people are in the streets and public parks smoking fetty and starting fires to stay warm. No cops or outreach workers in sight. It is a lawless playground. Why is Wilson allowing these communities to devolve into a human dumping ground? …

Seattle’s Lewis Park Still Open Despite Rampant Drug Activity

_{Jonathan Choe
May 13, 2026
1
Drug Epidemic}

Disaster Area Why is Seattle’s Lewis Park still open? It is a full blown drug den and playground for addicts, fentanyl dealers, and sex traffickers. It’s also home to many missing people. We Heart Seattle’s Andrea Suarez and I went looking for Benjamin George Petry this week. Sadly, we did not find him. But we saw so many problems on full display like the inflow crisis. Most of the people slinging meth and fetty aren’t even from this area. We also met a baby faced 19-year-old addicted to all kinds of drugs. Meanwhile, elected officials are paralyzed by this issue and the city has turned into a lawless playground. NEW: Seattle Councilmember Eddie Lin says he might call for the temporary closure of Lewis Park in the Beacon Hill …

Lime Bikes Stolen, Used in Homeless Encampments

_{Jonathan Choe
May 13, 2026
1
Homelessness}

Cost of Doing Business Homeless drug addicts are now using Lime bikes to prop up their encampments in Seattle. Company workers gathering these rentals must navigate through dangerous encampments to reclaim their property. Cost of doing business in this city under socialist mayor Katie Wilson. …

Seattle Clears More than 30 Tents Out of Chinatown, Addicts Refusing Services

_{Jonathan Choe
May 13, 2026
1
Homelessness}

Game of Whack-A-Mole Continues After months of paralysis by the city, more than 30 drug tents are being swept out of Chinatown-ID today. Problem is, the vast majority of people here are fentanyl addicts so they are refusing to take shelter and services being offered by the city. They’re just moving down the block and the game of Whack-A-Mole continues. This is exactly why Mayor Katie Wilson’s idea to build more tiny houses to address the street crisis is a waste of taxpayer dollars. Only Homeless INC and the builders will benefit as elected officials race to clear drug encampments before the FIFA World Cup. Meanwhile, We Heart Seattle is getting people into treatment and recovery, one person at a time. NEW: Holy crap! The latest drug encampment at …

Seattle Mayor Accused of Pushing Homeless Drug Addicts Out of Downtown Ahead of FIFA World Cup

_{Center on Wealth & Poverty
May 8, 2026
1
Homelessness}

Jonathan Choe and Brandi Kruse give an inside look into the open-air drug use, mental illness, and sale of drugs/stolen goods plaguing downtown Seattle streets and parks — problems city leaders now appear eager to move out of sight before hundreds of thousands of visitors arrive. An estimated ~750,000 people are expected to visit Seattle during the FIFA World Cup beginning in June 2026. In preparation, Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson is accused of pushing homeless encampments and activity out of the downtown core and into surrounding areas. Former Mayor Bruce Harrell faced criticism for similar tactics, including downtown sweeps and distributing visitor maps highlighting “safe” routes for tourists to avoid areas overwhelmed by homelessness, drug use, and …

Seattle’s Inflow Crisis

_{SIX SEVEN KEVIN
May 8, 2026
1
Homelessness}

Seattle and King County have the third-largest homeless population in the country, and it’s only getting worse. A Discovery Institute study in 2024 found that 86.6% of the Seattle and King County homeless population were not born there and that nearly half — 49.7% — first began experiencing homelessness outside of Seattle and King County. Read the Report Here Filmmaker SIX SEVEN KEVIN explores the reality of these findings by asking the homeless themselves where they come from. Answers range from New York and Alaska to Africa and Guatemala, revealing the crisis of a city that attracts homelessness without offering any solutions. 6’7 Kevin is a documentary filmmaker and journalist known for the Dregs of the City series on YouTube, where he explores …

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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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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.

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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.

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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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