Fix Homelessness | How to rebuild human lives

Housing First Is a Disaster. I Saw Sacramento’s Homeless Chaos Firsthand

_{Michele Steeb
June 2, 2026
5
Homelessness}

America’s homelessness crisis is routinely framed as a housing crisis. It is not. It is a crisis born from the collapse of accountability at every level of the system. Nowhere are the consequences of that collapse more visible than in California — and especially in its capital city, Sacramento. In 2016, California became the only state in the nation to formally adopt the federal government’s Housing First mandate as its sole taxpayer-funded approach to homelessness, directing billions in state and federal dollars toward subsidized-for-life apartments with no accountability for sobriety, treatment, or work — ever. Sacramento County followed in 2017, embracing the housing-only model, despite repeated warnings from frontline providers that housing alone would …

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 …

Senior Fellow Tom Wolf Quoted in The National News Desk

_{Center on Wealth & Poverty and Tom Wolf
June 2, 2026
1
Homelessness}

The National News Desk just released an article that quotes Fix Homelessness Senior Fellow Tom Wolf. The article discusses the findings of the annual report on homelessness from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Wolf is a formerly homeless recovering Heroin and Fentanyl addict from San Francisco who is now an internationally recognized Recovery Advocate. …

Where Is the Outrage? The Double Standard No One Wants to Admit

_{Michele Steeb
May 25, 2026
4
Homelessness}

When environmental destruction, abuse, violence, and public disorder emerge from homeless encampments, many of America’s most vocal advocacy organizations suddenly fall silent. Recently, a major stretch of Interstate 110 in Los Angeles was shut down for nearly 24 hours after a fire erupted inside a homeless encampment beneath the freeway. As emergency crews battled the blaze and cleared the aftermath, the broader impact came into sharp focus: mountains of debris and trash removed, emergency personnel diverted from other critical duties, millions of gallons of water consumed, commuters stranded across one of the nation’s busiest urban corridors, and concerns raised about potential damage to public infrastructure. Thankfully, no fatalities were reported. But the broader …

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. …

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 …

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Street Report

from Jonathan Choe

The Environmental Cost of Sacramento’s Homelessness Crisis

_{Jonathan Choe
June 3, 2026
1
Homelessness}

Where are the environmentalists?Where are the climate change activists?Where is CA Governor Gavin Newsom? NEW: Sacramento's precious waterways are being destroyed by homeless drug addicts. But city, county, and state agencies are all paralyzed and no one wants to take the lead to solve the problem. So a group of senior citizens and volunteers are taking matters into their own… pic.twitter.com/jzVBXNeRIX— FRONTLINES TPUSA (@FrontlinesTPUSA) June 3, 2026 …

San Francisco: A Shoplifting Paradise

_{Kevin Dahlgren
May 29, 2026
2
Crime, Law, and Order}

Unable to Intervene San Francisco: A Shoplifting Paradise for the homeless. I visited San Francisco to document the homelessness crisis and witnessed some of the most blatant shoplifting I’ve ever seen. Every store I entered, someone was actively stealing while security guards stood by, often appearing unable or unwilling to intervene. Shoplifters Openly Admit to Theft I interviewed several shoplifters afterward. Nearly all admitted they steal because they believe nobody will stop them. Only two said they planned to eat the food they took. Most intended to resell the merchandise. Hands Tied California treats theft under $950 as a misdemeanor, and many offenders clearly see that as a green light. Store employees and security guards repeatedly told me their hands …

Seattle Homelessness Czar Quits Weeks Before FIFA World Cup

_{Jonathan Choe
May 27, 2026
2
Homelessness}

No Explanation City of Seattle homelessness czar Jon Grant has abruptly quit, leaving Mayor Katie Wilson holding the bag on the massive drug fueled street crisis. No particular reason was given, but the city issued the following statement saying Grant “chose to resign effective June 1st after playing a key role in advancing the mayor’s highest priority: accelerating the development of new shelters with wraparound services to bring people inside.” My only interaction with Grant happened this past March when he refused to answer questions on the record about the mayor’s new tiny house villages. NEW: Seattle is moving rapidly to expand shelter for homeless drug addicts before the FIFA World Cup comes to the city. Faster than the public has been given time to …

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. …

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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.

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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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