Fix Homelessness | How to rebuild human lives

Breaking: San Francisco Passes Legislation Expanding Drug-Free Housing for Homeless

_{Center on Wealth & Poverty
July 30, 2026
2
Homelessness}

San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie signed legislation on July 29 to expand drug-free permanent supportive housing in the city. From The Voice of San Francisco, reporting back in April: The legislation would require all city-funded permanent supportive housing to be drug-free, adopting the same lease rules governing evictions for illicit drug use that apply to every standard residential lease in San Francisco. Of San Francisco’s roughly 9,000 site-based permanent supportive housing units, only 42 are designated as drug-free. Mayor Lurie said of the legislation: Our administration is transforming how the city confronts the homelessness and behavioral health crisis. We are not just getting people off the streets; we are helping them achieve long-term stability and recovery by …

HUD Re-Issues New Homeless Grant Criteria, Freeing Cities to Ditch Housing First, Pursue Real Solutions

_{Center on Wealth & Poverty
June 16, 2026
2
Homelessness}

SEATTLE, WA — The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently released its 2026 grant criteria for $4 billion in homelessness funding, with a major shift toward treatment, recovery, and renewed self-sufficiency for all who are able. “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.” Discovery Institute has updated its essential policy brief, calling on local governments, Continuums of Care (CoCs), and service agencies to leverage these new federal reforms and …

Kevin Dahlgren Discusses Skid Row on Newsmax

_{Center on Wealth & Poverty
August 3, 2026
1
Homelessness}

Kevin Dahlgren appeared on Newsmax on July 22, 2026, alongside Harrison Baum to discuss the suffering and exploitation of the homeless in Skid Row. Dahlgren described Skid Row as one of the worst and most corrupt places he has ever been. It’s “the embodiment of radicalized policies run amok,” he explained. …

JD Vance Is Right: American Homelessness Is “Third World”

_{Caitlin Cory
July 30, 2026
4
Homelessness}

This month on “The Joe Rogan Experience,” Vice President JD Vance discussed Israel, Jeffrey Epstein, and aliens, topics that have lit up public conversation. Largely overlooked, however, were his thought-provoking remarks about America’s homelessness crisis, which highlight the harmful results of present policies in some of our largest cities and the need to enact new policies that prioritize restoring lives. Vance recalled attending an office Christmas party near Skid Row, the notorious 50-block area in downtown Los Angeles overcome by homelessness, illicit drug use, and crime. He described armed security and “gigantic walls” protecting the party. He told Joe Rogan that it reminded him of visiting the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. “Crazy …

From an Old Addiction Baseline to a New Epidemic

_{Marvin Olasky
July 23, 2026
2
Homelessness}

The following excerpt is from a Christianity Today article written by Marvin Olasky, the magazine’s editor in chief as well as a Discovery Institute Senior Fellow. Olasky makes reference to an article written by our Project Coordinator and Research Fellow Marsha Michaelis, titled “Washington’s Homelessness and Drug Policies Have Created a Culture of Death and Disorder.” Olasky provides further insight on this important topic with compassion and conviction. We encourage our readers to read the full article at Christianity Today. Addiction is nothing new in our country. Sometimes it’s hidden away and people with abnormal habits can still lead mostly normal lives. But numerous studies over the years have linked substance abuse and homelessness. One …

Andrea Suarez Advocates for Treatment First in KOMO News Town Hall on Homelessness

_{Center on Wealth & Poverty
July 21, 2026
1
Homelessness}

KOMO News hosted a Town Hall on Western Washington’s homelessness crisis on July 13. The Town Hall panel included Daniel Malone, Executive Director of the Downtown Emergency Service Center (DESC); Andrea Suarez, Founder and Executive Director of We Heart Seattle; Jon Scholes, President and CEO of the Downtown Seattle Association; and Dominique Alex, CEO of Mary’s Place. Among the topics discussed were the root causes of chronic homelessness, whether current policies hurt or help the problem, Housing First and harm reduction, untreated mental illness and substance use disorder, and family homelessness. While Malone of DESC repeatedly emphasized the importance of housing and the role of affordability in homelessness, Suarez strongly advocated for a “treatment …

The Cities Hiding Homelessness for the World Cup

_{Caitlin Cory
July 10, 2026
4
Homelessness}

The final FIFA World Cup game hosted in Seattle ended in the disappointing loss of the United States to Belgium. But for Seattle, a city so overcome by drug addiction, mental illness, and street-level homelessness, the weeks-long event was a smashing success. Downtown sparkled as it welcomed visitors from around the world for the six games it hosted at Lumen Field, rebranded Seattle Stadium for the tournament. In addition to exciting games, soccer fans enjoyed a city with noticeably cleaner streets and few visible signs of homelessness, drug addiction, and mental illness that are familiar to residents. But this is not what long-term success looks like. Mayor Katie Wilson and her team did not clean up the city. They simply moved the problem elsewhere, like a child shoving his …

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Street Report

from Jonathan Choe

The Tragic Results of Drug-Tolerant Housing

_{Marsha Michaelis
August 14, 2026
1
Drug Epidemic}

Nick Allen, 58, died of fentanyl poisoning three months after moving into his taxpayer-subsidized apartment. Staff found him in his room three days later. Research Fellow Marsha Michaelis tells this sad tale to illustrate the fatal effects of treating addiction as a disability to be accommodated rather than an adverse condition to be treated. …

Stop Treating Homeless People Like Outlaws. It’s Killing Them

_{Marsha Michaelis
August 11, 2026
4
Homelessness}

Maria DeSersa was 34 years old when she was found dead of a fentanyl overdose in an apartment laundry facility in Federal Way, Washington. She had been a defendant in 24 cases over the span of seven years. Research Fellow and Program Coordinator Marsha Michaelis explores Maria’s tragic story to expose the failures of a lenient criminal justice system and what happens when we treat the addicted and the homeless like outlaws instead of providing them with the help and accountability that could set their lives on a new trajectory. Transcript “Babe, get up.” Those were the last words ever spoken to Maria DeSersa. But she couldn’t get up. She lay late last March on the grimy laminate floor of an apartment laundry facility in Federal Way, her head …

Spokane Fires Aftermath: “It’s Like the Day After a Nuclear Bomb”

_{Kevin Dahlgren
August 7, 2026
1
Crime, Law, and Order}

Independent journalist Kevin Dahlgren reports from the aftermath of the Spokane fires. Three separate fires in the Spokane area burned over 15 square miles and forced tens of thousands to evacuate earlier this month. Police have one man in custody who admitted to starting one of the three fires. …

Seattle’s Lewis Park Cleared Out, Closed Due to Drug and Criminal Activity

_{Jonathan Choe
August 5, 2026
1
Drug Epidemic}

Developing As I first reported last month, the notorious Lewis Park drug den in Seattle is finally being shut down. This morning, city crews and cops booted everyone off the premises. Socialist Mayor Katie Wilson has allowed this hell hole to fester for months. Honduran fentanyl dealers used the deep woods and cover of darkness to prey on addicts. Multiple women were sexually assaulted. Fires raged out of control. The question now, where is everyone headed? We Heart Seattle is on the ground doing outreach. This is a developing story. BREAKING: After hundreds of community complaints, Seattle leaders are finally shutting down the city's most notorious drug den. During Wednesday's south precinct public safety meeting, officials said Lewis Park in North …

Kevin Dahlgren Reports from the Devastation of the Spokane Fires

_{Jonathan Choe
August 4, 2026
1
Street Report}

On the Ground Discovery Institute Media is on the ground in Spokane, WA. Kevin Dahlgren is reporting from the frontlines of the devastating inferno that decimated hundreds of homes. An arson suspect is in custody. Follow us for the latest updates. …

Homeless Squatters May Be to Blame for Historic Portland Building Fire

_{Jonathan Choe and Kevin Dahlgren
August 3, 2026
1
Community Impact}

“This Fire Could Have Been Prevented” Sources say the inferno that torched the Centennial Mills building in Portland’s Pearl District over the weekend may have been caused by homeless squatters. Kevin Dahlgren and I have been reporting on the ground and talked to witnesses who watched in horror as the historic 116-year-old abandoned structure went up on flames. …

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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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