Fix Homelessness | How to rebuild human lives

America’s Homelessness System Must Pursue Self-Sufficiency, Not Simply Housing

_{Michele Steeb
July 6, 2026
5
Homelessness}

For more than a decade, America’s homelessness system has largely measured success by a single metric: whether someone is housed. In the process, what should have been a milestone on the journey to self-sufficiency became the destination itself. Housing is important, but making it the finish line set the bar devastatingly low for both the system and the people it serves. We now routinely confuse housing placement with transformation and occupancy with human flourishing. As a result, too many people remain trapped in addiction, untreated mental illness, dependency, and isolation, yet are counted as successes because the system measures where they sleep rather than whether they are healing, rebuilding, and moving toward self-sufficiency. This was never what most Americans …

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 …

How Two California Cities Are Reducing Street Homelessness

_{Tom Wolf
July 8, 2026
4
Homelessness}

San Francisco has experienced a dramatic 22 percent drop in unsheltered homelessness since 2024, while San Jose has seen a 23 percent decline since 2019. Streets are cleaner, and open drug scenes in San Francisco are noticeably smaller. Fewer RVs are parked near waterways in San Jose. What these two cities are doing differently than Los Angeles and Seattle can be summarized in two words: accountability and recovery. Often, when we think of the homeless, we imagine someone sleeping rough on the street, or perhaps in an RV or a car. But homelessness is defined in several ways. If you’re sleeping in a shelter, a car, or an RV, you’re sheltered homeless. If you’re in jail, you’re homeless. And depending on the city or county, if you’re living in a single-room …

Why Pricing Rules for Affordable Rental Housing Backfire

_{Paul Teller
July 1, 2026
4
Housing}

Capping potential revenue chases off investors, in any industry. So does prohibiting the tools they need to responsibly manage their investments. Unfortunately, New York has done just that with housing by outlawing algorithmic pricing software by property managers. Not all algorithmic pricing systems are created equal. In some industries, personal data is used to tailor prices to consumers’ willingness and ability to pay. That’s not the case in rental housing. Algorithmic rent pricing software analyzes market data — such as prices for comparable units, vacancy rates and demand trends — to recommend appropriate rent prices. These tools are designed to help landlords accurately and efficiently crunch numbers to price their own units to win tenants. Rather than a …

Housing First Failed America’s Homeless

_{Marsha Michaelis
June 25, 2026
4
Homelessness}

When a policy intended to help vulnerable people actually harms them, the ethical response is immediate: Stop, reassess and tell the truth. That was why, in January 1996, a team of doctors at the Seattle-based Fred Hutch Cancer Center dramatically halted the active phase of a study assessing the benefits of beta-carotene and vitamin A supplements for people at high risk of developing lung cancer. Leading up to the study, Hutch News reported, “public enthusiasm for the purported health benefits of beta-carotene was so high, ‘people thought it would be unethical to assign participants to the placebo group.’” It turns out the placebo takers were the lucky ones. Among the 18,314 participants, those receiving supplements “had a 28 percent greater incidence of …

When Ideology Overrules Common Sense

_{Kevin Dahlgren
June 18, 2026
10
Homelessness}

For years, the political left has controlled the conversation around homelessness, addiction, and mental illness in most major West Coast cities. They control the nonprofits. They control the bureaucracies. They control the county commissions, the grant systems, the academic language, and most of the policy decisions. And yet the crisis keeps getting worse. That should tell us something. At some point, we have to stop judging these policies by their intentions and start judging them by their results. Because no matter how compassionate the language sounds, the outcome is obvious to anyone willing to walk the streets: more tents, more overdoses, more untreated mental illness, more open-air drug use, more crime, more suffering, and more people slowly dying in public. The problem is …

Homekey Audit Exposes California’s Real Homelessness Crisis: Failed Governance

_{Michele Steeb
June 15, 2026
4
Homelessness}

California lawmakers blocked legislation requiring a comprehensive audit of the state’s multibillion-dollar Homekey program. Fortunately, a nonprofit news site undertook the very investigation state leaders refused to demand. The newly-released findings sharply undercut Gov. Gavin Newsom’s repeated claims that his pandemic-era Homekey program has been a “phenomenal success.” Built on roughly 250 projects and more than 100 public-records requests, the two-year investigation exposed a familiar pattern in Newsom’s governance style: massive spending, glowing political rhetoric, weak oversight, and deeply underwhelming results. In a state already plagued by oversight failures involving Medicaid, hospice care, in-home supportive services, and homelessness …

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Street Report

from Jonathan Choe

Chinatown-ID Residents Accuse Mayor Wilson of Dumping Crime into Neighborhood for World Cup

_{Jonathan Choe
July 6, 2026
1
Homelessness}

At War Chinatown-ID is going to war with socialist Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson. CID leaders are now pumping out protest signs with a red X mark crossing out Wilson’s face. They say she’s dumped the city’s homeless drug addicts into their Asian American neighborhood to protect World Cup fans from secondhand fentanyl smoke and the human wreckage on the streets. I’ve got more from today’s demonstration coming up. BREAKING: Another drug overdose in Seattle's Chinatown-ID just minutes from the FIFA World Cup watch party at Hing Hay Park. I did my usual rounds at 12th Ave & Jackson St where first responders revived the fentanyl addict. As frustrated neighbors stepped around the… pic.twitter.com/HeIOOp1AFA— Jonathan Choe …

Down the Street from the World Cup, Another Overdose

_{Jonathan Choe
July 6, 2026
1
Drug Epidemic}

A Frustrated Community Another drug overdose in Seattle’s Chinatown-ID just minutes from the FIFA World Cup watch party at Hing Hay Park. I did my usual rounds at 12th Ave & Jackson St where first responders revived the fentanyl addict. As frustrated neighbors stepped around the unconscious man, an entitled junkie got in my face and tried to stop me from recording. Thank God an SPD officer broke things up before the situation escalated. Then a neighbor getting off the bus yelled, “stop rescuing him, he’s just going to OD down the street.” The frustration is palpable. CID is a powder keg about to explode. Meanwhile, socialist Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson is MIA. …

Chinatown-ID Residents Protest Mayor Wilson’s Neglect During FIFA World Cup Game

_{Jonathan Choe
July 6, 2026
1
Homelessness}

This Is Just the Beginning Chinatown-ID demonstrators came out in full force today, even bringing dozens of senior citizens to blast Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson. On this final day of the World Cup, they accuse Wilson of shoving homeless drug addicts into their community, costing them millions in tourism dollars. But CID organizers say this is just the beginning of their fight. Expect more protests until the mayor shows up to fix this crisis on the streets. BREAKING: Another drug overdose in Seattle's Chinatown-ID just minutes from the FIFA World Cup watch party at Hing Hay Park. I did my usual rounds at 12th Ave & Jackson St where first responders revived the fentanyl addict. As frustrated neighbors stepped around the… pic.twitter.com/HeIOOp1AFA— …

Chinatown-ID Residents Protest Seattle Mayor Ahead of World Cup Game

_{Jonathan Choe
July 3, 2026
1
Homelessness}

Protest Season Chinatown-ID leaders are calling Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson a racist, a liar, and incompetent for allowing this Asian American neighborhood to spiral into chaos during the World Cup. On Wednesday, they marched and held a press conference to put Wilson on notice. Next Monday, they are going to war. NEW: Team USA will be playing on Monday in Seattle. Expect a mega protest against Mayor Katie Wilson and the city. Chinatown-ID residents accuse Wilson of pushing homeless drug addicts into their community so downtown tourists won't have to see the street crisis. The CID has… https://t.co/O09cIw9U4L pic.twitter.com/KfHmY4zyWb— Jonathan Choe (@choeshow) July 2, 2026 …

Community Fights for Chinatown-ID While City Leaders Look the Other Way

_{Jonathan Choe
July 2, 2026
1
Homelessness}

Enough is Enough Team USA will be playing on Monday in Seattle. Expect a mega protest against Mayor Katie Wilson and the city. Chinatown-ID residents accuse Wilson of pushing homeless drug addicts into their community so downtown tourists won’t have to see the street crisis. The CID has had enough. NEW: It’s go time for Seattle’s Chinatown-ID. Mayor Katie Wilson is now on notice. @MayorofSeattle https://t.co/QkPmSwuqmw pic.twitter.com/ulaAHgLYpn— Jonathan Choe (@choeshow) July 1, 2026 …

Chinatown Residents Rebuke “White City Leaders Who Only Come to the CID for Dim Sum”

_{Jonathan Choe
July 1, 2026
1
Homelessness}

Historic District Neglected Chinatown-ID advocates just torched Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson, calling her a “racist” for allowing the neighborhood to devolve into a human dumping ground. Dozens of Asian Americans and their allies marched to the World Cup stadium today to say they’re missing out on invaluable foot traffic because Wilson (a WHITE woman) shoved homeless drug addicts into the CID. Here’s a quick preview. More to come. BREAKING: Seattle’s Chinatown-ID has lost all faith in Mayor Katie Wilson. Neighbors and biz owners are rallying on Wednesday and holding a press conference near the World Cup stadium before the game. Community activist Tanya Woo says enough is enough. Woo says restaurants and… https://t.co/JIr2TPmDwD pic.twitter.com/bQP6peo1SP— …

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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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