Fix Homelessness | How to rebuild human lives

Homeless Family’s Outrageous Situation Suggests Unique Remedy

_{Marsha Michaelis
January 15, 2026
5
Homelessness}

A note to readers: This is an uncomfortable story, as are my conclusions about how society might best address the situation it describes. I prize individual freedom and limited government, and recognize that sanctioning government force in the application of law can be a slippery slope. Yet, neglecting justice to avoid the risks of misapplying it is also a harmful slippery slope, and we see the destructive effects of that error in every city with permissive policies toward drug use, prostitution, and disorder. Ultimately, I can’t ignore the fact that children have a natural right to the dutiful care of their parents. With a wise and creative application of law, it may be possible to uphold a child’s rights even as his parents are subject to justice. Many details 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 …

Marsha Michaelis Talks Homelessness on The Earthvox Podcast

_{Center on Wealth & Poverty and Marsha Michaelis
January 28, 2026
1
Homelessness}

Marsha Michaelis appeared on The Earthvox Podcast with Ryan Keogan. After discussing Michaelis’ journey from the Evergreen Freedom Foundation to homeschooling to her current position at Discovery Institute’s Fix Homelessness initiative, they then discuss her recent article exploring the kinds of solutions society could offer a family in acute distress, homelessness, and drug addiction. The conversation continues with problems with the Housing First approach to homelessness, how the Trump administration is addressing homelessness, the nature of compassion, and more. Listen on Apple Podcasts …

Bizarre 911 Call Illustrates Dysfunction of Plymouth Housing System

_{Jonathan Choe
January 23, 2026
1
Housing}

Enabling Chaos Representatives with the homeless industrial complex are in Olympia this week, begging lawmakers for more money and support. They know funding cuts are on the way to the disastrous permanent supportive housing models that enable crime, chaos, and death in WA communities. Meanwhile, the Plymouth Housing/PorchLight campus has already triggered multiple 911 calls in this new year. Listen to this bizarre incident on January 16. A bystander reported this vicious beatdown outside the facility in the Eastgate neighborhood. But once the fellas involved realized they were being watched by witnesses, they pretended like it was just an “act” and quickly walked back into Plymouth. NEW: The Bellevue City Council is raising massive safety concerns …

Don’t Let a Book by Experts Silence Your Common Sense: “Homelessness is [Not] a Housing Problem”

_{Marsha Michaelis
January 13, 2026
6
Housing}

A book written and applauded by experts can tempt you to doubt your common sense and quietly surrender intellectual ground at a crucial moment, especially if it makes a bold claim and you haven’t read it yet. Consider Homelessness is a Housing Problem by authors Gregg Colburn (an assistant professor at the University of Washington) and Clayton Page Aldern (a Seattle-based data scientist and policy analyst). The book’s attractive cover claims the authors have used “accessible statistical analysis” to “test a range of conventional beliefs about what drives the prevalence of homelessness in a given city—including mental illness, drug use, poverty, weather, generosity of public assistance, and low-income mobility—and find that none explain the variation …

Tragic Tales Demand Reform

_{Michele Steeb
January 8, 2026
4
Homelessness}

Across America’s streets, the homeless epidemic is claiming lives, fracturing families, and eroding public safety. Often deeply intertwined with mental illness and addiction, it has become a humanitarian crisis that traps vulnerable individuals in cycles of dependence and despair while destabilizing the communities around them. This crisis has been worsened by policies that elevate the notion of “freedom” over timely, life-saving intervention. Recent events make the consequences of that choice unmistakably clear. Continuing on the current path is neither humane nor responsible. Consider what unfolded in New York City over the holidays. A woman with a documented history of serious mental illness and homelessness was released from psychiatric care, only to purchase …

HUD Secretary Champions Efforts to Treat Root Causes of Homelessness

_{Caitlin Cory
December 19, 2025
3
Homelessness}

On December 16, HUD Secretary Scott Turner toured facilities at the Helping Up Mission in Baltimore, Maryland, a faith-based organization serving the homeless for 140 years. This visit was part of a larger tour in which Turner will visit facilities that are successfully helping people transition from homelessness to self-sustained living as HUD reexamines its approach to homelessness. Yesterday, @SecretaryTurner joined Helping Up Mission in Baltimore to see how the organization is serving the most vulnerable on Baltimore’s streets.Helping Up Mission assists their homeless neighbors by going into the roughest neighborhoods in Greater Baltimore, offering meals… pic.twitter.com/phnHoI8MF7— Department of Housing and Urban Development (@HUDgov) December 17, 2025 WMAR 2 News …

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Street Report

from Jonathan Choe

Beneath the Driftwood: One Homeless Man’s Underground Life

_{Kevin Dahlgren
January 29, 2026
4
Homelessness}

A homeless man has burrowed himself beneath thousands of pieces of driftwood and built what can only be described as an apartment. I went inside and looked around. There are two bedrooms, one still under construction, framed by uneven piles of driftwood and debris. Two small windows let in slivers of natural light through the gaps, barely illuminating the space. Shadows crawl across the walls and floor, giving the room a claustrophobic, almost surreal quality. The living area is chaotic, more workshop than home. Boards, nails, and hand tools are scattered across the dirt floor, evidence of ongoing construction and repair. Among the clutter, hundreds of used needles glint dangerously in the dim light. The smell of damp wood and river water is thick, mixing with the metallic tang …

A Street-Level Interview with Portland’s Mayor on Shelter and Safety

_{Kevin Dahlgren
January 28, 2026
4
Homelessness}

I interviewed Portland Mayor Keith Wilson on the streets of Portland about the state of the city and its response to homelessness. I asked whether his administration requires measurable outcomes from the homeless service providers it funds. In response, Mayor Wilson pointed to his new policy of ending the distribution of tents, arguing that tents do not help people exit homelessness and are not life-saving care. He cited the heightened danger faced by vulnerable women living outside, noting that women experiencing homelessness face roughly a 40% chance of being assaulted. I followed up by asking whether there are consequences for providers who fail to meet expectations or move people off the streets. Mayor Wilson said the providers are aligned with his vision and are doing …

Stopping the Sweep Didn’t Fix Anything at Seattle’s Ballard Encampment

_{Kevin Dahlgren
January 28, 2026
4
Homelessness}

I went to the Ballard homeless encampment that has been dominating Seattle headlines, and what I found there was not clarity or compassion colliding with cruelty, but a system quietly failing almost everyone involved. Business owners and nearby residents are frustrated and exhausted. They’ve watched the encampment grow while public spaces deteriorate and safety concerns mount. On the other side, homeless advocates are fiercely defending the right of people to remain where they are, arguing that sweeps only deepen trauma and solve nothing. Caught in the middle is a city trying to signal change under new leadership, while offering very little evidence that real change is actually happening. This encampment was scheduled to be swept, but Mayor Katie Wilson halted those …

Mayor Wilson Has No Plan for the Service Resistant Homeless Community

_{Jonathan Choe
January 22, 2026
1
Homelessness}

Zero Solutions Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson is getting hammered after another disruptive sweep under her new administration. But the criticism isn’t coming from her comrades with far-left activist group Stop the Sweeps Seattle. Homeless drug addicts say her promise to do things differently from the previous administration hasn’t materialized. The vast majority of the people living at the MLK Jr. Way encampment rejected services and shelter options Wednesday morning, then fled into the deep woods. We Heart Seattle’s Andrea Suarez calls them the “service resistant.” And right now, Mayor Wilson has offered zero solutions to address this group causing the most harm to themselves and the community. NEW: Start the sweeps Seattle! Even after …

New Seattle Mayor Plays Same Whack-a-Mole Encampment Sweep Game as Harrell

_{Jonathan Choe
January 21, 2026
1
Homelessness}

Same Ol’ Same Ol’ Start the sweeps Seattle! Even after Mayor Katie Wilson promised to handle the homeless drug crisis differently, the city is quietly clearing out drug encampments and it’s still a game of Whack-a-mole. The vast majority of people at Wednesday morning’s sweep along Martin Luther King Jr Way rejected shelter options and headed right down the block to set up tents. That’s because they wanted to do their drugs. Difference is, far-left activist group Stop The Sweeps Seattle is surprisingly quiet about the encampment removals under the mayor. I'm taking immediate action to help bring people inside. #thisisyourcity pic.twitter.com/1Kog1Vwpp3— Mayor Katie B. Wilson (@MayorofSeattle) January 21, 2026 Double …

Bellevue City Council Considers Safety of Plymouth Housing Campus

_{Jonathan Choe
January 14, 2026
1
Housing}

The Bellevue City Council is raising massive safety concerns about the Plymouth Housing/PorchLight homeless campus. Led by CM Jared Nieuwenhuis, the councilmembers are now telling city staff to come up with a better plan to keep neighbors and businesses safe. And they are demanding a baseline standard to measure success. Regardless, it appears this problematic facility isn’t going anywhere as it continues to trigger the most 911 calls in the city. Jare Neiuwenhuis CM Jared Nieuwenhuis on Plymouth Housing/PorchLight. Naren Briar CM Naren Briar on Plymouth Housing/PorchLight. Vishal Bhargava CM Vishal Bhargava on Plymouth Housing/PorchLight. Claire Sumadiwirya CM Claire Sumadiwirya on Plymouth Housing/PorchLight. Mo …

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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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