Fix Homelessness | How to rebuild human lives

Dr. Robert Marbut and Billy Baldwin Talk with Megyn Kelly About Fentanyl Film

_{Center on Wealth & Poverty and Robert Marbut
April 30, 2025
1
Drug Epidemic}

On National Fentanyl Awareness Day, Senior Fellow Dr. Robert Marbut appeared on The Megyn Kelly Show alongside actor Billy Baldwin to discuss their new documentary, “Fentanyl: Death Incorporated.” They talk about the lethality of fentanyl, where fentanyl is coming from and how it is getting across U.S. borders, and the legal and social difficulties of getting people into treatment. Find out more about “Fentanyl: Death Incorporated” at fentanyldeathincorporated.com. …

Discovery Releases New Data and Policy Approach for Seattle’s Homelessness Crisis

_{Discovery Institute
November 7, 2024
2
Homelessness}

Download the Report. Discovery Institute Releases New Homelessness Data and Policy Approach for Seattle Seattle, WA- If the growth rate of unsheltered homelessness in King County remains unchanged, the population experiencing unsheltered homelessness will double from nearly 10,000 to a staggering 20,000 in less than three years. A new report from Discovery Institute’s Fix Homelessness Initiative offers policy recommendations and new data to address the crisis. A study performed by Discovery Institute found that 49.7% of people experiencing homelessness and enrolled in Seattle programs first began experiencing homelessness outside of King County. Data also reveals a dramatic redistribution of funding away from emergency and transitional beds towards permanent …

Robert Marbut on America’s Homelessness Crisis, Strategies for Uplifting the Homeless, and Effective Government Policies

_{Wesley J. Smith and Robert Marbut
May 16, 2025
2
Homelessness}

Homelessness has reached crisis proportions. Few issues of human dignity are as heart wrenching as the wretched scenes in our most prosperous cities — San Francisco, Los Angeles, Portland, and Seattle — where one can drive down main thoroughfares and be confronted with tent encampments lining streets that provide scant shelter for thousands of destitute people. The crisis is as multifaceted as it is seemingly intractable. What is the role of mental illness in the crisis? What about drug addiction? Is the rising cost of housing part of the problem, and if so, what can be done about it? What protections does society owe these vulnerable people based simply on their humanity and what responsibilities, if any, do they owe to greater society? It’s all such a mess, it is tempting …

Two Memorable People and Why I Never Accept the First Explanation

_{Marvin Olasky
May 16, 2025
5
Homelessness}

Several readers have asked me what I’ve learned from interviewing homeless people during my stays in shelters. Hmm. One book about health care costs features this title: “Never Pay the First Bill.” I’ve encountered exceptions, but if we hope to be both compassionate and constructive, our rule should be, “Never Accept the First Explanation.” I tried to stay at shelters for at least four days. In Missouri, 32-year-old Mirenda (that’s her real name, and she specified that the fourth letter is an “e”) said on day one that she was homeless because of the foster care system. That system was clearly a problem for her, as it is for many kids bounced from house to house. Eight different placements is average, so it’s not surprising …

My Confession and Plea

_{Marvin Olasky
May 9, 2025
5
Homelessness}

As I prepare to bring this series of weekly columns to a close after three years, I think back to 1989 when I started to research three centuries of American poverty-fighters. I wrote about them in a 1992 book, The Tragedy of American Compassion, that became the historical basis for the “compassionate conservatism” popularized by Texas Governor George W. Bush, whom I informally advised (and still like). The project fizzled during his presidency, ground down by Washington politics but also by some internal realities. Regarding help for those sunk into long-term homelessness, two of my notions proved inadequate. First, in promoting “compassionate conservatism” I emphasized the literal meaning of “com-passion”: with suffering. My goal was for the …

Jim Palmer of the Orange County Rescue Mission on causes and cures for America’s homelessness crisis

_{Wesley J. Smith
May 6, 2025
2
Homelessness}

In this episode of Humanize, Wesley J. Smith speaks with Jim Palmer, the president of the Orange County Rescue Mission about the many causes and potential cures of America’s seemingly intractable homeless crisis. It is a crucial, if disturbing, conversation that touches upon the most existential needs of people and our mutual responsibilities to each other. Homelessness has reached crisis proportions in which even our most prosperous cities — such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, Portland, and Seattle — witness thousands of people living in squalid tent encampments lining streets that provide scant shelter for people that many of us would rather ignore. It’s all such a mess, it is tempting to throw up one’s hands in despair. But understanding the causes of homelessness …

Why Work Works

_{Marvin Olasky
May 2, 2025
5
Homelessness}

Bob Coté, the homeless man turned homeless shelter pioneer whom I wrote about last month, used to say, “Work works.” By that he meant not only that work brings in money but also that it brings purpose and community. Paul the apostle also spoke about helping others: Do something useful with your hands, he wrote in Ephesians 4:28. Paul’s injunction to church members was strong: “In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ…we give you this rule: ‘If man will not work, he shall not eat.’ We hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy; they are busybodies. Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat.” (2 Thessalonians 3:6, 10). Paul did not make exceptions for the class of suffering …

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Street Report

from Jonathan Choe

Seattle Government Ignores Suffering of Chinatown

_{Jonathan Choe
May 13, 2025
3
Drug Epidemic}

Chinatown-ID Residents Skeptical Wednesday morning, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell will announce new investments and partnerships with The Asian American Foundation and Amazon to help improve public safety and help revitalize business in Chinatown-ID. But a community coalition led by Tanya Woo is only cautiously optimistic since this community has become the city’s human dumping ground and remains ravaged by crime, chaos, and death. Each day, Asian American grandmas have to walk through this gauntlet of drug addicts and maneuver around the black market of stolen goods on King Street. “The police here just kind of chase them away, and like, two hours later, they come back,” says one resident. Right across the street is Ho Mai Park. Instead of laughter …

Have You Seen Me? Family and Friends Search for Missing 30-Year-Old

_{Jonathan Choe
May 13, 2025
1
Drug Epidemic}

Missing Person This is 30-year-old Samuel Michael Evans. He grew up in Kenmore, WA and was a star athlete. But then injuries and other health issues started piling up, which opened the door to oxycontin and other illicit drugs. Look at these before and after photos. Evans’ drug addiction and fallout with family led him to homelessness on the streets of Everett. But he always stayed in touch with his dad. Until he went radio silent this past year. Friends and family now believe he might be roaming the streets of Seattle, possibly in the Belltown neighborhood. If you see Evans, his parents are offering a cash reward. DM me if you have any information and I will pass it on. …

Battlefield Addiction’s Walk/Run 5K for Recovery Makes Huge Splash

_{Jonathan Choe
May 11, 2025
1
Drug Epidemic}

Taking on the Homeless Industrial Complex Battlefield Addiction and We Heart Seattle made a huge splash this weekend, raising thousands of dollars for sober living beds in the Seattle area. For drug addicts, that means a place to go for treatment and recovery instead of being given more taxpayer-funded meth pipes and fentanyl foil. This is the start of a powerful partnership to take on the homeless industrial complex and confront lies being peddled by the “harm reduction” lobby in America. Discovery Institute was a proud sponsor of this event. https://t.co/9MjlcqnzT2Join over 500 impassioned Recovery First advocates this Saturday Morning for an uprising calling for a culture change that our loved ones deserve a chance to thrive and reach sustainable …

Homeless Relocation Program Exposed

_{Jonathan Choe
May 1, 2025
3
Governance}

When San Francisco’s homeless are ready to reunite with friends and family, they can simply pick up the phone and call a hotline connecting them to journey home, a city program providing free one-way tickets out of temptation and human suffering. Rules say the transportation is exclusively for the homeless. But a joint investigation by Frontlines Turning Point USA and Discovery Institute shows that’s not always the case. Numerous tipsters told us they were getting free bus, train, and plane tickets out of this small office in the Mission District, and claimed these taxpayer-funded rides were being obtained by people who were not even living on the streets. So we went in to see for ourselves. After asking us a few basic questions, workers checked off some …

Homeless Man Jumps from Seattle Bridge, Survives

_{Jonathan Choe
April 28, 2025
1
Homelessness}

“He Said, ‘They’re Coming,’ and He Ran…and Jumped.” Witnesses say a homeless man staying at the Salvation Army shelter in Seattle jumped off a nearby bridge. Unclear what triggered him. This all happened at the corner of 5th Ave & Dearborn St near the border of SODO and Chinatown-ID. He survived. .@SeattlePD activity on S Dearborn St at 5th Ave S blocking all EB lanes. Use alternative routes. pic.twitter.com/Ni9lUlY8Is— SDOT Traffic (@SDOTtraffic) April 28, 2025 …

Federal Funding Cuts Coming to Housing First Orgs

_{Jonathan Choe
April 23, 2025
1
Housing}

Federal Funding to Be Re-Allocated With even more federal funding cuts on the way, one of the biggest players in WA’s homeless industrial complex is crying poverty. That’s because the days of top executive salaries and zero accountability could be coming to an end. The Downtown Emergency Service Center (DESC) has received millions of taxpayer dollars for pushing the failed Housing First model along with “harm reduction” policies. But for more than a decade, this approach has led to record homelessness in the region, more crime, and countless drug overdose deaths behind closed doors. So Trump administration sources are telling me the hammer will finally be dropped on this madness. Expect federal funding to be re-allocated and pushed toward housing and programs that …

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Restorations Podcast

Brian Chandler’s Journey from Addiction to Service

_{9
Caitlyn McKenney
March 26, 2025}

In this episode of Restorations, Caitlyn McKenney is joined by Brian Chandler of Seattle's Union Gospel Mission.

Homelessness CEO Spends 24 Hours Unsheltered in Seattle

_{8
Caitlyn McKenney
February 26, 2025}

In this episode of Restorations, Caitlyn McKenney is joined by Kim Cook the CEO of Bread of Life Mission in Seattle's historic Pioneer Square.

Addiction Treatment Should Look Like This

_{7
Art Dahlen
December 5, 2024}

In this episode of Restorations, Caitlyn McKenney is joined by the founder of Battlefield Addiction Art Dahlen. As a former addict, Art shares personal insights on addiction treatment, the policy environment in Seattle, and the power of language.

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.

Support Our Work

Jim Palmer of the Orange County Rescue Mission on causes and cures for America’s homelessness crisis

_{8
Jim Palmer
November 1, 2021}

Robert Marbut on America’s Homelessness Crisis, Strategies for Uplifting the Homeless, and Effective Government Policies

_{29
Robert Marbut
May 23, 2022}

[not] anything helps

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.

Get the National Report

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.

Get the Legal Guide

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.

Get the Case Studies