Fix Homelessness | How to rebuild human lives

Mamdani Ignores New York City Homelessness

_{SIX SEVEN KEVIN
May 4, 2026
1
Homelessness}

Despite his campaign promise to end homeless encampment sweeps, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has reinstated them. Filmmaker SIX SEVEN KEVIN takes to the streets of New York City, asking business owners, residents, and homeless individuals themselves about how the mayor has been handling the homelessness crisis. 6’7 Kevin is a documentary filmmaker and journalist known for the Dregs of the City series on YouTube, where he explores America’s homeless culture from state to state. Follow SIX SEVEN KEVIN’s YouTube channel: @67kevin⁩ Follow SIX SEVEN KEVIN on X: Six Seven (@67Kevin1) / X Visit SIX SEVEN KEVIN’s website: SIX SEVEN | Documentary Filmmakers …

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 …

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 …

Reintegrating Faith Into the Nation’s Approach to Homelessness

_{Michele Steeb
April 17, 2026
4
Homelessness}

For more than a century, America’s response to homelessness was rooted in faith. Churches, rescue missions, Catholic Charities, and the Salvation Army fed the hungry, sheltered the vulnerable, and most importantly, walked alongside them toward restoration. They innately understood a fundamental truth: Homelessness is a human transformation challenge requiring recovery, accountability, and the restoration of purpose. Over the past decade, however, policymakers were increasingly steered toward a different conclusion. A one-size-fits-all approach was supposed to end homelessness and simplify it — housing as the solution, housing placement as the sole metric, and a uniform approach applied everywhere. For policymakers drawn to ease, the appeal was obvious. But in embracing …

LA’s Skid Row a Painful Monument of “Housing First” Policy

_{Kevin Dahlgren
April 14, 2026
4
Homelessness}

Skid Row in Los Angeles stands as a stark example of what happens when ideology overrides reality. Spanning roughly fifty blocks, it is one of the most concentrated homeless zones in the United States, filled with people trapped in addiction and untreated, severe mental illness, often marked by psychosis — a loss of contact with reality. For years, Los Angeles has wrapped its homelessness policies in the language of empathy and housing justice. But Skid Row reveals a harsher truth. What exists there is not simply poverty. It is a concentration of addiction, untreated mental illness, disorder, and human collapse in one of America’s most visible zones of urban breakdown. Los Angeles has embraced Housing First, a model that places people in permanent housing without …

Jonathan Choe Speaks with James O’Keefe About Cash-for-Ballots Scheme

_{Jonathan Choe
April 3, 2026
1
Fraud}

Citizen Justice League It’s a privilege being part of the new Citizen Justice League, an elite group of independent journalists collaborating on some of the biggest stories across the nation. This week, I spoke to my friend and colleague James O’Keefe about our latest investigation into the cash for ballots fraud scheme which is still ongoing. Jonathan Choe was PUSHED HARD to sign and forge signatures on ballot petitions in LA.“To see these ballot petitioners gathering signatures while targeting some of the most vulnerable people on the streets… that’s probably one of the most sinister things I’ve seen.”He and… pic.twitter.com/IF5lOwkwMg— O’Keefe Media Group (@OKeefeMedia) April 3, 2026 …

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Street Report

from Jonathan Choe

Seattle Mayor Accused of Pushing Homeless Drug Addicts Out of Downtown Ahead of FIFA World Cup

_{Center on Wealth & Poverty
May 8, 2026
1
Homelessness}

Jonathan Choe and Brandi Kruse give an inside look into the open-air drug use, mental illness, and sale of drugs/stolen goods plaguing downtown Seattle streets and parks — problems city leaders now appear eager to move out of sight before hundreds of thousands of visitors arrive. An estimated ~750,000 people are expected to visit Seattle during the FIFA World Cup beginning in June 2026. In preparation, Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson is accused of pushing homeless encampments and activity out of the downtown core and into surrounding areas. Former Mayor Bruce Harrell faced criticism for similar tactics, including downtown sweeps and distributing visitor maps highlighting “safe” routes for tourists to avoid areas overwhelmed by homelessness, drug use, and …

Seattle’s Inflow Crisis

_{SIX SEVEN KEVIN
May 8, 2026
1
Homelessness}

Seattle and King County have the third-largest homeless population in the country, and it’s only getting worse. A Discovery Institute study in 2024 found that 86.6% of the Seattle and King County homeless population were not born there and that nearly half — 49.7% — first began experiencing homelessness outside of Seattle and King County. Read the Report Here Filmmaker SIX SEVEN KEVIN explores the reality of these findings by asking the homeless themselves where they come from. Answers range from New York and Alaska to Africa and Guatemala, revealing the crisis of a city that attracts homelessness without offering any solutions. 6’7 Kevin is a documentary filmmaker and journalist known for the Dregs of the City series on YouTube, where he explores …

Seattle Mayor Has No Plan for the Service Resistant

_{SIX SEVEN KEVIN
May 8, 2026
1
Homelessness}

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson was elected to office in November 2025, succeeding Mayor Bruce Harrell. Filmmaker SIX SEVEN KEVIN asks her what should be done about the service-resistant homeless, who turn down offers for shelter and treatment. Unfortunately, Mayor Wilson’s response leaves much to be desired. 6’7 Kevin is a documentary filmmaker and journalist known for the Dregs of the City series on YouTube, where he explores America’s homeless culture from state to state. Follow SIX SEVEN KEVIN’s YouTube channel: @67kevin⁩ Follow SIX SEVEN KEVIN on X: Six Seven (@67Kevin1) / X Visit SIX SEVEN KEVIN’s website: SIX SEVEN | Documentary Filmmakers …

People’s Harm Reduction Alliance Brags About Their “Crack Kits”

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

Harm Reduction Isn’t Cool The People’s Harm Reduction Alliance calls harm reduction supplies “crack kits.” It includes condoms and drug pipes. ZERO push by this taxpayer funded organization for treatment and recovery. PHRA is being allowed to present “how to use” trainings at the Seattle Public Library. #EXCLUSIVE: The Seattle Public Library is now allowing the controversial People's Harm Reduction Alliance to hold classes on how to properly use drug paraphernalia. The Capitol Hill library branch is also giving away free Narcan at the front desk in the form of needle kits with… https://t.co/kv70W16mxT pic.twitter.com/7BZnUlUUH5— Jonathan Choe (@choeshow) May 6, 2026 …

Seattle Public Library Holds Harm Reduction Courses

_{Jonathan Choe
May 5, 2026
3
Drug Epidemic}

Exclusive The Seattle Public Library is now allowing the controversial People’s Harm Reduction Alliance to hold classes on how to properly use drug paraphernalia. The Capitol Hill library branch is also giving away free Narcan at the front desk in the form of needle kits with ZERO training and easy access to minors. Tuesday afternoon, the taxpayer funded PHRA staff got triggered and canceled an information session after they saw me recording. What are they trying to hide? UNENDING DRUG CRISIS: The drug addiction crisis is out of control on the streets of #KingCounty and #Seattle. Our teens and young people are now being targeted with drug paraphernalia, all in the name of "harm reduction." Instead of working on anti-drug education programs in our… …

Mayor Katie Wilson Answers: How Do We Care for the Service Resistant?

_{Jonathan Choe and SIX SEVEN KEVIN
May 3, 2026
1
Homelessness}

“I Chose to be a Meth Head” Kevin Kalb is an independent filmmaker known for his “Dregs of the City” YouTube documentaries. He’s in Seattle collaborating with Discovery Institute Media to spotlight the region’s homeless drug crisis. He managed to get an interview with Mayor Katie Wilson and questioned her about the “service resistant” addicts who are causing the most problems on the streets. Wilson gave him spin about city “models” that get the “vast majority” of people off the streets. Not true at all. In fact it’s the opposite. Even the drug addicts laid out reasons why they don’t want city shelters like tiny houses. One woman summed it up best: “I don’t want to lay in my bed and …

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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.

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.

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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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