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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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Street Report

from Jonathan Choe

Sacramento’s Arcade Creek Littered with Homeless Encampment Trash Again

_{Jonathan Choe
July 20, 2026
1
Homelessness}

Another Hot Mess After only a month, homeless drug addicts have returned to the Arcade Creek drainage channel in North Sacramento. They’ve left another hot mess. This flows into some of the most important waterways in the city. The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office is once again tasked with enforcing this disaster. Taxpayer resources are being wasted again. Where are all the environmentalists in CA? Why isn’t Governor Gavin Newsom moving on this right now? REPLAY: Sacramento's precious waterways are being destroyed by homeless drug addicts. But city, county, and state agencies are all paralyzed and no one wants to take the lead to solve the problem. So a group of senior citizens and volunteers are taking matters into their own… …

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 …

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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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