New Report: How Extremists Infiltrated Homelessness Advocacy in America

Washington, D.C. — Today, the Capital Research Center (CRC) released a new report in cooperation with Discovery Institute exploring how extremist ideological movements are exploiting America’s homelessness crisis, which can include hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people on any given night.

Using financial data, legal records, and original research, the report uncovers a vast network of homelessness advocates that spend billions in taxpayer dollars and philanthropic grants on everything but obvious solutions. The report demonstrates that counterproductive policies have been used for years which do not solve the homelessness problem, but rather exacerbate common root causes of homelessness, including mental health challenges and substance abuse.

The key findings of the report expose the groups that have co-opted the homelessness issue in order to advance their own policy agenda, which, if left unchecked, will result in radical transformations for the entire nation. Groups aligned with radical — and even extremist — worldviews, ranging from anti-police and anti-capitalist movements to groups that express support for foreign terrorist organizations. They include, among others:

• Western Regional Advocacy Project: The Western Regional Advocacy Project (WRAP), a 501(c)(3), has received support from Tides-affiliated entities and has coordinated anti-sweep campaigns across cities, tying housing to anti-capitalist critiques in publications like Street Spirit, which labels U.S. governance “neoliberal fascism.” In fact, the nonprofit glorifies violence targeting law enforcement and is a state-level endorser of the Housing Justice platform.
• Autonomous Tenants Union Network (ATUN): The group believes that “overthrowing capitalism” is required for solving the country’s homelessness problem. Its website states: “We fight for a world without landlords and without rent. We fight to build tenant power in order to end the immiseration of the poor and working classes that housing represents under capitalism and to contribute to the struggle to end capitalism itself.”
• Right to the City Alliance: This 501(c)(3) nonprofit, known for its protests through the national Homes for All campaign, has engaged in joint endorsement of pro-Hamas 501(c)(3) nonprofits including the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR) and the Grassroots Global Justice Alliance that declared, “From Palestine to Mexico, all borders and militarized violence have got to go!”

These are a few examples of actors exploiting structural vulnerabilities in the nonprofit sector — including lax oversight, complex funding channels, and even the legal system — to advance ideas that are not merely unorthodox, but deeply destabilizing for our country.

Scott Walter, President at CRC, issued the following statement about the report:

Our researchers uncovered hundreds of charities in the Homeless Industrial Complex that function less like direct service providers and more like political actors advancing radical causes. Instead of helping those in desperate need, these organizations are using taxpayer dollars to lead protests, launch pressure campaigns, and file frivolous lawsuits. To make progress in the fight against homelessness, we must push back against the extremists hijacking homelessness in America.”

Bruce Chapman, Chairman of the Board and founder of Discovery Institute, added:

This report demonstrates in stunning detail how fringe groups are co-opting the homelessness issue to amplify radical ideologies. Case in point: Research shows extremist networks involved in pro-Hamas activism are also active in homelessness advocacy coalitions. Without meaningful reform, these activists and allies will continue to redirect billions in well-intentioned donor funding toward ideological warfare, while hundreds of thousands of Americans are left on the street and in emergency rooms and jails. Among other things, we at Discovery Institute would like to see Congressional action on a comprehensive reform package.

In his foreword to the report, subject matter expert Christopher F. Rufo explains:

I have spent the better part of my career exposing how ideological movements capture institutions. Whether in universities, corporations, or government bureaucracies, the pattern is the same: activists quietly introduce radical premises, redefine language, and exploit moral sentiment to consolidate power. The homelessness industry follows this template with precision.

About Capital Research Center

Since 1984, the Capital Research Center (CRC) has investigated and exposed the influence of left-wing nonprofits and donors over public policy, ensuring that America remains a land of individual liberty, vibrant civil society, and limited government. Our research drives real-world change and informs national debates. To learn more, visit CapitalResearch.org.

About Discovery Institute

Founded in 1990, the mission of Discovery Institute is to advance a culture of purpose, creativity, and innovation. Through a variety of programs, the Institute celebrates human uniqueness and the dignity of every human life. This includes those experiencing homelessness and suffering on our streets. Through its innovative Fix Homelessness initiative, Discovery Institute shines a light on the failed policies of Housing First and harm reduction that have devastated communities across the country, while offering more compassionate alternatives focused on treatment, recovery, and self-sufficiency. To learn more, visit www.FixHomelessness.org.

Media Contact:
Caitlin Cory
ccory@discovery.org
434-329-0785