Center on Wealth & Poverty

Michele Steeb appeared on NTD News with host Don Ma to discuss President Trump’s federal takeover of Washington, D.C., including the removal of homeless encampments. Steeb explains why it’s critical to address homelessness in D.C., the relationship between homelessness and crime, and why relocating the homeless outside of D.C. might be beneficial. She also discusses what effective treatment looks like for those homeless suffering from addiction and/or mental illness.

Discovery Institute President Steve Buri thanks President Donald Trump for his Executive Order ending the failed Housing First and harm reduction policies. He also highlights the important role Discovery Institute played with its Fix Homelessness project’s street-level reporting and our policy research. We have long advocated for the changes the White House is now pursuing. The homeless deserve the most compassionate and robust care we can provide, and this is an important step in that direction.

Dr. Robert Marbut appeared on NewsNation with host Chris Cuomo to discuss President Trump’s “Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets” Executive Order. Dr. Marbut explains how this Order will serve the street-level homeless community, how harm reduction and Housing First failed, and the importance of focusing on treatment and recovery. [Robert Marbut’s segment begins at 23:20.]

Robert Marbut appeared on News Nation this afternoon to discuss President Trump’s new “ENDING CRIME AND DISORDER ON AMERICA’S STREETS” Executive Order. Marbut highlights the importance of funding drug addiction treatment, bunks the myth that the homeless will be thrown into jail, and discusses the reasons behind involuntary commitment.

The following is an article originally published by Spencer Pauley at The Center Square. King County’s 2024 homeless population has been revised upward by 483 people after new data was derived from a unique survey method used by the King County Regional Homelessness Authority. Unlike other agencies, KCRHA conducts its U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s required Point-in-Time, or PIT, unsheltered count in even- numbered years. Sheltered counts are done every year. When the agency initially reported its count in May 2024, 16,385 people were tallied. However, the count was recently revised to a total of 16,868 homeless people in King County. This is a result of a subset of the unsheltered homeless population being added to the count Read More ›

Discovery Institute is proud to sponsor Battlefield Addiction’s 6th Annual Walk/Run for Recovery 5K on Saturday, May 10. For more information and to register, click here.

Our friends at We Heart Seattle are doing incredible work transforming lives. The testimonial below features recovering addict Stephen Dowd, who was found living in a tent before We Heart Seattle helped him get into treatment. We Heart Seattle is modeling what actually works to rescue people from homelessness. “Everybody else is focused on getting somebody housed,” says We Heart Seattle’s Tim Emerson. “I’m more focused on getting somebody better and then housed.”

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.

Senior Fellow Dr. Robert Marbut and actor Billy Baldwin appeared on Fox News Radio’s Brian Kilmeade Show to discuss their new documentary, “Fentanyl: Death Incorporated.” Marbut and Baldwin discuss how they got involved with the creation of the documentary, the origin of the fentanyl crisis, and the scope of the problem. “The stat that really brings it home,” says Marbut, “[is] more people have died of fentanyl in the last five years than the last hundred years of war for Americans.” Find out more about “Fentanyl: Death Incorporated,” and where you can watch it, at fentanyldeathincorporated.com.

Discovery Institute Research Fellow Caitlyn McKenney appeared on [un]Divided with Brandi Kruse this week to discuss McKenney’s op-ed in The Seattle Times, “Sensible WA Tenancy Laws Will Help Housing Stability.” McKenney argues that nonsensical laws protecting tenants from eviction cause harm to housing stability. This is substantiated by emergency funding applications from Seattle affordable housing units, documenting the assaults, unsafe and unsanitary conditions, drug use, arson, and other criminal activity occurring without any recourse. “Instead of mandating rent control, lawmakers should provide housing stability by enacting smart landlord-tenant laws,” writes McKenney. Watch McKenney and Kruse discuss.