Blog | Page 3

***UPDATE 10/9/2025*** Capital Research Center’s report, “Infiltrated: The Ideological Capture of Homelessness Advocacy,” is out now! You see a man in a shop doorway shooting up. A block away a man outside a tent bends over in the “dope fiend lean” that supposedly intensifies a “hit.” A woman is in the middle of the street nearby, swaying to and fro and shouting in distress at unseen ghosts. But there is also a rally forming two blocks north, in front of the courthouse, where black-clad, masked youth might again set a dumpster or two on fire to mark their righteous protest against one thing or another. What is going on? Seattle is not a war zone, it is true, nor is Read More ›

In a memorable scene from “Casablanca,” actor Claude Rains plays a corrupt police chief ordered by the Germans to shut down a popular nightclub after patrons indulge in a disfavored patriotic song. “But I have no excuse to close it!” protests Rains. “Find one,” is the curt reply. Rains orders everyone to leave immediately. When the nightclub’s owner Rick (played by the unforgettable Humphrey Bogart) demands to know “on what grounds,” Rains exclaims: “I’m shocked, shocked, to find that gambling is going on in here!” He then cordially thanks the staff member who hands him his night’s winnings. In a similar show of manufactured outrage, executives at the National Alliance to End Homelessness filed a lawsuit September 11 in Rhode Read More ›

Michele Steeb appeared on The Shaun Thompson Show to discuss homelessness. Steeb explains the pivotal shift in homelessness policy that occurred in 2013, the new direction President Trump is steering homelessness policy today, the financial corruption behind Housing First, and more.

Michele Steeb appeared on The Tudor Dixon Podcast to discuss why Housing First isn’t enough. Steeb reviews the history of Housing First, why it has failed, the dismal state of homelessness in California, and why treatment- and recovery-focused policies are the correct path forward.

The following was originally written by Wesley J. Smith, Chair and Senior Fellow of Discovery Institute’s Center on Human Exceptionalism. Discovery Institute’s Fix Homelessness team condemns the statements made by Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade, and endorses the following condemnation by Smith. Homelessness is a crisis in our major cities. But we have to always remember that people who are homeless have equal intrinsic dignity as all other human beings. That is why I was appalled that — in a recent discussion about the atrocious murder of Iryna Zarutska by a mentally ill homeless man — Fox News personality Brian Kilmeade said that if the mentally ill homeless don’t accept hospitalization, they should be, well, killed. Yes. He actually said that. Read More ›

Michele Steeb appeared on NTD News and spoke with host Don Ma about the recent tragic killing of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska. Steeb addresses the relationship between homelessness, mental illness, and crime, and explains why housing subsidies do not fix these issues. Steeb speaks from her experience running a Northern California program for homeless women and children.

America’s streets have reached a breaking point. Encampments sprawl across sidewalks, untreated mental illness and addiction fuel disorder, and public spaces once vibrant with life have become zones of despair. President Donald Trump’s recent executive orders—Ending Disorder on America’s Streets and Addressing Crime and Beautification in D.C.—finally confront this decade-long humanitarian crisis head-on. By directing federal resources to dismantle encampments and enforce laws against public disorder, these orders mark a long-overdue acknowledgement: the nation’s crisis is one of homelessness, but also one of public safety, public health, and human dignity. For too long, progressive policies have allowed the sickest among us to deteriorate before our eyes, abandoned in the name of “compassion.” The president’s bold actions open the door to Read More ›

Discovery Institute President Steven J. Buri appeared on The Carrie Abbott Show to discuss President Trump’s recent Executive Order on homelessness, titled, “Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets.” Buri explains why Housing First and harm reduction policies fail to help the homeless, how deinstitutionalization led to our present homelessness crisis, and how President Trump’s Executive Order rights the ship. Read Discovery Institute’s full statement on the Executive Order HERE.

Seattle and many other major cities across the country have long embraced two failed strategies to address homelessness: “housing first” and “harm reduction.” Thankfully, a new executive order issued by President Donald Trump last month seeks to scrap both of these policies and finally end the disorder that has plagued America’s streets. The executive order has independent journalist and Discovery Institute Senior Fellow Jonathan Choe singing the president’s praises. “The record homelessness, the record drug overdose deaths on the streets—the current plan is just not working, and that’s why the Trump administration had to move in,” Choe told The Jason Rantz Report on Seattle Red 770 AM. Charting a New Course Discovery Institute has long advocated for an end to Read More ›

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.