Tom Wolf

In partnership with the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced the new “Best Practices Toolkit: Addressing Homelessness and Addiction Through Treatment First.” From the press release: This first-of-its-kind resource provides communities with practical and proven strategies to help Americans transition from homelessness and addiction to recovery and self-sufficiency. This toolkit advances a “Treatment First” model that prioritizes coordinated and accountability-driven engagement in evidence-based treatment and recovery support services to ensure access to effective, comprehensive, and evidence-based care necessary for homeless individuals. “It’s a policy change many of us who have spent time on the frontlines serving the homeless have been arguing for,” Senior Read More ›

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 standing up the Read More ›

SEATTLE, WA — “The homelessness crisis has been misrepresented as a housing problem. It’s not,” says Tom Wolf, homelessness and drug policy expert. “For many people living on the streets, the underlying issues are addiction, mental illness, or both.” Discovery Institute is pleased to announce that Tom Wolf has joined its Fix Homelessness initiative as a Senior Fellow. A leading advocate for treatment-centered responses to homelessness and addiction, Wolf brings both policy expertise and deeply personal experience to the role. Wolf’s journey into advocacy began with his own struggle. Following foot surgery in 2017, he was prescribed opioid pain medication. What began as a medical treatment developed into addiction, eventually leading to homelessness on the streets of San Francisco and Read More ›

Homeless INC Protests Changes Friday afternoon, far-left activists targeted Cicero Institute’s Homelessness Policy Summit in Washington, D.C. Most of these professional protesters are aligned with Homeless INC and are deathly afraid of losing their gravy train. That’s because the Trump administration defunded Housing First, one of the greatest public policy failures in American history. It’s made the street crisis worse and cost taxpayers billions of dollars. But now the vast majority of that money will be flowing into treatment and recovery focused providers. Discovery Institute and Cicero Institute played a massive role in helping craft the direction of this new approach that will save lives. We Heart Seattle’s Andrea Suarez, Tom Wolf, and North America Recovers Grant Denton are on Read More ›

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 crime.

Booted Jennifer Friedenbach is the queen of San Francisco’s homeless industrial complex. Looks like she’s getting booted from the “Our City Our Home Oversight Committee.” This collective is responsible for looking after a billion dollars in homeless and housing services. I spoke to Friedenbach earlier this year. She took shots at recovery advocates like @Twolfrecovery and defended the failed Housing First and “harm reduction” policies that have led to record drug overdose deaths in the city. Final Vote Nov. 11 The Board of Supervisors will take a final vote on Friedenbach’s future with the committee on November 11. At Odds with New Mayor Friedenbach’s approach to fixing the city’s homeless drug crisis did not align with Mayor Daniel Lurie’s game Read More ›

From “Doom Loop” to “Boom Loop,” San Francisco could be turning the corner on all the crime, chaos and death. A new mayor and new approach to the homeless drug crisis could be the game changer. Here’s part 1 of our series in the Bay Area. Parts of San Francisco have been described as being stuck in a perpetual doom loop. A never-ending pattern of crime, chaos, and death. But some of the most problematic neighborhoods in the city could be getting ready to break out of this vicious cycle. “Is the Tenderloin looking better?” I ask a local resident. “Oh yeah, it is,” he responds. That’s because new mayor Daniel Lurie is on a mission to reclaim what was Read More ›