The U.S. homeless population is now at its highest point ever— a staggering 18.1% increase overall and an even more shocking 39% increase in families — according to the recent count of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
However, corporate media’s coverage of our nation’s homeless crisis has been sparse, much like its attention to President Joe Biden’s unfulfilled midterm promise to reduce homelessness by 25% or President Barack Obama’s 2013 pledge to “end homelessness in 10 years.” (RELATED: INESA PONOMARIOVAITE: Can America Finally Turn Its Failing Health Around?)
What’s even more frustrating is that when the media has covered this human tragedy, it overwhelmingly reduces it to a matter of affordable housing supply.
The shortage of affordable housing predates the steady rise in homelessness that followed a U.S. policy shift in the 2010s. While expanding this housing supply is important, it will do little to reverse the homelessness trajectory.
More importantly, this excuse conveniently distracts from the deeply flawed, 2013 experiment launched by the Obama-Biden administration.
In 2008, the federal government — by far the largest funder of homelessness — adopted the Housing First approach to address chronic homelessness, a population that comprises 10-20% of the nation’s overall homeless, depending on the region.
The strategy was to quickly funnel this population into private, permanent dwellings, without regard for accountability or long-term costs. They stripped away all prerequisites: no sobriety, no engagement in treatment services, and shockingly, no requirement to ever seek work while living in the taxpayer-funded, “subsidized for life” housing.
HUD officials claimed that once the homeless were stably housed in private units, they were more likely to “self-determine” their need for sobriety, treatment services, and work… though a long-term study subsequently and unsurprisingly discredited their hypothesis.
In 2013, the Obama-Biden administration mandated Housing First as the country’s universal approach to homelessness. They promised eradication within a decade, though it was at this point that homelessness began to climb.
The so-called “evidence-based” shift in policy— relying only on short-term data from outcomes with the chronically homeless population— disallowed requirements such as sobriety and eliminated funding for mental health and addiction treatment in favor of expanding the number of “in perpetuity” housing vouchers.
Eleven years later, the failure of their experiment is undeniable. Despite a significant surge in federal funding, homelessness has soared to unprecedented levels, with its mortality rate skyrocketing by 238%. The growth has been steady, apart from a temporary dip during the 2021 pandemic year.
The Trump administration must pivot from Housing First to Human First to restore hope, purpose, and connection for the homeless while rebuilding ravaged communities.
Hope is a crucial force for transformation. It encourages the overcoming of obstacles, the pursuit of goals, and growth. Human beings must participate in their lives and take a level of responsibility.
Under Housing First, the provision of life-long, “no requirements” housing leads to complacency, inhibiting meaningful steps toward improvement and progress.
Human beings need purpose.
Housing First, perhaps inadvertently, keeps the homeless stuck in their struggles— largely mental illness and addiction— as it prioritizes housing over treatment. Many experiencing these diseases also face anosognosia, a lack of self-awareness about their condition. Requiring treatment is vital to spark healing, restore clarity, and gain employment to sustain themselves.
And finally…
Human beings need connection.
The provision of life-long subsidized housing is not only financially unsustainable, but it also undermines connection with support networks that are central to healing and growth. It’s akin to claiming the best way to care for the sick is to confine them to individual hospital rooms forever.
Alicia’s journey illustrates the fruit and the cascade effects of the Human First approach.
At 47 years old, Alicia, a mother of nine who had lost custody of seven children and never held a job, reached a point of despair. Like hundreds of others who entered the program I ran for 13 years, Alicia had little hope of a brighter future for her and her family.
Once she entered our Human First program, she found a new beginning.
Alicia was temporarily housed alongside other women facing similar struggles. Over two years, she gained the structure and support needed to learn parenting, overcome a 30-year addiction, heal from trauma, find work, and form meaningful relationships.
Today, Alicia is 1over 10 years sober. She treasures her connection with her nine children, 22 grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. She has worked for the same company for the past decade. She pays her rent, invests in her 401(k) and takes pride in her self-reliance.
The Trump administration must lead with a Human First approach to homelessness — restoring human beings like Alicia while strengthening communities and drastically reducing the taxpayer burden.
By prioritizing treatment, accountability, and true rehabilitation, they will break the cycle of homelessness and unleash every individual’s God-given potential.
Michele Steeb is the founder of Free Up Foundation and author of “Answers Behind the RED DOOR: Battling the Homeless Epidemic,” based on her 13 years as CEO of northern California’s largest program for homeless women and children. She proudly served eight years as a board member of the California Prison Industry Authority and has served as a visiting fellow for the Independent Women’s Forum, a consultant for the Texas Public Policy Foundation, and a vice president of the California Chamber of Commerce.
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