Trump Says 'Housing First' Failed the Homeless. Here's What the Evidence Says. [View all]
Source: New York Times
Dec. 25, 2025 Updated 6:09 p.m. ET
When the Trump administration announced plans last month to redistribute billions of dollars in homelessness aid, the move capped a conservative attack on the once-bipartisan philosophy that has guided federal work for a generation, an approach called Housing First.
The administration called the policy a permissive approach that had let homelessness rise, while supporters said Housing First was backed by proven science.
Housing First provides chronically homeless people long-term subsidized housing and offers, but does not require, treatment for mental illness or addiction. It contrasts with programs that condition help on sobriety or work, which Trump officials want to encourage though there is less direct research to suggest their efficacy.
Few aid policies have been studied as extensively as Housing First, and supporters’ faith that it is “evidence based” lends the debate special intensity. Extensive research shows that Housing First places large shares of its clients in housing. It also appears to have played a major role in cutting homelessness among veterans, which has fallen by more than half.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/25/us/trump-housing-first.html
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