California’s homelessness policy is a disaster, and Biden aims to copy it.

Dem admin invests $3 billion into programs that pursue Golden State’s⁣ failed ‘Housing First’ policies

President Joe​ Biden’s Department of Housing and Urban Development in July announced its investment in so-called Housing First programs,‌ which subsidize rent ​costs for those living on the street ​but do not impose drug⁣ or mental health treatment requirements. California ‍adopted those programs in 2016 and has⁢ since seen its homeless population steadily ⁣grow.⁢ Last⁢ year, for example, California was home to 30 percent of the⁣ nation’s homeless people, despite‍ Californians ‌making up less ⁣than 12 percent of the U.S. population. From 2020 to 2022, California’s homeless population increased by roughly​ 6 percent, a‌ rate 15 times higher than the rest of the country.

Biden, ⁤during his 2020 campaign, presented himself as a run-of-the-mill Democrat who would restore​ “normalcy” to America. After ⁤taking office, however,⁢ Biden has in many ⁢cases mirrored California—perhaps the nation’s most liberal state—on⁢ policy. After California banned the sale of ‌new gas-powered cars by 2035,⁢ for example, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm credited the state for inspiring her to “move faster and further” toward a green energy transition. The‌ Biden ⁣administration went ‌on to‌ introduce environmental‌ proposals‍ that ⁢effectively force automakers to sell ⁤electric cars over their​ gas-powered counterparts.

Housing First programs ⁤have failed the Golden State,⁢ experts told the Washington Free Beacon, because they exclude treatment ⁢requirements‌ for issues that commonly plague ‌the homeless, ⁤such as substance abuse and mental illness. As a result, homeless people who receive housing subsidies often continue using​ drugs and fail to become independent, Manhattan Institute senior fellow Stephen Eide argued.

“Other problems are left as sort ‍of ​afterthoughts, and nothing much ends up being done about them ⁣at all,” Eide told the Free Beacon. “In practice, actually, this looks a ‌lot more like ‘Housing Only’ than ‘Housing First.'”

The Department of Housing and Urban Development did not⁢ return a⁣ request for comment.

Californians have soured on Housing First since ‌it formally became the state’s strategy to combat homelessness in 2016, Eide​ said. After the strategy’s⁣ adoption,⁤ the number of unsheltered homeless people ‍in ⁤California grew, prompting Eide to call Housing‍ First a “failed strategy.”

“The communities that were most passionate about Housing First invested the⁤ most money into it—California most notably—and ​the results were‌ not very impressive,” he said.

American Enterprise Institute senior fellow⁢ Howard Husock echoed Eide, saying ⁣Housing First is “built on false premises.”

“If you ‌put⁣ people with substance​ abuse problems and mental health ⁤problems into their own four walls without necessarily providing treatment of some kind, including withdrawal from drug addiction, what’s the case for‍ this being ⁢the best approach?”‌ he told the Free Beacon. ⁢”It’s just⁢ self-evident.”

Beyond its adoption of California’s homelessness policies, the Biden administration ⁢has embraced ⁢so-called harm reduction, ‌a ‌public health theory that argues governments should minimize the hazards associated with ​drug use instead ‍of eradicating it. Biden’s Department⁤ of Health‌ and Human Services has funneled tens of millions of dollars to‍ harm reduction ⁢facilities to fund ‌”smoking kits” and other materials meant to help ‌addicts ‌get high⁤ without overdosing.⁤ The White House‌ earlier this year also made naloxone, a drug used to reverse opioid overdoses, available ⁤over the counter.

California has also worked to advance harm reduction, investing​ $61 billion in ​such⁢ programs in July. Months earlier, in April, ⁢liberal⁤ California lawmakers blocked bills to strengthen punishments ​for fentanyl dealers, arguing that the state⁤ should pursue harm reduction instead.