EP 617 Homelessness Continues to Increase in America: What Can We Do?

No matter what measurement you use, the statistical one provided by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development or simply your own eyes as you walk the streets of major American cities, the issue of people who live on the streets with no permanent shelter is growing. Conservatives and liberals alike recognize the problem and yet we have not put together initiatives that can get at the root of the problem and provide people with dignity and hope for the future. America settled on a ‘housing first’ policy which in essence creates a large federal assistance program which is functionally equivalent to HUD Section 8 housing. However, mental health, drug addiction and the lack of affordable housing in some of the country’s largest cities combine to exacerbate the problems faced by individuals who have no stability in their lives. Dr. Robert Marbut a senior policy fellow at the Discovery Institute has worked on the issue of the homeless for decades as Chief of Staff for San Antonio Mayor Henry Cisneros and as a White House Fellow under George W. Bush. He was the Executive Director of the U.S. Inter agency Council on Homelessness from 2019 to 2021 under both the Trump and Biden Administrations. He joins us to discuss a concept being put forward in federal legislation to get at the broad suite of needs people on the streets generally exhibit and to attempt to find more long-term remedies.

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