Washington residents strongly support more focus on treatment for homeless
A new poll finds that Washington State residents overwhelmingly support the Trump Administration’s efforts to encourage treatment-based solutions (for both drug/alcohol addiction and mental illness) to battle the homelessness crises.
Moreover, a large majority of Washington voters believe that current homelessness programs that DO NOT address addiction and mental health issues should be closed down.
80% believe the federal government’s focus on treatment is the correct approach. So far elected officials in Washington have opposed the Trump Administration’s orders and would rather spend even more tax dollars on their very expensive “Housing First” homeless policies (which have increased the homeless suffering in King County by 68% in the past decade – since homelessness was declared an “emergency.”)
Also, 35% strongly favor and 27% somewhat favor (combined 62%) ending homeless policies which don’t focus on treatment based solutions.
These two questions were among a short series of questions on homelessness policies that were included in an extensive Napolitan News Service survey of 800 Washington State voters taken September 5 -9.
1 – This executive order (to focus more resources on treatment)was issued by President Trump as part of his government spending reforms. Knowing this to be true, would it be better for city and local governments to keep the federal funding by adding treatment to their programs, or to keep their programs as they are and make up the lost funding by increasing local taxes?
80% Keep the federal funding by adding treatment
9% Keep programs as they are and make up the lost funding by increasing local taxes
10% Not sure
2 – Would you favor or oppose ending funding for programs that only provide housing, without addressing addiction and mental health, and redirecting those funds to programs that provide both treatment and housing?
35% Strongly favor
27% Somewhat favor
17% Somewhat oppose 1
3% Strongly oppose
7% Not sure