Mental Health & Addiction | Change Washington

Former Democrats explain why we need new homelessness policies

Since the Obama Administration adopted the Housing First model in 2014, homelessness has increased: The Trump Administration’s July 24 Executive Order (EO) has shaken up how our country will confront its homelessness crisis, especially in how we attempt to help the overwhelming majority of destitute individuals suffering with mental illness and drug addiction. Essentially the...

Fresh Federal Direction Could Turn the Tide on Homelessness in Washington

Last week’s executive order from the Trump Administration firmly declared that the federal government is changing its homeless strategy after more than a decade of disappointing results from Housing First policies. These orders have brought encouragement to those who support more resources for addiction and mental health treatment and angered those who financially benefit from...

Breaking: Trump orders roll back of disastrous Housing First strategy on homelessness

Today, the Trump Administration began to dismantle the ineffective and costly Housing First homelessness policies, which have caused the country’s homeless problem to become even worse. The Obama-era policy resulted in a record-breaking 770,000 people to suffer on our streets during the last year of the Biden Administration. In Washington state, homelessness rose 78% since...

Homeless strategy is increasing the number who suffer in Washington

This is the third article of three on the various costs associated with homelessness. In this article we examine the costs associated with government-funded services and the lack of accountability of taxpayer funds. We also look at whether these services are attracting homeless individuals from other states. King County politicians boast that they work with...

Washington: The destination state for America’s homeless population

This is the first in a three-part series, “The Cost of Homelessness.” Failed “Housing First” homeless policies have resulted in more people suffering on our streets. In turn, this puts more stress on local taxpayers to fund the public services the growing homeless population requires. We will examine these startling costs and explore if focusing...

Your tax dollars are promoting fentanyl use as a “friend-building” activity

Is a new big budget ad campaign from the State of Washington the latest proof that our government is not interested in reducing lethal drug use? [un]Divided podcast host Brandi Kruse asserts that a recently released television ad from the Washington State Department of Health is more evidence that “our government does not want to...

Citizens once again take the lead to keep the public safe

Nearly all restrictions imposed on police pursuits by previous state lawmakers were removed as Initiative 2113 finally became state law on June 6. The legislature passed the citizen Initiative (along with parental notification initiative and a ban on future state income tax) after Let’s Go Washington collected more than 400,000 signatures (around 325K were needed)....

Seattle and King County’s disturbing results of Housing First and Harm Reduction

Two very troublesome facts were revealed last week which provide more evidence that the progressives’ “Housing First” homeless policy and “Harm Reduction” drug policy are failing to end the suffering that is taking place on our streets. These numbers are similar to those in other progressive West Coast cities and states. These facts require us...

Why San Francisco reversed course on “harm reduction” – and why Seattle should too

On February 26, 2024, a politician spoke in front of a small yet very passionate group of activists who had gathered with homemade signs to support an announcement from the public official. She tells the crowd how her sister died of an overdose the day before her 26th birthday and how the progressive’s “harm reduction”...