“The first step is admitting you have a problem.”

In the past two weeks, two progressive political figures and long-term advocates for Housing First homelessness policies have publicly admitted that the strategy has failed to meet its goals. This fact has been widely accepted by less partisan analysts for many years as homelessness continues to rise nationwide (especially in progressive cities) and has increased nearly 70% in the past decade in King County (despite it being declared an emergency in 2015).

Former President Barrack Obama, who made Housing First the official federal policy in 2012 while asserting that the expensive strategy would completely eliminate homelessness in America within a decade, recently stated that the public is not supporting a system which allows homeless individuals to set up encampments wherever they want.

New Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson stated during her February 17 State of the City speech that, “I don’t think that anyone can really argue that our overall approach to homelessness has been successful.”

Yet, while both political figures are publicly admitting what the data has been telling everyone for many years, neither appears willing to throw their support behind an approach promoted by many leading homelessness experts – one that focuses more resources on addiction and mental health treatment and less money on building a huge ineffective housing bureaucracy.

And while President Obama and Mayor Wilson are joining those who state Housing First is a failed policy, Washington Democrats are still committed to a partisan lawsuit which seeks to keep it in place – despite the thousands who are suffering and the hundreds who die every year. The Democrat Party benefits greatly from Housing First since the approach is dependent on significantly growing government’s housing bureaucracy. With more bureaucrats in place, there are more dues fees generated which union bosses spend on helping Democrat candidates and liberal organizations.

It is significant that Left wing politicians are publicly recognizing that Housing First has failed.  Now they need to put their money where their mouth is by ending Housing First and begin helping those suffering by getting them the addiction and/or mental health treatment they need