The Housing First Approach: A Documentary

Jan 8, 2025

Will James, a seasoned KUOW Audio Documentary Producer, dives into the contentious debate over the Housing First approach to homelessness. He reveals personal success stories that highlight the transformative impact of stable housing, contrasting this with traditional treatment models. The podcast explores the backlash against Housing First, driven by critics, and raises critical questions about its effectiveness amidst rising homelessness. James emphasizes the importance of understanding mental health and addiction within the context of supportive housing, fostering an engaging discussion on potential paths forward.

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Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

Intro

00:00 • 4min

Housing First: A New Approach to Homelessness

04:21 • 9min

Struggles and Survival: Life in Supportive Housing

13:04 • 7min

Exploring the Roots of Housing First

19:53 • 4min

Understanding the Housing First Approach and Its Controversies

24:14 • 2min

The Housing First Debate: Challenges and Insights

26:05 • 26min

Exploring the Roots of Poverty and Public Policy

52:27 • 2min

As the Trump administration prepares to take office, a fight is brewing over the future of homelessness in America.

For about a decade now, the federal government has pushed a strategy called Housing First.

It's designed to get people off the streets and into permanent homes... even when they have serious problems with mental illness or substance use. Seattle was one of the earliest adopters of this approach, back in the nineties.

But, over the past few years, a growing chorus of critics — mostly on the political right — has questioned Housing First.

They want to go back to a time when efforts to fight homelessness focused more on getting people into treatment and having them "earn" access to subsidized housing by changing their behaviors.

Now some of those critics are about to come to power in the White House, like Vice President elect JD Vance.

You've probably heard of Project 2025. It's the conservative Heritage Foundation's plan for Trump's second term. It calls for an end to Housing First — a move that would upend the nation's homelessness strategy.

KUOW's Will James has covered homelessness for years. He wanted to know: What is at the heart of this backlash against Housing First?

And, with homelessness reaching record levels, do the critics have a point? Is it time to change course?

If so, where do we go from here?

Will spent months digging into these questions and brings us this original, freshly-reported documentary, which we're sharing with you for the first time today.

The story starts right here in Seattle... because this city is intertwined with the history of Housing First and now, the movement against it.

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes

Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.

Guests:
Will James, KUOW Audio Documentary Producer

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