Even though the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has temporarily withdrawn its recently announced policy changes that threaten deep cuts to “Housing First” programs, the founder of a Seattle-based community group is confident the changes are coming.
Andrea Suarez, who founded We Heart Seattle more than five years ago, said there’s “no need to wait” for federal action before the city alters its approach.
The grassroots group began by organizing trash cleanups in public spaces and offering resources to the city’s drug addicted and mentally ill population living on the streets and in city parks.
Before last Friday’s HUD decision to withdraw the policy changes due to several pending court challenges, Suarez told The Center Square she felt “vindicated” by HUD Secretary Scott Turner’s decision to change course on “the homeless industrial complex.”
“My loved ones, our loved ones, those 30,000 people alone in the state of Washington that have died since we implemented ‘housing first’ will not die in vain under this administration,” Suarez said. “That’s a big deal to the families who’ve been stuck in this vicious cycle of addiction with their loved one for so long unable to get real help.”
HUD’s original policy change would have capped how much of the $3.9 billion grant program could be used for permanent supportive housing at 30%. HUD has previously directed approximately 90% of Continuum of Care funding under its “Housing First” philosophy.
While non-profits and other homeless providers wait to find out what changes HUD will settle on, Suarez says there is no reason for the city of Seattle and other local municipalities to put off the course correction.
“Everyone can start right now to make recovery and self sufficiency the cornerstone of their programs,” wrote Suarez via text on Monday. “They can expand who they work with now by embracing faith-based organizations, private funded street outreach like We Heart Seattle and private funded recovery housing like Battlefield and Salvation Army.”
Over the summer, President Trump announced his administration was rejecting housing-first policies, which get a person into permanent housing before addressing their addiction, and/or mental illness. Trump administration officials said the failed approach encouraged “dependence on endless government handouts” while not addressing the root causes that led to someone ending up on the street.
“That first and foremost prevention piece is our mantra here,” Suarez said. “Make it harder to get high and easier to get clean. Make access to treatment so much easier, friction-free. There should always be a bed available when somebody wants that initial medical assisted stabilization.”
Suarez said it’s an often-repeated myth that there are no beds to take someone when they decide they want to get clean, at least in Seattle.
“There are places for people to go. We don’t need to keep building multi-million-dollar crisis centers for people,” Suarez said. “We’re not taking all 80,000 people off the street at once. We can start right now simply for free by saying from our own mouths as outreach staff, do you want to do something different with your life today? I’m willing to take you into treatment.”
Suarez said she has reached out to Seattle Mayor-Elect Katie Wilson and staff members asking for a meeting to discuss the work of We Heart Seattle and coming changes from HUD and how they can work together, but has so far found no one willing to meet.
“I learned everything I know in five years because we picked up trash and discovered the spectacular policy failures around drugs, crime, and homelessness,” she said. “The truth lies beneath the trash.”
HUD officials have stated they will be reissuing a revised policy and funding notice soon. But they still intend to pursue the shift away from the “Housing First” model toward a requirement to get clean and sober or take advantage of other behavioral health services in exchange for housing and other governmental assistance.
This fall, the Center Square created an explainer video on Housing First and the contrast with a ‘treatment first’ approach. That video is linked here.
