Address
homelessness
with Free Up.
Since 2023, homelessness has surged 18.1%, reaching the highest level ever recorded. Why?
Because for over a decade, the largest funder of homelessness— the federal government— imposed a one-size-fits-all approach called Housing First.
The theory was that handing homeless individuals a subsidized-for-life housing unit—with no expectations for sobriety, treatment, or work—would somehow become a springboard to health and prosperity.
It sounded compassionate, especially when they promised it would end homelessness in 10 years.
In reality, it was catastrophic.
Funding for treatment, transitional housing, and many categories of shelters was eliminated.
Nonprofits were forced to comply or lose critical HUD dollars.
Mortality among the homeless jumped 77%.
California— the only state to follow the Federal model compelling all state dollars to be used on the Housing First approach—became the epicenter of failure.
A long-term study out of Boston confirmed the damage: nearly half of the chronically homeless “housed” individuals died by year five (5), and within two subsequent years, only 36% remained housed.
