Biden Homelessness Plan Failed in California and Utah

The Biden administration recently unveiled a new federal plan to “prevent and end homelessness” based on a “Housing First” approach. This approach was at the leading edge of homeless policy 20 years ago; since then, California, Utah, and select major cities in the U.S. have embraced the philosophy.

The Housing First model emphasizes providing the homeless with permanent housing regardless of whether individuals are working to overcome obstacles to stability, including mental-health issues, substance-use disorder, and unemployment. But in many places where the model has been tried, homelessness has grown.

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Vanessa Brown Calder

Vanessa Brown Calder is the director of opportunity and family-policy studies at the Cato Institute.

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The Biden administration recently unveiled a new federal plan to “prevent and end homelessness” based on a “Housing First” approach. This approach was at the leading edge of homeless policy 20 years ago; since then, California, Utah, and select major cities in the U.S. have embraced the philosophy.

The Housing First model emphasizes providing the homeless with permanent housing regardless of whether individuals are working to overcome obstacles to stability, including mental-health issues, substance-use disorder, and unemployment. But in many places where the model has been tried, homelessness has grown.