Trump vs Harris on homelessness


Trump promises to round up the homeless and put them in government internment camps. Only if they seek treatment and counseling, they might then qualify to be moved to housing.

Harris takes a “housing first” approach. Get a roof over their heads and some housing stability, then offer the treatments and counseling that can move them toward independence.

The Trump approach sees homelessness as a problem for the housed, to be addressed by hiding them from view. The Harris approach sees homelessness as a problem for the unhoused, to be addressed by finding them housing.

The Trump approach was tried during the Clinton Administration and largely failed:

“Housing first grew out of experimentation that followed a realization those approaches weren’t working, said Watts. One systematic review of 26 studies comparing the two approaches found housing first programs decreased homelessness rates by 88 percent and improved housing stability by 41 percent, compared to treatment first models, according to researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and HUD’s Office of Policy Development and Research.”

Critics point to a surge in homelessness in California between 2015 and 2019. Of course, there can always be exceptions, and the particular problems in California may require California-specific modifications. But if the data do indeed point two decreased homelessness and increased housing stability in the majority of cases, then let’s not let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/10/26/metro/harris-and-trump-have-different-plans-to-end-homelessness/

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