Trump Turns His Ire onto Homelessness Policy
President Donald Trump is making headlines once again – this time for his proposed overhaul of federal homelessness policy. His administration is pushing a treatment-first model, one that involves requiring mental health and addiction treatment as a condition of care. The plan also includes constructing “tent cities” on federal land and taking a firm stance against the Housing First model that has long dominated the national approach. Trump’s administration has already begun cutting back homelessness funding, downsizing the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, and loosening contract requirements for local governments to follow Housing First principles.
This may sound like a dramatic shift, but for those of us who have spent years on the front lines of this crisis, it’s not new. In fact, I’ve advocated for this kind of approach many times — in The Las Vegas Sun, Nevada Independent, and on Substack. The idea is simple, rooted in evidence-based addiction treatment: you don’t hand someone a house before addressing the behavioral health issues that often led to their homelessness in the first place. True recovery requires structure, accountability, and clinical care — not isolation behind closed doors.
At Vegas Stronger, we’ve developed a six-point plan to tackle homelessness and substance use disorders at their roots:
More Shelter Beds: Every unhoused person should have access to a bed — and entering shelter should be mandatory. Shelters are where real healing begins.
Treatment: Once inside, we offer world-class addiction and mental health care. Clinicians and support staff help individuals stabilize and begin recovery.
Community Education: We need the public to understand this model. Treatment facilities don’t work if people won’t use them. Broad-based support is essential.
Legislation: Entitlement programs that provide food and supplies to people while they live unhoused are enabling the problem. These resources should be available in shelters only — not on the streets.
Homeless Drug Court: Temporary arrest and swift diversion to treatment via a specialized court system is sometimes the only lifeline for people trapped in severe addiction.
Data-Driven Accountability: Through HMIS (Homeless Management Information Systems), we track outcomes, measure success, and prevent relapses.
Homelessness isn’t just about housing — it’s about healing. The data shows that for people suffering from substance use disorders or chronic mental illness, simply giving them a home doesn’t solve the deeper issues. I’ve lived this. I’ve walked the hard road of addiction myself. When I sought treatment, it cost $18,000 a month — not because the therapy was gold-plated, but because of the individualized room and board. That cost keeps countless people from ever getting help.
We can change that. By providing structured, communal treatment environments in shelters — at a fraction of the cost of residential rehabs — we can scale real solutions. The truth is, many people suffering on our streets choose tents, tunnels, and dangerous encampments over shelters, simply because those shelters require sobriety or accountability. We must reverse this trend.
Las Vegas can lead the way. With sufficient shelter beds, strong public support, and policies that reward recovery instead of perpetuating street-level addiction, we can save lives. This isn’t about punishment. It’s about compassion through structure. It’s about breaking the cycle and helping people reclaim their lives.
Housing has its place. But when we offer that housing matters deeply. Let’s build a recovery-first model, and with it, a stronger Vegas.