Seattle, Washington The recent executive order issued by President Donald Trump is a severe blow to the Housing First initiatives of Washington state towns, as failure to comply with the new rules may result in the loss of federal funding.
By rerouting federal funds to substance abuse treatment, enforcing prohibitions on open drug use and camping on public property, and banning funding for drug injection sites—which no Washington municipality has established—Trump’s executive order, which was signed on Thursday, attempts to address the country’s homelessness crisis.
Additionally, the directive guarantees that sex offenders receiving homelessness assistance are not housed in the same building as children and gives priority to payments for states and municipalities that comply.
Trump’s decree threatens to undermine the Housing First strategy used by King County and Seattle to combat homelessness.
Funding and services for homeless people in the most populous county in the state are coordinated by the King County Regional Homelessness Authority, or KCRHA. If the agency doesn’t update its Housing First policy, which puts stable housing first before tackling other underlying causes of homelessness, it could lose $25.4 million in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in 2026.
Advocates claim that giving homeless people homes first helps them regain their dignity before addressing other problems, such as drug addiction. However, an increasing number of individuals have become uneasy due to open drug use, criminality, and visible tent encampments on the streets, all of which are linked to the growing number of homeless persons in King County and Washington.
In Washington, groups with a Republican affiliation, such as Future 42 and the Discovery Institute, have been ardent supporters of a treatment-first strategy for homelessness. Advocates of this strategy contend that it will better prepare local governments in Washington to deal with homelessness, which they see as linked to mental health and drug addiction.
Nate Nehring, the director of Future 42 Snohomish County, described the Housing First and harm reduction programs as a proven failure in Washington state and abroad. He thinks that Trump’s executive order is a move in the right direction for those who are calling for community safety to be a top priority.
Nehring emailed The Center Square to say, “To date, we have seen increased overdose rates and a reduced sense of safety, all while the tax burden has grown heavier as billions of dollars are poured into unsuccessful programs.” We can now be sure that the most vulnerable members of our communities will receive better care if we concentrate on the underlying causes of homelessness, which are drug addiction and mental illness.
The Housing First approach’s proponents recognize that some homeless persons struggle with mental illness and substance abuse, but they also perceive a link between the affordability crisis and homelessness, which causes lives to spiral out of control.
Tim Thomas, the chief research and data officer for KCRHA, previously told The Center Square that the homeless individuals living on the streets are only a small percentage of the more than 16,000 homeless persons in the area. One month’s rent arrears can trigger a precipitous plunge into homelessness, he clarified. Substance abuse can occasionally result from this significant life transition as a last-ditch effort to cope with stress.
However, proponents of treatment-first policies, such as Steven Buri, president of the Discovery Institute, claim that Trump’s executive order will improve communities and save lives.
According to Buri, President Trump’s historic move shifts the country’s approach to homelessness from providing unrestricted permanent homes to a humane alternative that emphasizes treatment, rehabilitation, and the attainment of self-sufficiency for individuals who are homeless.
The decision for homeless towns and counties in Washington may no longer be between Housing First and treatment first, but rather between adhering to federal directives or risking losing the funding to do either.
KCRHA is preparing answers for a follow-up piece after acknowledging The Center Square’s request for comment.
