NATIONAL CITY, Calif. (KGTV) – A new federal toolkit was released on Wednesday by Trump Administration officials for addressing the homelessness crisis.
“We believe that treatment; treatment must come first with housing,” Sara Carter, the Office of National Drug Control Policy Director, said.
The plan is for the advancement of a model called “Treatment First.”
“It is not the whole solution to the entire homeless crisis. The toolkit focuses on those specific problems, really the trifecta of homelessness, addiction, and mental health. It’s not intended to solve the entire housing crisis,” Dr. Roneet Lev, Chief Medical Officer of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, said.
The toolkit was developed with help from experts in the field. One of those experts is from San Diego County: Dr. Julie Hayden, who runs the East County Transitional Living Center in El Cajon.
“I think our continuum care model fit nicely with what the White House is looking at, and we call it protect, prepare, propel,” Hayden said. “We teach people how to work hard. So, you have the compassion and, you know, the care of human beings, and you have the accountability that really pushes people to their potential.”
The idea of Treatment First comes after disagreements with the Housing First model for addressing homelessness.
“Housing First and the concept of getting a person a house right away- one thing it missed was: do they need help with addiction, mental health, and all the other factors?” Hayden said.
Housing First is the model of the state of California.
It's something many communities and homeless outreach groups across the country follow and have heavily invested tax money in.
ABC 10News asked some local groups, the City and County of San Diego, and the Governor’s Office about the White House's push and the Treatment First concept.
Many organizations told me they didn't have anything to say; others didn't get back to me.
The. City Of San Diego sent ABC 10News the following statement: “The City supports connecting people experiencing homelessness and those with substance-use disorders with effective treatment and services when appropriate. These connections happen daily through outreach teams and case management embedded in our programs. The City understands that addressing homelessness is not a one-size fits all approach. At the same time, housing remains a critical part of addressing homelessness. We believe communities need a full range of tools — including housing, shelter, treatment, outreach and supportive services that promote stability and self-sufficiency.”
The director of the San Diego Housing Federation feels Housing First is still the best option. He told ABC 10News that Housing First isn’t just housing only. That it’s housing with services to help the person.
“First of all, homelessness is a housing crisis. People may deny that they try to pin it on being an addiction or mental health issue,” Stephen Russell, President & CEO of the San Diego Housing Federation, said. “There are definitely issues that can come up, but by and large what we see as addiction and mental illness, the very visible acute conditions are the result of homelessness, not the cause of the homelessness of the individual.”
