HHS & HUD Advance Trump Administration ‘Treatment First’ Policies to Address Homelessness, Addiction & Mental Illness

WASHINGTON, D.C. — AUGUST 17, 2026 — The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today announced the latest action to advance a major shift in the federal government’s approach to homelessness, moving away from the failed “Housing First” policies of the Biden Administration and putting treatment, recovery, and self-sufficiency at the center of federal homelessness programs.

In a joint letter to behavioral health and housing partners, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and HUD Secretary Scott Turner outlined the Trump Administration’s “Treatment First” approach. The new direction pairs safe housing with services that address addiction and serious mental illness, rather than treating housing alone as the solution.

“We cannot solve homelessness by funding systems that perpetuate it,” said Secretary Kennedy. “We will fund programs that get people off the streets, into treatment and recovery, and back to self-sufficiency. We will demand results, hold failing programs accountable, and fund what works.”

“Our responsibility is not simply to warehouse homeless Americans; it is to help them move from public dependency on the street to lasting stability and self-sufficiency,” said HUD Secretary Scott Turner. “‘Housing First’ policies have left Americans trapped in cycles of homelessness, and the data shows this failed approach is not working. The Trump Administration's 'Treatment First' approach pairs housing with evidence-based services people need to recover, overcome addiction, and rebuild their lives.”

Despite nearly tripling housing units for homeless individuals in recent years under “Housing First” policies and increasing funding for mental illness and addiction, the nation has not made progress. Among individuals in taxpayer-funded permanent supportive housing, homeless individuals are twice as likely to die as they are to move into unsubsidized housing, and nearly 20% of program exits are due to death.

Under the “Treatment First” approach, HUD will restore its multibillion-dollar Continuum of Care Program to its original congressionally established goals, abandoning “Housing First” policies to the fullest extent possible. HUD funding will instead pair safe housing with services designed to address the underlying conditions contributing to chronic homelessness and help individuals move toward lasting independence.

As part of President Trump’s Great American Recovery, HHS is aligning programs and strengthening systems of care to address the addiction and mental illness that often accompany chronic homelessness. This includes the recently announced STREETS initiative, a $100 million HHS investment to expand outreach, comprehensive treatment and recovery support services, and housing connections for homeless Americans with mental illness and addiction.

Together, HHS and HUD will strengthen coordination between federal housing and behavioral health systems and work with Continuums of Care, housing providers, treatment and recovery grantees, state and tribal partners, faith-based organizations, social services organizations, businesses, and other community stakeholders to create better outcomes for Americans in crisis.

The actions announced today advance President Trump’s Great American Recovery and Executive Order 14321, Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets, and further the Trump Administration’s commitment to address the root causes of homelessness, restore lives, and make America’s communities safer.