Government

Recently, former President Barack Obama described America’s homelessness crisis in stark moral terms. “It is morally… an atrocity that in a country this wealthy, people are living on the streets.” Few people who work directly with the homeless would disagree. Anyone who has spent time walking through encampments, working in shelters, or sitting across the […]

A couple of months ago, I published a blog post titled “When Housing Becomes the Answer to Everything—and Solves Nothing.” In that article, I reflected on the growing assumption that homelessness is primarily a housing supply issue and questioned whether decades of housing-first policy have truly addressed the deeper causes of suffering on our streets.

When temperatures drop, the City of Medford announces the opening of a severe weather, low-barrier warming shelter, and local news outlets quickly report it. Like many in our community, I am grateful whenever steps are taken to ensure people do not freeze during extreme weather. Preserving life should always matter. However, one line in the

Why Oregon’s lawsuit misses the deeper issue When Oregon’s Attorney General Dan Rayfield announced on November 25th that our state—along with 20 other states—had filed suit against recent HUD policy changes, the language was urgent and alarming. According to the AG, HUD’s adjustments would “pull the rug out” from people experiencing homelessness and thrust tens

Fifteen years ago, the federal government assured us that Housing First would end homelessness within a decade. Billions were invested, states restructured their systems, and communities like ours were told that permanent supportive housing — with no expectations for treatment or accountability — would be the silver bullet. Yet here we are in 2025, and