Is Housing First Failing? Michelle Steeb on Homelessness Policy - Part 1

In this segment of America’s NewsHour, Bill Bernardoni speaks with Michelle Steeb of the Free Up Foundation, author of Answers Behind the Red Door, about what she witnessed running one of Northern California’s largest women and children’s homeless shelters for more than a decade. Steeb explains why mental illness, addiction, trauma, and domestic violence so often sit behind the label of “homelessness,” and why she believes simply providing housing without treatment requirements has not reduced the crisis. The conversation explores the federal government’s shift to a Housing First model, the dramatic increase in public spending over the past decade, and whether long-term recovery requires more than four walls and a bed.

Do you believe homelessness is primarily a housing issue, or does lasting change require mandatory treatment and structured support?